Charlie Kirk

{{significantly problematic}}[[File:Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|right|165px|If you don’t like this [[RationalWiki]] article, why don’t you move to [[Venezuela]]?]]{{uspolitics}}
{{cquote|I live like a capitalist every single day, [[Cenk Uygur|Cenk]]! I live as a capitalist, okay? I live what I believe! |||Charlie Kirk, losing his temper in a debate with [[The Young Turks]]' Cenk Uygur, attempting to physically attack the latter.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Dho35c0Vs Unhinged Charlie Kirk Triggered by Cenk Uygur at Politicon | The Young Turks] YouTube</ref>}}
{{cquote|I think it's worth [it] to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal.|||Charlie Kirk, at a his Turning Point USA event on 04/05/2023 <ref>[https://awakenaudio.podbean.com/e/charlie-kirk-live-in-slc/ (41 minute, 33 second mark)]</ref><ref>[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-gun-deaths-quote/ Charlie Kirk once said some gun deaths 'worth it' in order to have Second Amendment. The Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder made the remarks while answering a question during a TPUSA Faith event in April 2023.] by Jordan Liles  (Sept. 10, 2025) ''Snopes''.</ref>}}

'''Charles James Kirk''' {{lived|1993|2025}}<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/charlie-kirk-dead-live-updates-shot-utah-b2824229.html]</ref> was an [[United States|American]] [[wingnut|right-wing]] grifter, trustfund baby, professional [[meme]] maker, and diaper enthusiast. He was the founder and spiritual leader of 
Toilet Paper USA
 
Talking Points USA
 '''Turning Point USA''' ('''TPUSA'''), which organizes bizarre [[conservative]] stunts on college campuses and (according to an exposé at the conservative leaning ''[[Washington Examiner]]'') has a long history of teen underage drinking and rape at its student conventions.<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/turning-point-usa-struggles-with-allegations-of-student-sexual-assault-harassment Turning Point USA struggles with allegations of student sexual assault, harassment] by Philip Wegmann, June 20, 2018, ''Washington Examiner''</ref>

TPUSA claim that they're a "youth organization that promotes the principles of [[fiscal responsibility]], [[free market]]s, and limited government," when in reality, they're just a right-wing [[echo chamber]] for dying boomers and edgy white boys that takes any chance they can get to insult [[socialism|socialists]] and anyone left of [[Henry Kissinger]]. Most of their Twitter feed consists of calling out socialists for being "hypocrites"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180218212440/https://www.facebook.com/LUTurningPointUSA ''Turning Point USA at Liberty University'']</ref> (because apparently using an iPhone and buying things to survive instead of living in a cavemen commune invalidates all your left-leaning arguments), complaining about [[Cultural Marxism|leftist propaganda in the curriculum]],<ref>[https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/turning-point-usa-founder-radical-leftists-control-uga-campus/article_48904f12-3862-11e8-b515-eb88eff85f9c.html ''Turning Point USA founder: 'Radical leftists' control UGA campus'', Red and Black (April 5, 2018)]</ref> making [[antisemitism|antisemitic]] and/or [[rape]] jokes,<ref>https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/11/turning-point-usa-tweets-that-critic-namd-weinstein-has-his-hand-in-other-peoples-pockets.html</ref> preying on naive first year college students instead of debating professionals, pundits and experts, sharing ''terrible'' memes, et cetera.

Kirk was also known for his resemblance to the spokesperson for the fictional restaurant Li'l Bits in an episode of ''Rick and Morty''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj4-E5Hs3Kc Lil' Bits | Rick and Morty | Adult Swim]. Retrieved on September 13, 2020.</ref> And he really thought that making "vagina hands" ''à la'' [[Donald Trump]]<ref>[https://www.thecut.com/2016/07/donald-trump-hand-symbol.html Why Are Trump’s Hands Always Making the Symbol for ‘Vagina’?]</ref> made him look badass.<ref>https://archive.ph/20180521233333/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/998615044945395712</ref><ref>[https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/onix/cvr9781642930948/the-campus-battlefield-9781642930948_lg.jpg ''Campus Battlefield'' cover]</ref>

On September 10, 2025, Kirk was murdered by a shot to the neck in a rally at Utah Valley University.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/10/charlie-kirk-shot-utah Charlie Kirk, Trump ally and rightwing activist, shot and killed at Utah university] by Jenna Amatulli, Anna Betts, Maya Yang,Lauren Gambino and Dani Anguiano, September 10, 2025, ''The Guardian''</ref> 

==Biography==
Kirk was born into a wealthy Illinois family. His father, Robert W. Kirk, was the project architect manager for [[Donald Trump|Trump Tower]] in New York. He became politically active after [[Barack Obama|Barack Obama]] became President. In 2010, he joined the [[Tea Party]] and volunteered for the US Senate campaign of Illinois [[Republican Party|Republican]] Mark Kirk (no relation). In 2012, he wrote his first piece for [[Breitbart]] complaining about "[[liberal bias]]" in high school economics textbooks.<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/politics/2012/04/26/liberal-bias-starts-in-high-school-economics/</ref> Despite being promoted as "Trump's man on campus",<ref>[http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/06/trump-young-conservatives-college-charlie-kirk-turning-point-usa-217829 Trump's Man on Campus], ''Politico''</ref> Kirk actually dropped out of community college; he was [[bullshit|allegedly]] rejected from 
Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts
 West Point, and blamed it (without any evidence)<ref>[http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/04/19/18798596.php Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA and the rise of fascist student group]</ref> on [[affirmative action]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20190209033034/https://www.wonkette.com/college-student-has-shitfit-about-shithole-group-after-shitty-diaper-protest-goes-poof-2569189525.amp.html</ref> Because of course.

==Charlie and the bullshit factory==
===On religion===
{{cquote|[A]s the world adds more [[Atheism|atheists]] the [[moral]] fiber of our civilization will continue to decay. And '''the more atheists there are in the world, the bigger [[government]] will grow'''[.]''' Atheism must be defeated'''[.]'''|||Charlie Kirk<ref name=atheism_speech>{{a|https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/967608728282378240|Twitter}}</ref>}}
Kirk, who was an [[evangelical Christian]], believed that atheism leads to [[socialism]], as men attempt to fashion themselves into Gods:

{{quotebox|For some individuals it's more real than [[God]], which I think is preposterous, but, as a society gets more [[secular]], unfortunately with it goes its moral conduct and behavior. Now, I am a fierce proponent of the [[Separation of church and state|separation between church and state]], I think it's actually been positive for [[Christianity]] in the [[United States]], I think that the less government has endorsed state-run religion, the more the church has been able to succeed, as long as our religious liberties are intact, preserved, and protected. The point being, is that if you try and have a theocracy like some of the European countries did in the 50's and 60's or the 20's and 30's, people inherently try and rebel against it, so for example, [[Spain]] had that huge argument, "Should we become a pseudo [[Roman Catholic]] state?" and that [[Spanish Civil War|kind of started a little bit of a conflict, a little bit]]. Um, the point being is that the protection of the — uh, individual liberties is super important, but looking holistically, you — there, there's a coincidence — there's no coincidence, '''there's no argument that one of the reasons behind the rampant, um, escalation of I would say immoral behavior in a lot of these countries, in [[North Korea]] or [[China]] and the former [[Soviet Union]], is that when you remove God and you say there is no God, government replaces that and the reason is, motivational leaders want to create themselves to be a God-king.''' And that's, that's what [[Mao]] tried to do, Mao was revered as, as a God in China, and Stalin was revered as a God, and there's nothing more [[evil]] than that, a human being trying to become a deity, in and of itself. So I am a harsh critic against the American atheist movement for a lot of different reasons. Um, mostly because I say, how could you possibly be so certain? Like, like if you're [[agnostic]], I get it. Like, I understand you're searching for answers, you're always [[open minded]]. But an atheist, like, they're so committed to knowing that there's no God? You believe in nothing. And so when you have nothing there's all of these questions that automatically come: Where does your moral conduct come from? What is our point of origination? Are we good or bad by nature? '''So as an Evangelical Christian I'm very, very worried that as '''[a]''' society we get more — we get farther and farther away from our, our Judeo-Christian beliefs that really created Western civilization, there's a reason why the [[USSR]], the [[alcoholism]], the [[infidelity]], and the rampant immoral behavior was so widespread, because when you remove God, I would also argue that, uh, with it you remove the core set of morals that helped create the West'''.<ref name=atheism_speech />}}

In short, Kirk blamed much moral failure in [[communist]] countries on atheism. Of course, he excluded the highly-irreligious countries like [[Japan]], [[Sweden]], and the [[UK]] that do not appear to have collapsed amidst their own immorality. He also seemed to have missed that former communist countries which have embraced religion (particularly Russia) haven't become more moral as a result. Elsewhere, Kirk separated "secular" from "[[Western]] [[democracies]]":

{{quotebox|There are four competing global philosophies that will determine the 21<sup>st</sup> century:

1) Western centered, pro-[[capitalist]] constitutional democracies 

2) [[Islamic]] [[Theocratic]] [[Fascism]]

3) Chinese Communist [[Totalitarianism]]

4) European-style secular socialism 

The West must win<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/960735700030287872|Twitter}}</ref>}}

This is deeply [[ironic]], given the history of increasing secularism within the West for almost half a millennium, usually by pro-democracy advocates {{--}} a history that Kirk himself acknowledged:

{{quotebox|[[United States Constitution|The Constitution of the United States of America]] is the single most important '''secular''' document ever written.<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/551949649402425344|Twitter}}</ref>}}

Given his love for tired talking points, it is unsurprising that Kirk also ''really'' likes the "not enough [[faith]]" line of thought, probably because it sounds clever:

{{quotebox|I don't have enough faith to be an atheist<ref name=atheism_speech />}}

{{quotebox|I don't have enough faith to be an Atheist {{sic}}<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/956409055760674819|Twitter}}</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Of all the religions, the hardest one for me to believe that people believe is atheism<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/883070656207781888|Twitter}}</ref>}}

{{quotebox|The amount of blind faith it takes to be an Atheist {{sic}} never ceases to amaze me.<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/904520516131794944|Twitter}}</ref>}}

Judging by his speech above, Kirk appeared not to understand how atheists can "have faith" in [[Big Bang|a non-God origin of the universe]], [[Abiogenesis|a non-God creation of life]], [[Evolution|a non-God origin of biodiversity]], or [[Euthyphro dilemma|a non-God origin of morality]]. Fortunately for the rest of us, [[science]] and [[philosophy]] have moved past the 1500s.

