Charlie James Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two and husband to Erika Kirk, was fatally shot and killed by an assassin at a Utah Valley University event in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday afternoon.
“Charlie Kirk was one of one. He was a gifted communicator, loving husband and father, visionary builder, and a faithful Christian. He was also my friend,” said Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon. “He was the most effective representative of conservative Christian values of his generation. A force of nature. I will miss him dearly.”
Blaze News editor in chief Matthew Peterson said, “This is a terrible day for America, and we must all pray for the repose of Charlie’s soul, for his family, and for our divided nation.”
Peterson continued, “His voice mattered for a reason. He was constantly and fearlessly working harder to make America great again and solve the looming problems of our age. He built an organization and reputation that ultimately helped staff and guide the current Trump administration.”
Kirk noted in his book “Time for a Turning Point” that he had committed his life “to fighting to restore, perhaps finish building, an America that was envisioned by our Founding Fathers.”
At the age of 18, the native of Prospect Heights, Illinois, founded his vehicle for this restoration: Turning Point USA, a non-profit organization committed to empowering students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and a limited government.
‘He never stopped building, he never stopped learning, and he never stopped doing.’
TPUSA, whose revenue exceeded $81 million in 2022, has not only influenced multiple American elections but has also sparked difficult conversations, changed perspectives, and helped build new connections on campus.
Critics have made sure to mention over the years that Kirk did not personally complete college. This persistent reminder made it all the more impressive when the young man would cut through academic theses like a hot knife through butter; when he coolly dismantled the best arguments that Oxford Union speakers could muster; and when he befriended the leader of the free world.
Peterson, who first met Kirk in class sessions he was teaching while heading up the Claremont Institute’s Lincoln Fellowship program, noted, “As a 2021 Lincoln Fellow, Charlie was a revelation: He was a bright light, a sharp student, and one of the best of the Fellows. He sought us out and wanted to be there in order to learn. Charlie then rose to his current position as a leader of this movement in the last few years because he never stopped building, he never stopped learning, and he never stopped doing.”
While Kirk would on occasion volunteer some criticism, he was to the end a resolute defender and friend of President Donald Trump, who on two occasions was himself nearly assassinated.
Trump noted in a statement, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
“The President has confirmed what I can scarcely bring myself to say: my dear friend, Charlie Kirk, is gone,” wrote Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck. “In all my years, I have spoken tens of millions of words—but tonight, I have none.
“Tomorrow, many of his friends and his Blaze family will join me on national radio and podcast as we try to honor him. I pray that God grants me the words worthy of such a man, though I know none of us could ever truly capture the depth of his faith, his courage, and his love for this country.”
“Pray, please, for his family. And pray for our republic, which has lost one of its most faithful defenders. I can only imagine the joy that must now fill his heart as he hears those words we all long to hear: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’ Rest well, Charlie. Until we meet again.”
Blaze Media co-founder Mark Levin stated, “This is difficult to even write: We lost an extraordinary human being and patriot today, who was murdered by an assassin’s bullet. But Charlie’s legacy will never, ever be silenced. He touched and influenced not a few or a few thousand, but hundreds of thousands.”
“I knew Charlies well over many years. We were together during Salem radio KRLA events in L.A., I had him on TV and radio, I attended a few of his TPUSA events, he was a fan of my books, etc. He was a delight. Always curious. Happy. Joyous. Social. Articulate. Brilliant. Strategic. And much more,” Levin continued. “This is a dark and grave day. I cannot imagine the grief his wife and children and all his family are experiencing. God bless them, help them, and protect them.”
Peterson recalled, “I interviewed him about statesmanship not long ago, and it occurred to me that above all, what Charlie was truly about was just that: statesmanship. Charlie Kirk was a leading statesman of his generation. And that is why what happened today was political assassination.”
Liberals at the Southern Poverty Law Center, CNN, and other outfits had long painted a target on Charlie Kirk’s back as they had Trump, smearing him as an extremist or worse — a dangerous game in light of polling data that indicate a great many on the American left are bloodthirsty and keen to advance their agenda by any means necessary.
‘I worship a God that defeats evil.’
Charlie Kirk is among those who stood up to radicals when it mattered most; spoke out against the left’s extreme agenda when it was at its strongest; and changed minds through spirited debate despite an unrelenting onslaught of vicious attacks by political and cultural elites.
A gunman evidently chose to silence a great man on Wednesday because his words and ideas were too powerful to rebut. Kirk is, however, not only survived by his loving wife, Erika Kirk, and two young children but by a movement that he has left permanently energized.
Kirk knew full well that some victories take time, but most importantly, that the ultimate victory belongs to God.
“I worship a God that defeats evil,” Kirk said at a TPUSA rally for Trump last year. “And we worship a God that wins in the end.”
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