“Assassination culture is spreading on the left,” Charlie Kirk posted in April. Sadly, that proved to be prophetic, as an assassin took Charlie’s life yesterday while he was speaking at Utah Valley University.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA when he was just 18 years old. He hosted a popular eponymous podcast. He was a firm believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ, so we take solace in knowing that when he left this earth at the age of 31, it was to enjoy the embrace of his Savior. His wife and two children, ages three and one, are surely devastated, and we pray for their comfort. Charlie quoted Psalm 34:18, just last week: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
“Jesus defeated death so you can live,” Kirk posted just a few days ago.
He was just launching the American Comeback Tour of college campuses to talk to young people respectfully and thoughtfully about conservative ideas. Unfortunately, college and university campuses are the front line of speech suppression.
“This is the terminus of years of leftist hate rhetoric,” says Mark Alexander. “Now that the speech suppressors have backed off, Charlie Kirk’s murder is the new cancel culture.”
As of this writing, the unknown murderer is still at large.
The outpouring of love, admiration, and condolences included President Donald Trump. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” he posted on Truth Social. “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!”
Trump released a video from the Oval Office last night, as well. “I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” he said. He squarely placed the blame where it belongs: “For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
Still, he added, “Because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before.”
“I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
“Because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before.”
President Trump releases a statement reacting to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. pic.twitter.com/SU04CfBBfT
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 11, 2025
Across the political aisle, California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, who not long ago hosted Kirk on his own podcast, posted, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
Calls for justice came, too.
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination.” At the time, the suspect had not been apprehended, so Cox added, “I want to make it crystal clear right now to whoever did this — we will find you. We will try you, and we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law. And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.”
🚨NEW: Utah Governor Spencer’s Cox’s powerful statement on the assassination of Charlie Kirk:
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation.”
“I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination…”
“I want to make it crystal clear right now to… pic.twitter.com/bLVZgEWnol
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 10, 2025
Many Democrats joined in with condolences, but their hateful rhetoric has inflamed their own base in ugly ways. Mark Alexander argues, “Charlie Kirk’s blood is on the hate rhetoric heads of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries.” This is, after all, the same crew that incited two assassination attempts against Donald Trump — one that was within an inch of succeeding.
Democrats couldn’t hide their ugliness in Congress, either. When a Republican called for prayer for Kirk and his family on the floor, dozens of Democrats vocally objected, with at least one calling for gun control instead.
Various Leftmedia talkingheads were utterly reprehensible yesterday. Arguably, the worst was Matthew Dowd on MSNBC. First, he said, “We don’t know any of the specific details of this yet. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration…” Then he called Kirk “one of the most divisive” figures in politics, “pushing hate speech.” He opined, “I always go back to hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. … You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place.”
His comments were so bad that MSNBC has already fired him.
What is WRONG with some people? https://t.co/CAgGAxv5IA
— Nate Jackson | Patriot Post (@NatriotJackson) September 10, 2025
Notably, the hate-profiteering Southern Poverty Law Center had falsely and mendaciously labeled Turning Point USA a “hate group” earlier this year. An assassin took all of that hate to heart.
The tragic irony is that Kirk was known for sitting down for cordial dialogue with anyone who’d talk to him. He didn’t promote hate; he facilitated thoughtful discussion.
The problem for leftists is that anyone who thinks or says Unapproved Things must be shouted down or punished — in this case, murdered — not dignified with dialogue.
A final word from Kirk himself, again just days ago: “No civilization has ever collapsed because it prays too much. But a civilization that abandons God will deteriorate and ultimately collapse from the inside out, or because it loses the will to repel a malicious, external force.”
