Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, and Trump ally, was killed Wednesday after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He was 31.
Earlier after learning of the attack, Trump asked for prayers for Kirk. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” Vice President JD Vance posted a photo of him with Kirk, writing “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour.”
The denouncement of the shooting was immediately bipartisan, with California Governor Gavin Newsom posting that the attack was “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” moments after news broke. “In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
Kirk was attacked at about 12:10 p.m. while speaking with Utah Valley University students on his “American Comeback Tour.” A bullet penetrated his neck as he was answering a student’s question about mass shooters. He was immediately rushed to the hospital by his security. Graphic videos of the shooting circulated on social media as Republicans and Democrats shared prayers for Kirk on social media.
Born in the Chicago suburbs, Kirk was a right-wing media personality and the CEO of Turning Point Action, a nonprofit political advocacy group that helped elect Trump to his second term. Connecting religious leaders with local politics, Kirk founded the spinoff organization Turning Point Faith, and he also developed Turning Point Academy with the mission of “reviving virtuous education.”
Kirk was perhaps best known for his viral “Prove Me Wrong” videos, in which he set up a table on college campuses and welcomed students to debate him on select topics. On his radio program, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” he endorsed conservative cultural viewpoints and often railed against liberal beliefs relating to climate change, critical race theory and gun control.
Kirk often sparked controversy for his viewpoints. He opposed gay marriage and advocated against mask mandates during the pandemic. Following Trump’s loss in 2020, he propagated disproven claims about election fraud.
In the lead-up to Trump’s reelection in 2024, Kirk became one of the most recognizable faces in the MAGA movement and one of the key operators in the effort to swing the youth vote red. His prominence in modern political culture is epitomized by a recent parody of his “Prove Me Wrong” concept on “South Park.”