Like most Christian conservatives, Kirk understood how essential it is for us as a society to understand and accept science. Except when it comes to climate change and religion.

Editorial note: Don't capitalize ''atheism''. You also don't capitalize ''theism''. These weren't proper nouns, Charlie.

===Conservative deceit===

Kirk made fallacious claims about the family of [[Candace Owens]]. Kirk claimed that "both" of Owens' parents were alcoholics and also claimed that "her sisters" were on welfare.<ref>https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Deou2KwWsAAFIXx.jpg</ref> Owens later debunked his claims about her family on Twitter.<ref>https://archive.ph/20180602002121/https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1002665436184489984</ref> However, instead of calling out Kirk for his racially charged lies, Owens decided to denounce the "sadistic" journalism that pointed out his blatant dishonesty (so basically she attacked journalists for doing their jobs).<ref>https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Deou2K4XcAURmUs.jpg</ref>

In addition, Kirk claimed that {{wpl|Roseanne Barr}} isn't racist<ref>https://archive.ph/20180530163123/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1001571801825136642</ref> for tweeting about [[Barack Obama|Obama]] aide Valerie Jarrett: "[[Muslim Brotherhood|muslim brotherhood]] & planet of the apes had a baby=vj". Definitely no racism there.

He was also not above pretending to be minorities online to make himself look less racist, although he's apparently too stupid to use a sockpuppet for this.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20211126022708/https://twitter.com/Poe0nhead/status/1463839893268824068</ref>

He defended [[The Great Replacement]] [[conspiracy theory]] on [[Tucker Carlson]]'s show.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/05/15/buffalo-suspect-great-replacement-theory-conservative-media/ Conservative media is familiar with Buffalo suspect’s alleged ‘theory’] by Paul Farhi (May 15, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Kirk also promoted the antisemitic "[[Cultural Marxism]]" conspiracy theory and claimed "Jewish donors have been the Number 1 funding mechanism of radical, open border, neoliberal, quasi‑Marxist policies",<ref>{{Cite web|website=Snopes |title=Charlie Kirk once said Jewish money was ruining US culture|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-jewish-money-quote}}/</ref> as well as claiming that "Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them" while defending Elon Musk against charges of antisemitism.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Charlie Kirk defends Elon Musk's antisemitism: “Some of the largest financiers of left-wing anti-white causes have been Jewish Americans"|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-defends-elon-musks-antisemitism-some-largest-financiers-left-wing-anti}}</ref>

Kirk praised [[Ye]] for becoming 
an incoherent Trump fanboy
 politically active, but later he criticized Taylor Swift for endorsing Tennessee Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper, and told her to stay away from politics.<ref>http://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-guests-want-taylor-swift-to-shut-up-but-love-kanyes-maga-embrace</ref> Sniff sniff, Do we smell some [[hypocrisy]] there?

Also, Kirk praised Trump for signing a pardon for someone sentenced for doing drugs, but he attacked [[Barack Obama]] for pardoning 330 federal inmates convicted of drug charges.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/ToiletPaperUSA/comments/8pcspk/dang_boi_stole_this_from_twitter/</ref>

In a further display of hypocrisy, he criticized Obama for visiting Cuba and not pointing out their corruption, but praised Trump for making peace with North Korea (without pointing out their corruption).<ref>https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IomC-a_Sxy4</ref>

On January 21st, 2019, former Turning Point USA Director of High School Outreach {{wpl|Kyle Kashuv}} announced that Kirk had thrown out his back and had a potential blood clot, and that the hospital made Kirk lay on a bench outside the hospital as they had run out of beds.<ref>[https://archive.ph/20190122065027/https://twitter.com/KyleKashuv/status/1087584893817651200 Charlie throws out his back] 21 Jan 2019.</ref> Ironically, despite getting screwed over by the American healthcare system, Charlie Kirk firmly believes the United States has the best healthcare system in the world<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220325231117/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/829154543971745794 Twitter post] 7 Feb 2017.</ref> and that healthcare isn't a right.<ref>[https://archive.ph/20170208221151/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/829149010766106624 Twitter post] 7 Feb 2017.</ref> Later, Kirk stated that he had visited a [[Chiropractic|chiropractor]] who he claimed [[Bullshit|had made "my spine go back into line" by doing "some very targeted treatment right behind my ear with his hands"]].<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCUUO9lpzl/ Instagram post] January 24<sup>th</sup>, 2019.</ref>

Hilariously, YAF blacklisted Kirk & Turning Point USA in a conservative group feud.<ref>https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wk3Jgj3IfRw</ref>

Oh, and he also can't spell "socialism" correctly.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/ToiletPaperUSA/comments/8o9620/i_guess_this_is_what_you_get_when_you_dont_go_to/</ref><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/ToiletPaperUSA/comments/8rq64w/the_picture_on_the_right_just_goes_to_show_how/</ref> That's what happens when you don't graduate from college!<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210302042924/https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1007043199691624448</ref>

Kirk had basically lost all credibility at this point.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210311234849/https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1034279815472455682</ref>

===Greatest hits===
*In June 2018, Kirk expressed his support for Trump's criminal justice reform that released some non-violent drug offenders. A mere four days earlier, he was complaining about how irresponsible it was for Obama to have done basically the same thing, illustrating just how high his level of partisanship is.
*Kirk complaining about how intolerant "the left" really is for companies not wanting to advertise on Fox while threatening to boycott the NFL if players didn't stand for the anthem.
*Kirk pretending to care about due process as it pertains to [[Brett Kavanaugh]] despite the fact that he claimed [[Hillary Clinton]] should have been sent to prison even if the [[FBI]] and Justice Department didn't think there was enough evidence.
*Kirk in 2014 bitching about how Obama was an open borders Marxist who was perfectly content with letting millions of [[Illegal immigration|illegals]] flood over the border. Then, Kirk in 2018 defending child separation policy by saying that Obama did the exact same thing as Trump. So, apparently Obama was letting a lot of illegals in while kicking them all out.
*Kirk shredding Obama for the Dow-Jones Industrial Average dropping 500 points while remaining awkwardly silent when the same thing happened recently.
*Kirk complaining that [[Tax|taxation]] is theft while complaining that Amazon didn't pay any.
*Kirk trying to criticize [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]] for losing 25,000 jobs because of Amazon pulling out of NYC while simultaneously claiming that Amazon pulling out was the right decision.
*Kirk claims that open borders are a sign of a weak and inhumane country while denouncing the [[Berlin Wall]].
*Kirk can't decide if taxes are a good thing.
*Kirk can't decide if [[Europe]] is a socialist wasteland.
*Kirk claims that undocumented immigrants don't have rights because they aren't citizens. About a month earlier, while delivering a speech, he said that rights don't come from governments.
*Kirk can't decide if more laws is a good thing.
*Kirk can't decide if he accepts basic biology.
*Kirk can't decide if tragedies should be politicized.
*Kirk can't decide if the Democratic party is the party of the [[KKK]] or the party of MS-13.
*Kirk thinks homes and countries are the same things.
*Kirk thinks that Trump deserves credit for Botswana legalizing same-sex marriage.
*Kirk isn't sure if world leaders were ever attacked before Trump's presidency.
*Kirk thinks California, the world's fifth-largest economy, is a third world nation.
*Kirk isn't sure about the lowest-ever black unemployment rate.
*Kirk can't decide if victimhood is a cancer.
*Kirk using Mother's Day as an opportunity to own the libs.
*Kirk doing a complete 180 in regards to Trump being the most moral president ever.
*Kirk confused about majority rule
*Kirk accusing Joe Biden of letting the [[Taliban]] win to kick-start [[the Great Replacement]].<ref>[https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/aug/19/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-baselessly-claims-biden-intentionally/ Charlie Kirk baselessly claims Biden intentionally let Afghanistan fall to alter U.S. population]</ref>
*Kirk can't decide if Juneteenth should be a holiday.<ref>https://www.rawstory.com/conservative-caught-in-juneteenth-hypocrisy/</ref>
*Kirk can't decide if resisting arrest is ok.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210412203835/https://www.reddit.com/r/ToiletPaperUSA/comments/mpmrjr/reminder_that_all_these_righties_dont_actually/</ref>
*Kirk can't decide how important your mental health is.<ref>https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.listennotes.com/podcasts/thanks-for-the-words/charlie-kirk-is-a-hypocrite-04YF_jdEnpa/amp/</ref>
*On the first page of Kirk's book ''Campus Battlefield'', Kirk makes an elementary mistake. He confuses rhyming for alliteration; saying protesters chanting "Charlie Kirk is a jerk!" are using alliteration.<ref>https://archive.ph/20181017074533/https://twitter.com/simonmaloy/status/1049705975199002629</ref> This is in a book presumably reviewed and edited several times. Kirk apparently doesn't know the meaning of vocabulary words typically taught to young children.On an unrelated note, Kirk was appointed to a panel by President Trump overseeing America's educational policy.
*"So, there's a direct connection to [[inflation]] and the [[trans]] issue. You say, 'Charlie, come on. They couldn't be further apart.' No, they're exactly the same."<ref>(April 13, 2022). [https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-blames-trans-people-inflation-theres-direct-connection-inflation-and "Charlie Kirk blames trans people for inflation: “There's a direct connection to inflation and the trans issue”"]. ''Media Matters for America''.</ref><ref>Candice Ortiz (April 14, 2022). [https://www.mediaite.com/podcasts/charlie-kirk-claims-theres-direct-connection-between-high-inflation-and-trans-issues-we-cant-determine-our-own-reality/ "Charlie Kirk Claims There’s ‘Direct Connection’ Between High Inflation and Trans Issues"]. ''Mediaite''.</ref>
*Kirk bragged that he was part of an all-white basketball team that shared a name with a Serbian death squad, "back in my day," sounding like a 70-year-old remembering playing at a segregated school in the '50s.<ref>https://youtu.be/MjTDVl6HrBg</ref>

