On September 10th, 2025, the conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was murdered on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Charlie Kirk was the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), an organization dedicated to “educating young people about the importance of limited government, free markets, and freedom.” Kirk started his mission in 2012 when he first started working on TPUSA. As his organization continued to grow, Kirk expanded the program, adding on TPUSA Faith and Education, focusing on uniting Christian Americans and incorporating Christian teachings in the education of children. Kirk is most famous for his debates with students on college campuses, discussing topics such as immigration, abortion, Christianity and upcoming elections. Charlie Kirk had a large influence over young adults in the US; these debates being one of the key factors that helped him achieve his goal of informing high school and college students. Videos of these conversations were posted all over the internet, and social media platforms played a huge role in the spread of Kirk’s thoughts on widely debated topics. Kirk also had his own radio show and podcast, called “The Charlie Kirk Show,” where he hosted political figures and other activists to talk about ongoing issues. Because of his work with younger voters, Kirk is said to have played a pivotal role in the most recent presidential election, even building key parts of the Trump administration, like JD Vance. On the day of his assassination, Charlie Kirk was debating students attending Utah Valley University, and when someone had just asked a question, Kirk was shot from approximately 142 yards away. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was arrested the day after the shooting and is the top suspect for the assassination.
The reactions to Charlie Kirk’s murder were instant, with top politicians on both sides of the political spectrum sending condolences to his wife and family, while also condemning the broader political violence. People all over the nation took to social media to express their support for Kirk and his movement. After his widow, Erica Kirk, spoke out about his death, Turning Point USA received a record-high 18,000 new chapter requests in less than 24 hours, combined with $5 million dollars raised for Erica and their two kids . On the contrary, some people disagree with the media coverage of Kirk and believe the media to be glorifying Kirk by underrepresenting his controversial views on topics such as abortion and gun control. Most recently, Jimmy Kimmel has been in the news after he was suspended by ABC for 6 days because of his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death and the President’s reaction to it. Both President Trump and Vice President Vance, along with members of their administration, attended and spoke at Charlie’s memorial service on September 21st.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination is the most recent incident in a long line of political violence in this country. Just this past June, Melissa Hortman, a congresswoman for the state of Minnesota, along with her husband and dog, was killed in their home. The Hortmans left behind their two kids, Sophie and Colin, who promised to keep their parents’ legacy alive through acts of advocacy. The police then found a “hit list” in the suspect, Vance Boetler’s car, full of Minnesota lawmakers’ names. Boelter is also accused of shooting Senator John Hoffman, his wife, and his daughter, all of whom luckily survived. Even in April of their year, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was firebombed while he and his family were inside. Political violence is not foreign to this country, as seen with he assassination of JFK and MLK Jr. in the 60s. However, in the past ten years, there has been an uptick in shootings, arsons and other physical attacks against current and former senators, lawmakers and even presidents.
