Charlie Kirk. Shot while doing what he loved, talking and debating with young minds at a College Campus. Shot by someone who could not stand talk, who hated debate. Who thinks the answer is to kill.
Charlie was a man, a husband and father, a kind and very decent man, a man of unyielding conviction. A man, at 31, silenced by violence while igniting those minds on the Utah campus. A man, a devoted husband to Erika. A man, a father to a 3-year old daughter, a one-year old son.
Charlie's life was a testament to love's quiet strength amid public fire. His legacy burns brightest doing what he most loved: empowering America's youth.
Through Turning Point USA, Charlie debated fiercely and freely on college quads. He challenged students to "Prove Me Wrong", a bold invitation to clash ideas, fostering dialogue where others sowed division. The crowds were always large to listen to him and to have a chance to ask him questions, to challenge him. The queues were always long and he encouraged those who were most opposed to his ideas to jump to the head of the line. To have the chance to challenge him first, before his own followers.
Here’s what he said, often, about talk, conversations and debate:
When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop communicating, divorce often follows, and when civilisations cease dialogue, civil war ensues.
The loss of human connection with those we disagree with makes it easier to justify violence against them, highlighting a critical cultural challenge.
As a society, we must return to fostering reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.
He urged students to reclaim agency, to question, to stand firm—not as passive observers, but as architects of their destiny. In an era of doubt, he championed the American Dream: hard workload, opportunity, and freedom's promise for all who strive.
His preferred debate and talk stage was the college campus, though he had no collegedegree himself. He encouraged students to think of options more widely. They could go to trade schools, for example; a career in the trades can provide a comfortable living (it’s true!).
Charlie's passion called America and youth everywhere to action. That’s what the Turning Point is all about.
I hope his voice will echo in every campus AMA, that people keep making the challenge to “Prove me Wring”; open forums where young minds gather. Host them everywhere—challenge the status quo, build bridges through debate and seize the agency he encouraged all to recognise in themselves. In pursuing greatness, we honour him: a warrior for liberty, gone but forever inspiring us to rise.
Rest in power, Charlie. Your dream endures.
ADDED: MSNBC’s take is horrid*. They smear him immediately, calling him “hateful”, implying he had it coming. I followed Charlie, as much as I follow influencers and politicians on both sides. You’d be hard pressed to find anywhere on YouTube anything by Charli Peter that could be deemed disrespectful, let alone “hateful”.
His message to kids was always one of hope and inspiration. What he did talk, as Nate shows below, is truth and facts. If you don’t like them, well too bad. But shoot him for that? That’s something only the likes of the loonies on MSNBC could contemplate, and even cheer on.
* It seems it was too horrid a take even for the MSNBC bosses, as they've issued an apology and fired Matthew Dowd, he of the horrid "hate speech" analogy. Charlie nowhere, nohow, ever spoke of hate. Never hated a soul.
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- “Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah event”. By “Nate the Lawyer” (Nathaniel Broughty). Nate is a New York Bar examined lawyer, now based in Texas.
- “Charlie Kirk has died”, Timcast, by Tim Pool
- Charlie’s legacy. Vivek Ramaswamy on Megyn Kelly. Charlie most liked to speak to those he disagrees with.
- Friends of Charlie pay tributes. The Five
- An immeasurable tragedy. Gad Saad
- Democrats Assassination Culture and the death of Republican Moderates. Dr Steve Turley
- A life changed by Charlie Kirk. Vince Dao