===Unintentional "stopped clock"===
Kirk (most likely accidentally) stated that it was an injustice for Mack Beggs (a FTM trans boy) to be prevented from competing in the boys' wrestling league because of his birth sex (he was assigned female at birth but underwent gender confirmation surgery to affirm his gender).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220325231121/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/968134896861483008 Twitter post] 26 Feb 2018.</ref> Charlie Kirk has a definite stopped clock moment in his opposition to the death penalty. He says it is more expensive than life in prison and says innocent people are executed.<ref>https://archive.ph/20190922002255/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/855463863755714560</ref><ref>https://conservativesconcerned.org/what-conservatives-are-saying/</ref>

==Turning Point USA==
[[File:Turning_Point_USA_logo.svg|thumb|right|165px|Charlie's pet project: research on <small>Peyronie's disease</small>]]
'''Turning Point USA''' (TPUSA)<ref>[https://www.tpusa.com/ Turning Point USA's website]</ref> is an [[astroturf]] nonprofit funded by the [[Koch Industries|Koch brothers]] in order to make boring old conservatism look cool and appealing to millennials by sharing/posting/reposting cringeworthy memes and image macros. These images consist mostly of inspirational quotes by great conservative thinkers, such as [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Ben Shapiro]], [[Tomi Lahren|Tomato Larynx]], and, obviously, Chairman Kirk himself, [[irony|but also by filthy commies]] such as [[George Orwell]] and [[Nelson Mandela]] (taken wildly out of context, of course). Their other favorite template is ''Top Panel: Liberal Quote'' (i.e. "Capitalism is bad." —Bernie Sanders), ''Bottom Panel: TPUSA's Response'' ("Then why don't you move to North Korea? Also, socialism has killed 100 billion iPhones"), accompanied by a picture of Charlie Kirk or a smug/confused-looking stock photo model wearing lensless glasses (because that's what dem youngsters wear these days). Along with hashtags such as #BigGovSucks, #SocialismSucks, #iHeartCapitalism, and #iHeart[[fossil fuel|FossilFuels]].

Bill Montgomery, TPUSA's cofounder and Kirk's mentor, died in July 2020 of [[2019-20 COVID-19 outbreak|COVID-19]] after [[irony|months of downplaying it]].<ref>Lippman, D.; Nguyen, T. (July 29, 2020). "[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/29/turning-point-usa-founder-dies-coronavirus-complications-387077 Turning Point USA co-founder dies of coronavirus-related complications]". ''Politico.''</ref> In 2021 during the pandemic, Kirk started rallying his followers against COVID vaccine requirements, and made false claims about vaccine efficacy and "medical raids".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/29/vaccine-mandates-charlie-kirk-tpusa/ Charlie Kirk’s pro-Trump youth group stokes vaccine resistance as covid surges again: Turning Point USA and its affiliates are urging students to resist mandates and spreading baseless claims about ‘medical raids’ as part of a bid for donations] by
Isaac Stanley-Becker (July 29, 2019) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> In 2025, Kirk came out against childhood immunizations for chickenpox and [[hepatitis B]].<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-suggests-removing-chickenpox-and-hepatitis-b-childhood-vaccine-schedule Charlie Kirk suggests removing chickenpox and hepatitis B from childhood vaccine schedule] (01/29/25 5:11 PM EST) ''Media Matters for America''.</ref>

===Of diapers and watchlists===
{{cquote|As of right now, I am in disbelief at how I went from being so upbeat, enthusiastic, and passionate about this organisation to being disgusted, frustrated, and embarrassed to have invested my entire senior year into an organisation founded by a college dropout who hires some of the most incompetent, lazy, and downright dishonest people I have ever encountered.|||[[Kaitlin Bennett]], former president and campus coordinator for Turning Point USA at Kent State University, reacting to the diaper shitshow.<ref>Emily Shugerman, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/diaper-turning-point-usa-kent-state-student-conservative-youth-repulican-kaitlin-bennett-a8230021.html Turning Point USA: How one student in a diaper caused an eruption in the conservative youth organization]. The Independent, 26 February 2018.</ref>}}

Kirk loved [[freedom of speech]] so much, he came up with the idea of a so-called "free speech ball," an oversized beach ball for 
grade school
 college students to write whatever the hell they want to. With hilarious results.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190417144730/https://me.me/i/victims-of-communism-memorial-foundation-free-speech-ball-destroyed-by-19170417 Free Speech Ball Destroyed By A Communist Student At UC San Diego]</ref>

Another totally mature TPUSA stunt was their infamous 2017 "[[Kaitlin Bennett|diaper protest]]," in which they dressed and acted as toddlers in order to protest against [[safe space]]s,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171019235311/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/tpusa-diaper-protest-kent-state/ Conservative group dons diapers to protest safe spaces at Kent State] ''The Daily Dot''. 2017-10-19.</ref> at [[Kent State]] of all places. Not only did they lose funding and members after the incident,<ref>[http://www.salon.com/2018/03/25/how-a-diaper-protest-led-to-the-implosion-of-a-conservative-student-group/ How a "diaper protest" imploded a conservative student group] ''Salon''. March 25, 2018.</ref> but they also have been relentlessly mocked ever since.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180227025329/http://gizmodo.com/tweets-about-diapers-broke-the-entire-conservative-yout-1823345007 Tweets About Diapers Broke the Entire Conservative Youth Movement] ''Gizmodo''. (February 26, 2018)</ref> Kirk himself, in a desperate attempt of damage control, disavowed the organized protest and never organized anything similar since.<ref>[http://medium.com/@jckgrimes2/why-making-fun-of-charlie-kirk-rules-aa9e1084a8b9 Why Making Fun of Charlie Kirk Rules] ''Medium''. Feb 17, 2018.</ref>

Of course, Kirk also believed that [[hypocrite|free speech should not apply to the left]], so he started a very [[Joseph McCarthy|McCarthyist]] project called Professor Watchlist, whose stated mission is "[[doxxing|to expose and document]] college professors who [[persecution complex|discriminate against conservative students]] and [[political beliefs of academics|advance leftist propaganda in the classroom]]."<ref>[https://www.professorwatchlist.org/aboutus About Us — Professor Watchlist]</ref> In reality, Professor Watchlist has resulted in over 100 cases of harassment (including death threats) against "leftist" professors.{{cn}}

===Feud with Nick Fuentes===
On October 2019, Kirk and [[Donald Trump Jr.]] went to UCLA to promote Junior's latest piece of shit book titled — wait for it: ''Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us''. Expecting to epicly own some easily triggered, blue-haired, antifa SJW communist snowflakes who hate freedom of speech, Don Jr. and Kirk were hilariously heckled off the stage... by a group of Trump supporters.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/11/11/donald-trump-jr-book-talk-ucla-derailed-by-far-right-protesters/</ref> More specifically, by fans of the far-right YouTuber [[Nick Fuentes]] (known as "groypers", a reference to a grotesque version of [[Pepe the Frog]]). Fuentes, a [[white nationalism|white nationalist]] and [[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]], has claimed that TPUSA, Dan Crenshaw, [[Ben Shapiro]] and other right-wing individuals and organizations [[Deep cover liberal|are fake conservatives]] because they aren't fascist enough for his taste (maybe not, but ''damn'', they're trying).

