Charlie Kirk, Trump ally and Turning Point USA founder, was shot at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour. Photo: X.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and commentator, is confirmed dead, according to media reports. He was shot while on stage at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He was there to kick off his American Comeback Tour. The shooting took place when he was answering a question from an audience member about mass shootings committed by transgender people.
Video footage from the scene shows Kirk trying to get back while holding his neck. He was seen in apparent pain after being shot with a single gunshot.
It is not clear yet whether the suspect is under police custody. However, videos on social media showed an old person being taken away by police right after the shooting.
According to reports, the 31-year-old was conducting a Q&A session under a pop-up tent at the UVA campus when he was shot from about 200 yards away by a long gun. Soon after, the audience fled from the event site in panic.
Charlie Kirk, 31, is a prominent MAGA-aligned conservative influencer and the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA. He rose through YouTube and X, tackling conservative issues in the US. He became widely known for his uncompromising and provocative political opinions, often giving his hardcore right-wing opinions.
Kirk, a father of two. He has built a massive online following, having millions of subscribers and billions of views on his social media platforms. His confrontational debates on college campuses go viral and is known for it.
Kirk also hosts The Charlie Kirk Show, a popular conservative podcast with more than 750 episodes. The program consistently ranks among the top 10 in Apple and Spotify news charts.
His show has sparked several controversies, including his January 2024 comments dismissing what he called the “myth” surrounding civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Founded in 2012, Turning Point USA has grown into a Christian nationalist powerhouse. According to tax filings, the organization’s revenue jumped from $4.3 million in 2016 to $81.7 million in 2023.
Kirk’s leadership earned him a spot on Forbes’ 2018 “30 under 30” list and made him the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He also maintains strong ties with Trump, who appeared alongside him at the 2022 Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.
Kirk has been closely linked with President Donald Trump. Last fall, he was part of a select group of Trump insiders tasked with administering loyalty tests for candidates seeking senior positions at the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies.
More recently, Trump appointed him to the boards of U.S. military academies. Kirk was given a position on the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, responsible for reviewing aspects of the academy’s curriculum and instruction.
The appointment carried a personal irony. In 2012, as a graduating senior from Wheeling High School outside Chicago, Kirk was rejected by West Point Military Academy—a moment that, according to analysts, fueled his entry into the far-right movement.
After being rejected by West Point – a school with a 12% acceptance rate – Kirk claimed he was overlooked in favor of “a far less-qualified candidate of a different gender and a different persuasion.”
He briefly attended Harper College, a community college in Chicago, but dropped out without completing a degree. Instead, he devoted himself to activism, eventually launching Turning Point USA, which grew into a powerful organization promoting Christian nationalism and ultraconservative values.
Journalist Kyle Spencer, in her book Raising Them Right: The Untold Story of America’s Ultraconservative Youth Movement and its Plot for Power* described Kirk’s trajectory as emblematic of grievance-driven politics.
“His metamorphosis can be seen as a case study of the power of grievance politics and a reminder that resentment is an energizing fuel most potent when delivered by leaders who have felt it deeply themselves.”
Classmates recalled Kirk as “rude,” “arrogant,” and possessing “a superiority complex.” He often clashed with teachers, labeling those he disagreed with as “neo-Marxists.” On the issue of gun rights, he once asked a teacher, “If guns make people violent, do forks make people fat?”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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