On September 10, 2025, an assassin’s bullet cut down Charlie Kirk while he took questions as part of an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Today, we remember him.
Charles James Kirk was born October 14, 1993, in a Chicago suburb. Kirk became interested in politics at an early age. By the time he graduated from high school, he was active in electoral politics and had been on national television discussing bias in high school textbooks. He applied to West Point, but was rejected, in 2012.
Kirk met Bill Montgomery after speaking at Benedictine University. Montgomery was a legislative candidate and retired businessman. Montgomery encouraged Kirk to pursue political activism. In 2012, they founded Turning Point USA. Montgomery died in 2020 from complications from COVID-19.
Turning Point USA
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) seeks to promote generally conservative principles of faith, limited government, and individual freedom on American campuses. One way that TPUSA advanced this goal was to provide speakers to appear on campuses.
Charlie Kirk was the best known of those speakers. He consistently asked people who disagreed with him to come to the front of the question line and would chastise his own followers for booing interrupting someone who disagreed with him. While these conversations were often about political issues of the day, he also would field questions about such non-political topics as favorite movies or sports teams. He was also frequently asked for life advice.
At one of his appearances, 13-year-old Grace asked for life advice on how to develop into a mature and involved citizen. He recommended she do the following. First, “learn something new every single day.” Second, “focus on what it means to be a good person and a person of strong character.” He discussed the importance of moral courage in this regard, something he saw as missing in society today.
Charlie Kirk’s Open Mic Exchanges with the Audience
At many of his campus events, he would sit under a canopy and have members of the audience come up to a mic a few feet from him and ask him questions about any topic. Charlie invited people who disagreed to the front of the line.
Charlie would engage in a conversation about the questioner’s topic. Students (especially those opposed to him) frequently asked Kirk why he did what he did. He explained that it was essential to foster civil discourse in America. He would often say that when discourse ends, civil war begins. Kirk explained it this way.
When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group.
What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have reasonable disagreement—where violence is not an option.
Driving this cultural change was key was the primary political goal for him when appearing at his open mic events. Getting people to agree with him was secondary. Many an exchange with a student ended with him saying that they disagree, but there was now understanding.
Faith and Marriage
About 2020, Charlie became an Evangelical Christian, with his faith becoming paramount in his life. Discussions of scripture and other religious topics became mainstays of his campus events. Questions about his religious beliefs became as commonplace as questions about politics. A couple of months before his death, Charlie was interviewed on a podcast and asked how he wanted to be remembered. He said, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important.”
In 2021, Kirk married Erika Frantzve, Miss Arizona 2012, and a former Regis University basketball player. The couple had 2 daughters before Charlie died. Erika became a strong partner in Charlie’s efforts with Turning Point USA. Following his death, she has taken the helm at the organization and promised to grow the movement her husband had started.
Final Thoughts from Charlie Kirk
We share Charlie’s commitment to establishing civil political discourse. Like Kirk, we seek to foster understanding and a focus on ideas, more than personalities. While we may not agree with all of Charlie’s positions, we mourn the loss of an ally in the effort to foster civil discourse.
We believe it is fitting to close with Charlie’s advice for our hectic lives. If we as a nation would heed this counsel, we would find a more peaceful and respectful political life.
When things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds, it’s important to stay grounded. Turn off your phone, read scripture, spend time with friends, and remember internet fury is not real life. It’s going to be ok.
Rest in Peace, Charlie.