By 2023, Fuentes was still ripping on them,<ref>https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4008691</ref> but he perhaps tellingly remarked that Kirk and TPUSA had become much more like him:

{{quotebox|I watched the Turning Point [conference] and they had a pretty good line-up, I'm not gonna lie ... They're coming further and further. I think in 2023, Charlie Kirk, all these others, they sound way more like me, today, than they sound like themselves four years ago.<ref>https://www.mediamatters.org/white-nationalism/white-nationalist-nick-fuentes-brags-charlie-kirk-has-adopted-his-messaging</ref>}}

By early 2024, Kirk and TPUSA were going after Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Act of 1964,<ref name="WiredMLKJrJ12">William Turton (January 12, 2024). [https://www.wired.com/story/charlie-kirk-tpusa-mlk-civil-rights-act/ "How Charlie Kirk Plans to Discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act"]. ''WIRED''.</ref> where before:
{{quotebox|The group has profited from the use of King’s image. Turning Point USA's website sold a $55 T-shirt with MLK's name and stickers of King that say "Let freedom ring." After an inquiry from WIRED, both products were removed from TPUSA's store.<ref name="WiredMLKJrJ12"/>}}
He then expressed that he perceives pilots as less competent if they are black.<ref>Katherine Huggins (January 24, 2024). [https://www.dailydot.com/debug/charlie-kirk-dei-black-pilot/ "Charlie Kirk says he’s afraid to fly on planes with Black pilots"]. ''The Daily Dot''.</ref> It's hard to interpret this as anything but a relative shift towards Fuentes's politics. As of 2024, Fuentes again concurs:
{{quotebox|Charlie Kirk, as we know, has become a white supremacist, and that's a huge victory. But he remains a — he remains a Jew lover.<ref>(February 9, 2024). [https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/nick-fuentes-happily-claims-charlie-kirk-has-become-white-supremacist-and-thats-huge "Nick Fuentes happily claims that Charlie Kirk 'has become a white supremacist, and that's a huge victory'"]. ''Media Matters for America''.</ref>}}

Kirk may have won over Fuentes — to some extent — but reportedly, he also earned Trump's personal ire for "causing problems for him in the Black community".<ref>Joe DePaolo (February 18, 2024). [https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-is-fcking-pissed-at-charlie-kirk-causing-problems-for-him-with-black-voters-report/ "Trump is ‘F*cking Pissed’ at Charlie Kirk ‘Causing Problems’ for Him With Black Voters: Report"]. ''Mediaite''.</ref>

==Turning Point UK==
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with British addiction and mental health charity {{wpl|Turning Point (charity)|Turning Point|.}}}}

[[File:TPointUK.png|thumb|right|165px|Charlie's transatlantic pet]]{{cquote|Turning Point UK has charmed key figures within the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] while moonlighting as a far-right street gang.|||Anti-fascist infiltrator John Christie<ref name=NovaraMedia>[https://novaramedia.com/2024/06/20/inside-the-tory-linked-far-right-group-organising-against-the-left/ Inside the Tory-Linked Far-Right Group Organising Against the Left] by Simon Childs (20 June 2024) ''Novara Media''.</ref>}}{{cquote|Hard right, xenophobic bile.|||{{wpl|David Lammy}}<ref name=Buzzfeed>[https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexspence/pro-trump-turning-point-loses-star-activists Days After Its Disastrous British Launch, Turning Point Has Already Lost One Of Its Star Recruits] by Alex Spence and Mark Di Stefano (8 February 2019) ''Buzzfeed''.</ref>}}

'''Turning Point UK''' (TPUK) is an entirely unwanted UK-set spinoff of [[Turning Point USA]] created by Charlie Kirk and [[Candace Owens]] in 2019 with the failed intention of emulating the success of its predecessor in establishing a presence on higher education campuses and grooming millennials.<ref name=hnhcf>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-turning-point-uk/ CASE FILE: Turning Point UK] ''Hope Not Hate''</ref> Rabid proponents of the [[Cultural Marxism]] conspiracy theory, TPUK maintained its primary purpose was to "challenge the often far-left bias in our educational institutions," and "identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government."<ref name=soh2019>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/state-of-hate-2019-final.pdf State of Hate 2019 – People vs The Elite?] ''Hope Not Hate''</ref> 

Anti-fascist research group Red Flare clarrifies:<ref name=RedFlare>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240620083320/https://redflare.info/assets/pdfs/Turning_Point_Conservative_hooligans.pdf Turning Point UK: Conservative Hooligans] (20 June 2024) ''Red Flare''</ref> {{Quotebox|Despite lacking ideological coherence and functioning initially as a conservative youth group, TPUK’s antiimmigrant, transphobic, British nationalist positions, its
support for scrapping fundamental human rights, and its connections with overtly fascist groups places TPUK on the far right of political groups currently active in the UK.}}

Failing miserably in campus-based activism, perhaps because it was tilting at windmills, TPUK has subsequently reinvented itself as a violent far-right street gang and its active membership largely consists of middle-aged football hooligans with close connections to other violent far-right groups.<ref name=NovaraMedia /><ref name=RedFlare />

===Failure to launch===
[[File:TPUKlaunch.png|thumb|right|165px|Who are these cranks? From far-right Lord Plunket, Irina Mappin, John Mappin, Peter Southall, Candace Owens & Charlie Kirk.]]{{cquote|Who are these cranks?|||Anonymous commentator<ref name=Buzzfeed>[https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexspence/pro-trump-turning-point-loses-star-activists Days After Its Disastrous British Launch, Turning Point Has Already Lost One Of Its Star Recruits] by Alex Spence and Mark Di Stefano (8 February 2019) ''Buzzfeed''.</ref>}}
TPUK was first announced at "A Gathering of Political Genius"<ref name=soh2019 /> hosted by QAnon-supporting hotelier and Scientologist {{wpl|John Mappin||,}} alongside his wife Irina and fellow businessmen Peter Southall and Baron Plunket, at the Royal Automobile Club in London in December 2018.<ref name="Buzzfeed" /> Making the announcement were founders Kirk and Owens, with the latter stating:<ref name=soh2020>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/2020/03/02/state-of-hate-2020/ STATE OF HATE 2020 – Far Right Terror Goes Global] ''Hope Not Hate''</ref> {{Quotebox|We very much believe that we are in the midst of World War 3[…] it is an ideological war we are fighting for Western values.}} Among the assorted "geniuses" in attendance for this were {{wpl|Robin Birley (businessman)|Robin Birley|,}} [[James Delingpole]], {{wpl|Amanda Eliasch||,}} {{wpl|Rod Liddle||,}} {{wpl|Will Tanner||,}} [[Paul Joseph Watson]] and {{wpl|Andy Wigmore||.}}<ref>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/2019/02/05/everything-need-know-launch-turning-point-uk/ Everything You Need To Know About The Launch of Turning Point UK] ''Hope Not Hate''</ref>

Officially launched in February 2019 under the leadership of CEO Oliver Anisfeld and Chairman {{wpl|George Farmer||,}} TPUK garnered support from the likes of [[Nigel Farage]] and, despite an edict from Tory party HQ instructing members "not to work with it in any capacity," [[Priti Patel]] and [[Jacob Rees-Mogg]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/04/tory-mps-back-rightwing-youth-group-turning-point-uk Tory MPs back youth group with apparent links to US far right] by Peter Walker (4 February 2019) ''The Guardian''</ref><ref name=Buzzfeed /> There was also an immediate influx of parody accounts, attributing ludicrous [[ancap]] ideas to the organization, which popped up almost instantly and were often [[Poe's Law|indistinguishable from the real thing]].<ref>Gian N. Volpicelli[https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-an-army-of-fakes-took-on-rightwing-organisation-turning-point-uk How an army of farcical fakes ruined Turning Point UK's big day] (2 June 2019) ''Wired''</ref> Not to mention a sense of people realising, "Who are these cranks?"<ref name=Buzzfeed />

The very American style and anti-socialist/libertarian content failed to attract UK students,<ref name=soh2019 /> condemning TPUK to years of moribund obscurity, with the holding message stating that the university chapters are "presently being finalised and will be updated here soon," staying in place until the group was relaunched under new leadership in 2022.<ref name=soh2023>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/state-of-hate-2023-v7-1.pdf State of Hate 2023: Rhetoric, Racism and Resentment] ''Hope Not Hate''</ref>

===Street fighting years===
[[File:TPUKnew.png|thumb|right|165px|Choose your fighter... From right Nick Tenconi, Marco Longhi & Nick Ross.]]{{cquote|The nasty party is well and truly back. It’s extremely concerning to see senior Conservatives associating themselves with what looks to most people an awful lot like a far-right group.|||Labour party chair {{wpl|Anneliese Dodds}}<ref name=tg170423 />}}{{cquote|Ross should be expelled from the Conservative party for leading a violent far-right street gang.|||Anti-fascist infiltrator John Christie on new TPUK CEO Jack Ross<ref name=NovaraMedia />}}

The appointment of new leadership, in the form of CEO Nick Ross, Honorary President {{wpl|Marco Longhi}} and COO [[Nick Tenconi]] saw TPUK reinvent itself in 2022.<ref name=hnhcf /> John Christie, an anti-fascist who infiltrated TPUK, explained:<ref name=NovaraMedia /> {{Quotebox|My time in the organisation showed me a multilayered group desperately trying to expand. I met Conservative party candidates rubbing shoulders with football hooligans and conspiracy theorists. Opportunism was rife, with the leadership clutching at any chance of political gain. The reality I saw was a group walking hand in hand with the hardliners of the far-right despite public attempts to distance itself. Any claims of respectability don’t stand up: this group is well aligned with the violent company it keeps.}}

