Who was Charlie Kirk? Conservative activist shot dead in Utah
Andrew Dorn
(NewsNation) — Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Kirk, 31, was a conservative political activist and media personality who co-founded Turning Point USA.
The organization is a conservative grassroots activist network with a presence on over 3,500 high school and college campuses, according to its website.
Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at the Turning Point Believers’ Summit, Friday, July 26, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Co-founder Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump during an event at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 22: Turning Point USA executive director Charlie Kirk speaks during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 22, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual four day conference geared toward energizing and connecting conservative youth hosts some of the country’s leading conservative politicians and activists. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 22: Turning Point USA executive director Charlie Kirk is silhouetted against a large video of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 22, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual four day conference geared toward energizing and connecting conservative youth hosts some of the country’s leading conservative politicians and activists. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA—JULY 26: Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, speaks before former President Donald Trump’s arrival during a Turning Point USA Believers Summit conference at the Palm Beach Convention Center on July 26, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump had earlier in the day met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Co-founder Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump during an event at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 28: Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the back of the room as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has announced Pirro, a former Fox News personality, judge, prosecutor, and politician, after losing support in the Senate for his first choice, Ed Martin, over his views on the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Who was Charlie Kirk?
Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Kirk became a prominent conservative activist with a massive social media following. He was perhaps best known for viral videos of him debating college students on a range of political issues.
Kirk also hosted “The Charlie Kirk Show,” a conservative talk radio program, and served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son.
President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, writing, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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!”
Kirk identified as a Christian and had a wife and two kids.
What is Turning Point USA?
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18 years old. The nonprofit political organization advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses, growing significantly more influential over the years.
According to its website, the organization’s mission is to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.”
The group claims to have a presence on over 3,500 campuses and describes itself as the largest and fastest-growing youth organization in America.
Why was Charlie Kirk in Utah?
Kirk was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday when he was shot. It was the first event as part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
Videos posted to social media from the scene in Orem, Utah, showed Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”
