Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed today, pioneered a new model for conservative political advocacy, merging multi-platform media commentary with in-person gatherings and get-out-the-vote drives.
Kirk, 31, was a hugely successful political field organiser, TikTok influencer, radio host, nonprofit leader and public speaker all rolled up in one telegenic figure.
One minute, Kirk would be on Fox News promoting his friend President Donald Trump’s agenda; the next, he would be on X or Instagram, inviting young people to start conservative groups at their high schools and college campuses.
With Turning Point USA, the nonprofit he co-founded in 2012 at age 18, Kirk built a next generation grassroots operation that was plugged directly into the GOP, much to the envy of his Democratic rivals.
The talking head part of his job almost seamlessly blended together with the political-organising part, but arguably what stood out most were his public appearances at conservative conferences and on college campuses.
Today was the kickoff of Kirk’s fall semester tour of colleges across the country — billed as the “American Comeback Tour”.
Kirk took the day off from his daytime radio show and podcast to prepare for the on-campus event, and he was about 20 minutes into the appearance when he was struck in the neck by a gunman’s bullet.
Prominent figures across the media landscape mourned the death of a man who they knew personally.
“We have lost one of the most important voices that we’ve had in my lifetime on the right,” Megyn Kelly said in a live stream with Glenn Beck.
“Charlie Kirk was doing it the right way,” Republican strategist T.W. Arrighi wrote on X.
“Charlie built a movement on campuses across America by engaging students in debate and dialogue.
“Challenging orthodoxy and winning hearts and minds in the process. Isn’t that what we want from political figures?
“To try and silence that work through violence is antithetical to everything we stand for as a country.”
Over the course of a decade, Kirk successfully transformed Turning Point into a nationwide powerhouse, styling himself as a mouthpiece for the youth wing of the MAGA movement.
TPUSA’s website quoted Kirk saying, “We play offence with a sense of urgency to win America’s culture war.”
That’s how Kirk and Turning Point found success in conservative circles — by injecting the organisation directly into cultural battles and turning divisive debates into online and offline engagement.
Kirk championed right-wing ideas in fiery, on-camera clashes with progressive academics that then exploded on social media, especially on Twitter, the site known as X.
His desire to debate became a hallmark of the nonprofit, helping turn Kirk into a MAGA media star and a sought-after TV and podcast guest — when he wasn’t busy with his own shows.
Some of his tour stops this fall were promoted as forums for disagreement, featuring what Kirk called the “Prove Me Wrong” table, where he would face off with ideological opponents.
“I’m trying to be proactive about encouraging dialogue between people who disagree,” he told a CNN reporter in 2021.
Kirk’s ascent in conservative politics mirrored the rise of right-wing populism in America.
He embraced Trump during the 2016 presidential election and aggressively promoted Trump’s reelection bids.
Turning Point’s local chapters helped register young Republicans and ensure that likely Trump voters actually turned out to the polls.
Trump and his inner circle, in turn, helped elevate Kirk and TPUSA even more.
Kirk’s young age proved to be an advantage, as he naturally built an online brand on platforms like YouTube, eventually gaining millions of digital followers.
His political and media machine also launched other podcasts and media ventures to reach young people in new ways.
Alex Clark’s Culture Apothecary, for instance, launched in September 2024 and focused on wellness and lifestyle, viewing topics through a “Make America Healthy Again” prism.
Kirk made his ambitions clear in an interview with the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper, in the days leading up to the college campus event.
“We want to be an institution in this country that is as well-known and as powerful as The New York Times, Harvard and tech companies,” Kirk said.
“And we believe we’re creating that.”