[[File:Ada Cable.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Finish them!]] Tenconi, in his role of COO, (dis-)organised a series of chaotic anti drag queen story hour protests,<ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/25/honor-oak-pub-drag-queen-protest-turning-point-uk/ Hundreds turn out to defend London pub’s drag event for kids from pitiful far-right protest] by Will Stroude (25th February 2023) ''Pink News''</ref><ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/03/27/far-right-turning-point-uk-drag-honor-oak-pub/ Far-right group outnumbered by LGBTQ+ protesters in sad attempt to shut down London drag event] by Will Stroude (27th March 2023) ''Pink News''</ref><ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/05/28/turning-point-uk-drag-event-honor-oak/ Pitiful turnout of anti-drag protesters countered with ‘joyful’ LGBTQ+ street party] by Chantelle Billson (28th May 2023) ''Pink News''</ref> where they were regulraly outnumbered by counter-protestors, outside the Honour Oak pub in Lewisham, South-East London and a couple of other locations (including at least one which didn't even have a drag queen story hour). Through this TPUK achieved some national recognition, thanks to the pressence of such D-list Christian nationalist celebs as [[Laurence Fox]], [[Calvin Robinson]] and [[Rikki Doolan]].<ref>[https://freedomnews.org.uk/2023/03/15/lawrence-fox-and-fash-friends-humiliated-in-dulwich/ Lawrence Fox and fash friends humiliated in Dulwich] (15th March 2023) ''Freedom''</ref> Violent clashes with counter-protesters led by members of the local community on 24th June 2023, saw pictures of the bloodied face of local trans activist Ada Cable going viral alongside her call to action:<ref>[https://transsafety.network/posts/far-right-attack-on-honour-oak/ Exclusive: The Truth About the Far Right Attack on Honor Oak] by Jess O'Thomson (27th June 2023) ''Trans Safety Network''</ref><ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/24/met-police-honor-oak-turning-point-uk/ LGBTQ+ activist left bloodied after ‘punch from Met officer’ at anti-drag protest] by Chantelle Billson (24th June 2023) ''Pink News''</ref>
{{Quotebox|Don’t look at this picture of me and be afraid of coming down. Look at me, get angry, and come down. Make it clear that this won’t stand in Lewisham.}}
Conspiracy theorists later claimed Cable had drawn blood on herself with a red pen which they say could be seen in her pocket in one of the photos.<ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/28/honor-oak-anti-drag-protest-attack-victim/ Honor Oak attack victim suffered ‘multiple punches’ during anti-drag counter protest] by Chantelle Billson (28th June 2023) ''Pink News''</ref>

This increased notoriety brought with it calls from opposition parties for Tory politicians in general and Longhi in particular to cut ties with the gang, with Liberal Democrat MP {{wpl|Layla Moran}} stating:<ref name=tg170423>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/apr/17/conservatives-turning-point-uk-labour-lib-dems Opposition urges Tories to cut ties with rightwing group over ‘culture war’ comments] by Peter Walker (17 April 2023) ''The Guardian''</ref><ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/04/18/conservatives-turning-point-uk-right-wing-organisation/ Tories urged to cut ties with ‘hate-filled’ right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ group Turning Point UK] by Chantelle Billson (18 April 2023) ''Pink News''</ref> {{Quotebox|As a Liberal, it is deeply concerning that a member of parliament from any party is associating with a group that promotes harmful and regressive ideas about women and minority groups. I urge Marco Longhi to remove himself from this position and take action to ensure that Turning Point’s divisive and dangerous rhetoric is not given a platform in our society.}}

Tory PM [[Rishi Sunak]] claimed he was "not aware of the specific allegations" in response to Lewisham Deptford MP {{wpl|Vicky Foxcroft||'s}} plea:<ref>[https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/04/26/rishi-sunak-turning-point-uk-drag-protes/ Rishi Sunak refuses to condemn Turning Point UK over protests against drag events for kids] by Amelia Hansford (26 April 2023) ''Pink News''</ref> {{Quotebox|Will the prime minister condemn Turning Point UK’s attempts to spread hatred and division in my constituency and across the country?}}

During the [[2024 United Kingdom riots|summer race riots of 2024]], Tenconi, also serving as interim leader of the increasingly far-right [[UK Independence Party]], stoked violence both indirectly, by alleging that the perpetrator of the [[2024 Southport stabbing]] had been acting "under orders,"<ref>[https://www.searchlightmagazine.com/2024/08/after-the-southport-killings-who-is-responsible-for-the-racist-riots/ After the Southport killings – who is responsible for the racist riots?] (August 1, 2024) ''Searchlight''</ref> and directly, by taking to the street wielding a megaphone and chanting "invaders out" at protests which turned violent outside Downing Street on August 1st and in Plymouth on August 5th.<ref name=tg>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/07/the-edl-actors-and-conspiracy-theorists-a-guide-to-the-british-far-right Actors, activists and conspiracy theorists – a guide to the British far right] by Ben Quinn (August 7, 2024) ''The Guardian''</ref> And, even after the riots had petered out across the rest of the country, Tenconi partied on, leading chants of "invaders out, close off borders, invaders out" to the dance song ''L'amour toujours'' by Italian DJ Gigi d'Agostino at a small ''Enough is Enough'' protest outside immigrant accomodation in Aldershot on August 7th.<ref>[https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/24508740.ukip-leader-personal-trainer-leads-protest-outside-hotel/ Ukip leader and personal trainer leads chants and protesters clash] (August 9, 2024) ''The Reading Chronicle''</ref><ref>[https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/24512641.reading-based-ukip-leader-replies-offensive-chants/ Reading based UKIP leader replies over 'offensive chants'] by James Aldridge (August 12, 2024) ''The Reading Chronicle''</ref>

===Key people===
====Current====
*{{wpl|Marco Longhi}} was appointed honorary president in 2022.
*Nick Ross was apponted CEO in 2022.
*[[Nick Tenconi]] was appointed COO in 2022.

====Former====
*Oliver Anisfeld, son of Brexit Party MEP {{wpl|Lance Forman||,}} was the first CEO, stepping down in 2021.
*{{wpl|George Farmer (businessman)|George Farmer|,}} husband of [[Candace Owens]] and son of Tory donor {{wpl|Michael Farmer, Baron Farmer|Baron Farmer|,}} was the first chairman, stepping down in April 2019.
*{{wpl|Darren Grimes||,}} Brexit campaigner, was part of the initial launch team.
*{{wpl|Tom Harwood||,}} [[Guido Fawkes]] writer, was promoted as part of the initial launch team but immediately stepped down.<ref name=Buzzfeed />
*{{wpl|John Mappin||,}} QAnon-supporting hotelier and Scientologist, hosted the launch and was point of contact for large donors.

==Turning Point Action==
'''Turning Point Action''', an affiliate of TPUSA, has been directing teenagers (including minors) to spread disinformation about [[COVID]] and mail-in ballots on [[Twitter]] and [[Facebook]] in an attempt to disrupt the 2020 election in favor of Trump. The campaign has been likened to a '[[troll]] farm'.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/turning-point-teens-disinformation-trump/2020/09/15/c84091ae-f20a-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter] by Isaac Stanley-Becker (September 15, 2020 at 3:05 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

===2021 Capitol riot===
{{main|2021 U.S. Capitol riot}}
Turning Point Action was one of the sponsors of the pre-riot warmup for the failed [[coup]] attempt in 2021.<ref>David Corn, [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/01/sponsors-of-the-pre-attack-rally-have-taken-down-their-websites-dont-forget-who-they-were/ Sponsors of the Pre-Attack Rally Have Taken Down Their Websites. Don’t Forget Who They Were.] Mother Jones, 12 January 2021.</ref><ref>Joseph Tanfani, Michael Berens, and Ned Parker, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-organizers-insight/how-trumps-pied-pipers-rallied-a-faithful-mob-to-the-capitol-idUSKBN29G2UP How Trump’s pied pipers rallied a faithful mob to the Capitol]. Reuters, 11 January 2021.</ref>

==Death==
{{cquote|I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, [[New Age|new age]] term that — it does a lot of damage.|||Kirk<ref>[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-empathy-quote/ Charlie Kirk once said empathy was 'made-up, new age term'. The authentic quote from the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA circulated online following his fatal shooting on Sept. 10, 2025.] by Jordan Liles (Sept. 10, 2025) ''Snopes''.</ref>{{efn|The modern meaning of the word comes from a 1909 translation of the German word ''Einfühlung'' from a psychology book. The New Age spiritual movement did not begin until the 1960s, though the word itself dates back to ancient Greek (ἐμπάθεια).<ref>[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/empathy empathy] ''Wiktionary''.</ref><ref>empathy, noun: Etymology, ''Oxford English Dictionary''.</ref>}}}}
On September 10, 2025, a sniper shot Charlie Kirk in the neck while Kirk was in a public debate about the significance of mass shootings perpetrated by trans individuals.  Kirk was holding a rally and speed debate activity with college students, outdoors at a [[Utah]] university. Kirk was later sent to the hospital in critical condition, passing away shortly after.  

