Over the past decade, Charlie Kirk became one of the most influential young leaders in right-wing American politics.
Mr. Kirk, 31, who was fatally shot on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University, had been an energetic member of President Trump’s inner circle, known for his abilities as a speaker, his fund-raising and his loyalty to the president.
A political organizer and podcast host who appealed to young conservatives and wealthy Republicans alike, Mr. Kirk accrued political power despite never having held office or worked on a campaign. In a series of interviews for a profile in The New York Times Magazine, which published in February, Mr. Kirk said that he had visited the White House “a hundred-plus” times during Mr. Trump’s first term.
He was also an early champion of JD Vance as a running mate for Mr. Trump. And just after the 2024 election, Mr. Kirk became part of an intimate group of advisers vetting prospective White House appointees for loyalty.
After the shooting, Mr. Trump called Mr. Kirk “a great guy from top to bottom” on social media.
Mr. Kirk was married to Erika Frantzve, a podcast host and a former Miss Arizona, who also owns a line of faith-themed streetwear. He lived in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife and their two young children. In the past, Mr. Kirk had argued for a secular approach to politics. In recent years, he increasingly invoked Christianity in speeches and on podcasts.
Mr. Kirk grew up in Prospect Heights, Ill., an affluent Chicago suburb. His mother was a counselor at a mental health clinic, and his father was an architect whose firm designed the Trump Tower in New York. He applied to colleges and was accepted by Baylor University but never attended, instead turning his attention to politics.
At the age of 18, Mr. Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that attracts tens of millions of dollars in donations. Today, the organization has chapters at more than 850 colleges that register students to vote and bring conservative speakers to campus. The event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, which drew at least 1,000 people, was the first stop of a tour organized through Turning Point.
He was interested in politics as early as his high school days, having been a fan of Rush Limbaugh then. Mr. Limbaugh headlined one of Mr. Kirk’s events in 2019 and donated money to his cause.
In July 2016, Mr. Kirk also became the youngest speaker at the Republican National Convention at age 23. And three years later, he founded a political action organization, Turning Point Action.
In recent years, Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action have grown exponentially, going from a total revenue of $4.3 million in 2016 to $92.4 million in 2023, with a vast majority of it from donations.
Aside from his close ties to Washington, Mr. Kirk was a charismatic figure on TV and online. Through his podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” speaking appearances and book sales, he became a millionaire. He often cast liberal views as extreme; he called the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “a bad guy” and labeled Kamala Harris as “Kamala the Communist.” One of his projects, the Professor Watchlist, aimed to expose “radical” academics, including those who were critical of his own work.
Mr. Kirk was accused of antisemitism, homophobia and racism, having blamed Jewish communities for fomenting hatred against white people, criticized gay rights on religious grounds and questioned the qualifications of Black airline pilots.
Over the years, Mr. Kirk’s loyalty to the president had not appeared to waver. Mr. Trump’s support in the Republican Party was flagging after he lost the 2020 election, but Mr. Kirk visited Mar-a-Lago in February 2021 and was photographed smiling alongside Mr. Trump. After Mr. Trump was elected for a second term, he expressed gratitude to Mr. Kirk for “what he’s done with the young people.”
Mr. Kirk was also a close friend of Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son. The two traveled to Greenland in January to publicize the incoming president’s proclaimed intent to acquire the Arctic territory. And a few weeks later, at a private party at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia two days before Mr. Trump’s inauguration, the president’s son described Mr. Kirk onstage as “one of the true rock stars of this movement.”
In January, Mr. Kirk, along with his wife and children, went to Washington for Mr. Trump’s second inauguration.
Robert Draper contributed reporting.
Jacey Fortin covers a wide range of subjects for The Times, including extreme weather, court cases and state politics across the country.
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