Here is a list of the very fine people who gave their [[thoughts and prayers]] to Charlie Kirk:
*[[Donald Trump]] (duh)<ref>https://variety.com/2025/politics/news/trump-reacts-charlie-kirk-shooting-1236514493/</ref>
*[[JD Vance]]<ref>https://archive.ph/ikZUn</ref>
*[[Mike Johnson]]<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c206zm81z4gt?post=asset%3A7a43fbe4-66c5-4c0b-a83f-cb9c68b02013</ref>
*[[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]]<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c206zm81z4gt?post=asset%3A7a43fbe4-66c5-4c0b-a83f-cb9c68b02013</ref>
*[[Tim Walz]]<ref>https://archive.ph/lIa4C</ref>
*[[Benjamin Netanyahu]]<ref>https://www.ynetnews.com/article/3ompjsumr</ref>
*[[Zohran Mamdani]]<ref>https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/09/mamdani-shared-notion-humanity-applies-both-charlie-kirk-and-killing-palestinians/408045/</ref>

Reactions varied among active right-wingers from sadness to extreme anger to both. White House staff were reportedly crying.<ref name="nytreactions">{{Cite news |date=September 11, 2025 |title=At the White House, Trump’s Grief and Shock Turn to Rage Over Charlie Kirk |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/us/politics/trump-reaction-charlie-kirk.html |access-date=2025-09-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref> Actor James Woods threatened civil war against "all leftists" if someone from "his political side" (which he didn't elaborate on) was shot with a bullet in the future, a post which has been liked at least 80,000 times as of today.<ref>[https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1965956909477027879 James Woods on X] ([https://ghostarchive.org/archive/SmXFu Archive])</ref> Right-wingers tried to portray Kirk as someone who never participated in political violence, but the claim is debatable. He bragged about sending 80 buses of supporters to a rally that later morphed into the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33r4kjez6no "How a college dropout from the suburbs became Maga star Charlie Kirk"]. ''BBC''.</ref> Kirk advocated his supporters to bail Paul Pelosi's attacker out of jail while Paul was in the ICU.<ref name="rollingstone">{{Cite web |last=Klee |first=Miles |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Charlie Kirk Says a 'Patriot' Should Bail Out Alleged Paul Pelosi Attacker |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/charlie-kirk-bail-out-alleged-paul-pelosi-attacker-1234621493/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> However, he ultimately stated the attack against Pelosi was "awful, it’s not right".<ref>(October 31, 2022). [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/paul-pelosi-charlie-kirk-bail-conspiracies-b2214680.html "Charlie Kirk tells audience to post bail for Paul Pelosi attacker as GOP conspiracies swirl"]. ''The Independent''.</ref>

A number of celebrities also expressed their sympathies to Kirk, one notable example being otherwise-revered [[Skateboarding|skateboarders]] such as {{wpl|Steve Caballero}} and {{wpl|Lance Mountain||,}} both of whom controversially made posts in support of the slain far-right activist.<ref name="ShreddER">{{Cite web |date=September 11, 2025 |title=Skate Legend Steve Caballero Speaks Out on the Sad State of Free Speech Following Charlie Kirk’s Passing |url=https://shredder.news/steve-caballero-charlie-kirk/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=ShreddER |language=en-US}}</ref> In a fit of [[irony]] and hypocrisy, Caballero ranted about free speech being stifled just for the assassination of someone whom they view as a brother in Christ (Cab and Lance are both openly Christian) yet he and his fellow Bones Brigade and ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater'' contemporary Lance closed the comments sections on their respective posts, as if they're afraid about seeing the real light and not some false idol Jesus himself warned against.<ref name="imgur">{{Cite web |title=Remember, these are the skateboarders we used to idolise. |url=https://imgur.com/a/y7wjaUX |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Imgur |language=en}}</ref> And if that wasn't enough, Caballero doubled down on his fundgelical crankery by making another post bootlicking Kirk in the name of his so-called faith.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/DOlmzIJkTq3/ Steve Caballero on Instagram] ([https://archive.is/h3B1n Archive])</ref> For a bunch of celebrated figures in a sports subculture promoting non-conformity and anti-establishment [[punk]] ethos, seeing Cab and Lance eventually bow to the very same fiends they used to rebel against felt like an act of treason to skaters, especially younger generations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Even my man Lance Mountain... :( |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Skateboardlove/comments/1nea82c/even_my_man_lance_mountain/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Reddit}}</ref>

Congressional Democrats denounced the violence. MSNBC fired political commentator Matthew Dowd for suggesting Kirk's 'hatred' was karmic in his death.<ref name="Gedeon">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/msnbc-fires-matthew-dowd-charlie-kirk-shooting{{Cite news |last=Gedeon |first=Joseph |date=September 11, 2025 |title=MSNBC fires analyst Matthew Dowd over Charlie Kirk shooting remarks |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/msnbc-fires-matthew-dowd-charlie-kirk-shooting |access-date=2025-09-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In a textbook case of "everyone has standards", the satirical [[Reddit|subreddit]] /r/ToiletPaperUSA went on record to denounce the assassination, stating they "will not be celebrating the shooting" and will ban those who do express such sentiment. Many in the subreddit agreed with the stance, seeing as it is both disgraceful and that such a tragic death would make him a [[martyr]] among right-wingers.<ref name="nocheers">{{Cite web |title=We will not be celebrating the shooting of Charlie Kirk. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ToiletPaperUSA/comments/1ndnvo1/we_will_not_be_celebrating_the_shooting_of/ |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

In an example of standardlessness, [[Putin]]'s stooges in [[Russia]] have wasted no time in exploiting the assassination, with {{wpl|Dmitri Medvedev}} - deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council - posting on [[Twitter]] accusing "left-wing liberal scum who support Banderite Kiev" of encouraging political violence against the MAGA movement, and that they should realize that "by supporting Ukraine, they're supporting murderers." Kirk was popular in Russia for opposing [[NATO]], criticizing Ukraine's president [[Zelensky]] and otherwise sharing a lot of beliefs with the ruling [[United Russia]] Party.<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/kirk-killing-medvedev-maga-2128048 Newsweek: " Russian Officials Use Charlie Kirk's Death to Attack Ukraine" By Brendan Cole (Sept 11, 2025)]</ref>

The following day, on the 24th anniversary of the [[9/11|9/11 attacks]], Trump announced that he will posthumously award Kirk the {{wpl|Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom||}}, the highest civilian honor in the United States,<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-announces-posthumously-award-charlie-kirk-presidential-medal/story?id=125474603 Trump say he wants supporters to respond with 'nonviolence' to Charlie Kirk's killing], ABC News (September 11, 2025).</ref> alongside fellow recipients [[Ben Carson]] and [[Rudy Giuliani]].<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ben-carson-presidential-medal-96c072b07289f147a14ba6805681b6fa Trump says he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ben Carson]. AP News (September 20, 2025).</ref><ref>[https://apnews.com/article/trump-giuliani-medal-of-freedom-06457c051711f4a05dc23c2e1a26b123 Trump says he's awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom]. AP News (September 1, 2025).</ref> Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom to Kirk's widow (and new CEO of Turning Point USA) {{w|Erika Kirk|Erika}} on October 14, 2025, coinciding with the former's birthday.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-awards-charlie-kirk-posthumous-presidential-medal-of-freedom WATCH: Trump awards Charlie Kirk posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom]. PBS (October 14, 2025).</ref>

===Alleged perpetrator===
22-year-old Tyler Robinson was apprehended after surrendering to the police. His father and youth pastor had talked with Robinson, after Robinson had allegedly confessed to the killing to his father, leading to the arrival of U.S. Marshals. While Robinson remains in custody, he has not confessed to law enforcement according to Axios.<ref name="axios">https://www.axios.com/2025/09/13/kirk-suspect-transgender-roommate?__cf_chl_tk=Egv_TRpqNiI0r95C_UUeoyLxlSWWgHLftsn_nJvK2ac-1757870775-1.0.1.1-H2KWNsPXFi5SU4ODZai7hlSJ6eh.n71mB4KrO8CnNh4</ref><ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/9/12/live-charlie-kirk-shot-dead-fbi-releases-images-of-person-of-interest</ref>  After at least two prior suspects dismissed as possibilities, the FBI is confident in this suspect as they state they have matched Tyler Robinson's DNA to the scene of Charlie Kirk's killing.<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/16/suspect-in-charlie-kirks-murder-linked-to-scene-by-dna-fbi-chief-says</ref>

Early reporting suggesting the perpetrator's casing had "pro-trans rhetoric" on them were basically false. The perpetrator's shell casings had the following inscribed on them, quoting gamer lingo, furry parody lingo, and anti-fascist sentiment: 

{{quotebox|
*Notices Bulge: OwO what’s this?<br>
*Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao<br>
*Hey fascist! Catch! Up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols<br>
*If you read this, you are gay LMAO<ref>https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5500676-charlie-kirk-killer-internet-memes/</ref>
}}

Robinson's neighbor alleges he saw Robinson kissing his male roommate 2 weeks before the incident, and that said roommate was transitioning to a woman.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dju8-9zn7GQ</ref> Utah governor Spencer Cox confirmed his roommate was undergoing gender transition and in a romantic relationship with Robinson.<ref name="axios" />

The perpetrator shot Kirk directly after Kirk had this discussion with an audience member:
{{quotebox|'''Audience member''': Hey Charlie, hey we're going to have a little bit more disagreement.  There was a shooting that happened in Minneapolis and ever since then about three weeks later the Trump DOJ said we should start revoking gun rights for trans Americans<br>
'''Crowd''': ''cheers''<br>
'''Audience member''': Do you agree with that, is that a fair assessment?<br>
'''Kirk''': yes<br>
'''Audience member''': Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?<br>
'''Kirk''': Too many.<br>
'''Audience member''': Okay, well—[''crowd cheers'']—it's five, okay. Now, five is a lot, right? I'll give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?<br>
'''Kirk''': Counting or not counting gang violence?<br>
'''Audience member''': Great-''Interrupted by gunshot noise''<br>
'''Kirk''': ''shot in neck, starts bleeding out until collapses''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18FNK6ZNGuo The Last Person to Debate Charlie Kirk (Exclusive Interview) 3:39]</ref><ref>https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/charlie-kirk-shot-utah-09-10-25#cmfedul41001m3b6nuijigdcy</ref><ref>https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/charlie-kirk-shot-utah-09-10-25#cmfecntjz00003b6ntmmyg7gf</ref>}}

Robinson's social media was combed over by BlueSky and other social media platforms looking for any evidence of political views. Posts were found that people have attempted to spin into various stories (including a spurious allegation that Robinson was a member of a group started by Nick Fuentes called "Groypers"). The following pictures found of Robinson are usually the most referenced:

* A picture of Robinson doing the "slav squat" in 2018 before the "slav squat" was politicized
* A Halloween picture of Robinson wearing a costume consisting of him sitting on a plastic Donald Trump's shoulders
* Multiple pictures showing Robinson's clear enthusiasm for guns

The "Groyper theory", now unlikely,<ref>[https://bsky.app/profile/hannahgais.bsky.social/post/3lyy6weaewk2d SPLC staff on Groyper theory]</ref> was basically circumstantial, vibes-based dots-an-arrow theorizing, centered around Tyler's gamer status, use of a homophobic insult, Trump-supporting family,<ref>https://www.thedailybeast.com/charlie-kirk-suspects-grandma-says-family-is-all-maga/</ref> and his use of the antifascist song "Bella Ciao" which has been included in various "Groyper" Spotify playlists. However, Bella Ciao is also a popular song generally among gamers and has been included in multiple popular, recent games. 

His social media was otherwise apolitical, and there are conflicting reports about his potential political alliances if any. What isn't disputed is that Robinson has registered as a non-partisan voter in the past.<ref>https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/charlie-kirk-shot/card/kirk-shooting-suspect-has-registered-as-nonpartisan-voter-records-show-kbNl9BCGzfGTby1ALAH9</ref>

In a private text exchange between Robinson and his boyfriend Lance Twiggs, released to the court, Robinson gives a description of his motive.  In it, he describes Kirk's 'hatred' as the primary motivating factor in the following snippet:
{{quotebox|
'''Twiggs''': Why?<br>
'''Robinson''': Why did I do it?<br>
'''Twiggs''': Yeah.<br>
'''Robinson''': I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out.<ref>https://www.newsweek.com/tyler-robinson-roommate-lance-twiggs-charlie-kirk-texts-2130798</ref>
}}

===Etsy witch / Jezebel hex woo===
Really weird controversy regarding Kirk's assassination comes in form of the claim that his death was caused by [[witch]]es. This stems from a article published in feminist news site {{wpl|Jezebel (website)|Jezebel}} on September 8th - two days prior to Kirk's death - which published an article titled "We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk", that goes over details about the writer purchasing curses from {{wpl|Etsy}} to use on Kirk.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250908211158/https://www.jezebel.com/we-paid-some-etsy-witches-to-curse-charlie-kirk Jezebel: "We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk" by Claire Guinan September 8, 2025 (ARCHIVED, SINCE THE CURRENT VERSION ON JEZEBEL IS CENSORED)]</ref> After the Kirk actually died, Jezebel would heavily blue-pen the original article, adding disclaimers and such, with them stating both that the "article was meant to be a joke" and that "none of the purchased curses were meant to kill Kirk."<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/charlie-kirk-jezebel-paid-witches-curse-2128003 Newsweek: "Liberal Website Paid Etsy Witches to Hex Charlie Kirk Days Before Assassination" by Robert Birsel (Published Sep 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM EDT, Updated Sep 11, 2025 at 1:26 PM EDT)]</ref>

But due to the incredible timing - and fundamental human stupidity - people have started paying attention to the article after the killing. Once word about Kirk’s shooting and death spread online, people began sharing Jezebel’s Twitter post by quoting and retweeting it. They also shared the article along with memes referencing witches, with many of these making fun of the idea that the curses actually worked, implying Jezebel must have found some really skilled witches. However, some loons apparently took this to be real and are demanding to know who were the witches that supposedly caused Kirk's death.{{cn}}

==="Cancel culture"===
{{cquote|Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.|||Trump's Executive Order 14149}}
{{cquote|Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the [[First Amendment]].|||Charlie Kirk<ref name="RSCM"/>}}
To honor Kirk's legacy as a free speech warrior, many right-wing personalities decided to immediately adopt [[cancel culture]] in the aftermath of the shooting. Some misconstrued criticism of Kirk's past comments as glorification or justification towards his death.<ref>Raphael Satter and A.J. Vicens (September 13, 2025). [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/charlie-kirks-allies-warn-americans-mourn-him-properly-or-else-2025-09-13/ "Charlie Kirk's allies warn Americans: Mourn him properly or else"]. ''Reuters''.</ref><ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/after-kirks-killing-a-growing-conservative-campaign-seeks-to-get-his-critics-ostracized-or-fired "After Kirk's killing, a growing conservative campaign seeks to get his critics ostracized or fired"]. ''PBS''.</ref><ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-speech-republicans-firings-government-vance-e65a4939b80e4f4822db188e978d8812 "Trump administration joins Republicans’ campaign to police speech in reaction to Kirk's killing"]. ''The Associated Press''.</ref> Parts of this response were less like "cancel culture" and more like "government [[censorship]]",<ref name="thefirehs"/><ref name="carrhr"/> unsurprising for an administration headed by someone long known to favor Britain's version of libel law.<ref>Salil Tripathi (January 12, 2017). [https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2017/01/donald-trump-likes-english-libel-law-reason "Donald Trump likes English libel law for a reason"]. ''The New Statesman''.</ref>

Noteworthy incidents:
*US Attorney General{{efn|In case you were raised by TikTok: this is the person who runs the federal Department of Justice.}} Pam Bondi said, "There's free speech and then there's [[hate speech]], and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society. … We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything, and that's across the aisle." Some right-wing personalities were not happy about her framing.<ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://www.mediaite.com/politics/conservative-talkshow-host-blasts-pam-bondi-over-free-speech-claim-our-attorney-general-is-apparently-a-moron/ "Conservative Talkshow Host Blasts Pam Bondi Over 'Free Speech' Claim: ‘Our Attorney General Is Apparently a Moron’"]. ''Mediaite''.</ref> The [[Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression]] responded to her, "There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment."<ref>(September 16, 2025). [http://archive.today/2025.09.16-110554/https://x.com/TheFIREorg/status/1967770321445871656 "There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment. (...)"] Twitter.</ref><ref name="thefirehs">(September 16, 2025). [https://www.thefire.org/news/why-everything-pam-bondi-said-about-hate-speech-wrong "Why everything Pam Bondi said about 'hate speech' is wrong"]. ''Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression''.</ref>
*Members of the US military were informed by the federal government that their social media accounts would be combed for such comments so that they could be fired from their jobs for offenses against [[conservative correctness]].<ref>Courtney Kube and Carol E. Lee (September 12, 2025). [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-pentagon-staff-negative-charlie-kirk-posts-service-members-rcna230915 "Pete Hegseth tells Pentagon staff to hunt for negative Charlie Kirk posts by service members"]. ''NBC''.</ref>
*Some in MAGA blamed the adult cartoon series ''[[South Park]]'' for the shooting, to which the studio immediately pissed themselves and stopped reruns of an episode satirizing Charlie Kirk. This was made more absurd by the fact that Kirk had previously stated he liked the depiction of himself in the episode.<ref>David Mouriquand (September 12, 2025). [https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/09/12/maga-blames-south-park-for-charlie-kirk-death-episode-pulled-from-cable-re-runs "MAGA blames 'South Park' for Charlie Kirk death – episode pulled from cable re-runs"]. ''Euronews''.</ref><ref>Selome Hailu (September 11, 2025). [https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/charlie-kirk-south-park-pulled-comedy-central-1236515229/ "'South Park' Episode Making Fun of Charlie Kirk Pulled From Comedy Central but Remains on Paramount+"]. ''Variety''.</ref>
*''An {{w|Inside Higher Ed||''}} column reported, "More professors in the United States have been fired for controversial views in the past week than any other week in all of American history."<ref>John K. Wilson (September 19, 2025). [https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/debatable-ideas/2025/09/19/censorship-authoritarians-dream "Censorship Is the Authoritarian’s Dream"]. ''Inside Higher Ed''.</ref>
*Long Island newspaper ''Newsday'' apologized for publishing a conservative cartoonist's depiction of the shooting.<ref>D.D. Degg (September 15, 2025). [https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2025/09/15/newsday-apologizes-for-printing-chip-bok-cartoon/ "Newsday Apologizes for Printing Chip Bok Cartoon, also a Wyoming Paper"]. ''The Daily Cartoonist''.</ref> Fox News called the cartoon "insensitive".<ref>Brian Flood (September 15, 2025). [https://www.foxnews.com/media/long-island-newspaper-newsday-apologizes-insensitive-offensive-charlie-kirk-assassination-cartoon "Long Island newspaper Newsday apologizes for 'insensitive and offensive' Charlie Kirk assassination cartoon"]. ''Fox News''.</ref>
*Late-night talk host Jimmy Kimmel's popular TV show was pulled off the air by ABC and Nexstar Media Group for saying, "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." This sentence was found so objectionable that the busybody Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr demanded the media companies "change conduct, on Kimmel", or else "we can do this the easy way or the hard way."<ref name="carrhr">(September 17, 2025). [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/fcc-jimmy-kimmel-charlie-kirk-monologue-1236373708/ "FCC Chair Threatens Jimmy Kimmel Over Charlie Kirk Monologue Comments"]. ''Hollywood Reporter''.</ref><ref>(September 17, 2025). [https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/nexstar-jimmy-kimmel-abc-charlie-kirk-1236522584/ "ABC Pulls ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Indefinitely After Nexstar Backlash to Host's Charlie Kirk Comments"]. ''Variety''.</ref> (Carr wrote the FCC chapter for [[Project 2025]].<ref>[https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/brendan-carr/ "Brendan Carr"]. ''Free Speech Center'' (Middle Tennessee State University).</ref>)
*A columnist for the ''[[Washington Post]]'' newspaper was fired for her post on social media that quoted Charlie Kirk's comments on race, in which he said prominent black women "had to go steal a white person's slot." The firing was condemned by the Washington Post Guild.<ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/15/washington-post-columnist-karen-attiah-fired-charlie-kirk/86169162007/ "Washington Post opinion columnist Karen Attiah says she was fired over Charlie Kirk posts"]. ''USA Today''.</ref> According to the newspaper's billionaire owner, [[Jeff Bezos]], its opinion columns are focused on defending "two pillars: personal [[Liberty|liberties]] and [[free market]]s".<ref>(February 26, 2025). [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/washington-post-owner-bezos-says-opinion-pages-shift-from-broad-focus-to-will-defend-free-market-and-personal-liberties "Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos says opinion pages will defend free market and 'personal liberties'"]. ''PBS''.</ref>

The cancellations drew condemnation from First Amendment advocacy groups like the [[Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression]].<ref>(September 14, 2025). [https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/free-speech-charlie-kirk-death-first-amendment-hegseth "The Crackdown on Speech After Charlie Kirk's Death Is Alarming First Amendment Groups"]. ''NOTUS''.</ref>

A database [[doxing]] people for their comments about Kirk was created. It was originally titled "Expose Charlie's Murderers" before, one supposes, its administrators realized this was a loaded title for a website that was alleged not to be verifying its submitted entries.<ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-09-15/charlie-kirks-murder-exposes-americas-deep-divisions.html "Charlie Kirk's murder exposes America’s deep divisions".] ''El País''.</ref><ref>Taylor Lorenz (September 15, 2025). [https://www.usermag.co/p/conservatives-are-doxxing-innocent-people-over-charlie-kirk-ali-nasrati "Conservatives Are Doxxing Innocent People Over Charlie Kirk"]. ''User Mag''.</ref><ref name="RSCM"/> [[CNN]] suggested this site, which had at least 30,000 submissions and was renamed from "Charlie's Murderers" to the "Charlie Kirk Data Foundation", was part of a "coordinated" campaign to fire people from their jobs for comments made online.<ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/13/business/charlie-kirk-death-fired-comments "People are getting fired for allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder. It looks like a coordinated effort"]. CNN.</ref><ref name="RSCM"/> ''[[The Guardian]]'' said there were "reports of teachers, firefighters, journalists, nurses, politicians, a Secret Service employee, a junior strategist at Nasdaq and a worker for a prominent NFL team, being censured in some form after publishing opinions on Kirk’s politics or death."<ref>(September 15, 2025). [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/15/charlie-kirk-death-university-firing-suspension "'Inappropriate' comments about Charlie Kirk shooting lead to university firings"]. ''The Guardian''.</ref>

Some of the people who were said to have been listed on the website included:
*Somebody who had stated: "I genuinely do not know how any person could be saying Charlie Kirk was a good man. Of course, it's awful he was shot."<ref>Nathan J. Robinson (September 14, 2025). [http://archive.today/2025.09.15-032758/https://x.com/NathanJRobinson/status/1967280294282907803 "Notably, many of the entries on the "Charlie Kirk's Murderers" database are people saying things like "I don't think he should have been shot but he wasn't a good person and we should give equal attention to other victims." For this, they try to get you fired!"]. Twitter.</ref>
*A Canadian journalist and podcaster who stated, "Terrified to think of how far-right fans of Kirk, aching for more violence, could very well turn this into an even more radicalizing moment. Will they now believe their fears have been proven right and feel they have a right to 'retaliate,' regardless of who actually was behind the initial shooting?"<ref name="RSCM">Miles Klee (September 18, 2025). [http://archive.today/2025.09.18-163249/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/charlie-kirk-murderers-site-defamation-1235429785/ "Website IDing People as Charlie Kirk's 'Murderers' Rebrands — Then Vanishes"]. ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> She reported receiving death threats and rape threats for the post.<ref name="RSCM"/>
*Someone who said, "What happened to Charlie Kirk is horrible and no person should ever lose their life to gun violence. … If all you do is spew hate, you're bound to get some in return."<ref name="RSCM"/> She lost her job for the post, which was also shared by [[Libs of TikTok]], after which she reported receiving many threatening messages.<ref name="RSCM"/>
It was reported that a number of lawyers offered to sue the website for defamation, or possibly under anti-doxing ordinances.<ref name="RSCM"/>

===Transvestigated===
{{main|Transvestigation}}
In an ironic twist, some of the more radical fringes of MAGA "transvestigated" Charlie and his wife Erika — claiming they are both secretly trans — after the former's assassination.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/maga-lost-plot-now-transvestigating-181426105.html |title=MAGA has lost the plot and is now 'transvestigating' Charlie Kirk and his widow |website=Yahoo News UK |last=Messman-Rucker |first=Ariel |date=November 15, 2025 |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref>

===Obvious Attestation===
We here at RationalWiki '''condemn''' the murder of Charlie Kirk. We '''do not in any way celebrate, support, or justify his death''' and we want to make it clear that '''violence is unacceptable''' no matter how objectionable the victim's ideology and/or viewpoint is. Such senseless acts of violence have no place in any society.

==Bibliography==
Kirk also published some ridiculously out-of-touch<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/weekly-standard/charlie-kirks-book-campus-battlefield-is-a-joke Charlie Kirk's ''Campus Battlefield'' Is a Hot Mess]</ref><ref>[https://quillette.com/2018/11/11/charlie-kirks-campus-battlefield-a-review/ Charlie Kirk’s Campus Battlefield—A Review]</ref> 
love letters to Trump
 "books":

*''Time for a Turning Point: Setting a Course Toward Free Markets and Limited Government for Future Generations'' (2016)
*''Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can WIN the Battle on Campus and Why It Matters – Foreword by Donald Trump, Jr.'' (2018)
*''The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas That Will 
Ruin
 Win the Future'' (2020)
*''The College Scam: How America's Universities are bankrupting and brainwashing away the future of America's Youth'' (2022)
*''Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West'' (2024)

In a mildly interesting turn of events, his last book (slated for release a few months after his death) took a turn from the political to the more religious, advocating people to observe the [[Sabbath]] on Saturday:
*''Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life'' (2025)

==See also==
*[[Candace Owens]]
*[[Kanye West]]
*[[Kaitlin Bennett]] (the genius behind the Kent State diaper "protest")
*[[Dennis Prager|Prager "University"]]
*{{wpl|Horst_Wessel||}} — History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme

==External links==
*{{wpa|Turning Point USA}}
*[https://www.desmog.com/turning-point-usa/ TPUSA] on DeSmog
*[https://twitter.com/charliekirk11 Charlie Kirk] on [[Twitter]]
**[https://twitter.com/tpusa Turning Point USA] on Twitter
*[https://tpusa.pro/ TPUSA Pro,] the official, 100% real TPUSA website
*[https://www.reddit.com/r/ToiletPaperUSA/ /r/ToiletPaperUSA,] a [[Reddit|subreddit]] dedicated to making fun of Charlie Kirk and his cult
**[https://discord.gg/cUB9Hza /r/ToiletPaperUSA,] the official Discord server of /r/ToiletPaperUSA
*[http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conservative-nonprofit-that-seeks-to-transform-college-campuses-faces-allegations-of-racial-bias-and-illegal-campaign-activity ''The New Yorker'' exposé] on Turning Point USA
*[https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/02/16/turning-point-usas-blooming-romance-alt-right "Turning Point USA's blooming romance with the alt-right,"] by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]]
*[https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/26/founder-turning-point-usa-charlie-kirk-triggered-by-reality-column/1551334001/ "Is founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, triggered by reality?"] by USA Today
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TxT5_Audhw Charlie Kirk destroyed by [[Liberal talk radio#Sam Seder|Sam Seder]] at Politicon 2018]
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oju1B10tGjM Sam Seder's full review of the debate]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUnTJiHMTEE Charlie Kirk destroyed by [[Kyle Kulinski]] at Politicon 2019]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032853/https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwJmyIVU0_6a7aKElE3_ko6t5y7frXTr2n8KgN-k21tWPR0g/viewform Charlie Kirk Quiz] — For each question, click "Shrunken" if you think the image has been altered to make Charlie's face appear smaller, click "Enlarged" if you think the image has been altered to make Charlie's face appear larger, or click "Normal" if you think the image hasn't been altered. '''Includes some saucy trivia about Kirk and TPUSA.'''
*[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-ezra-klein-tanehisi-coates Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause. By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy.] by Ta-Nehisi Coates&nbsp;— a review of some of the most hateful and offensive things that Kirk had to say

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Charlie}}
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