Who Was Charlie Kirk, the Conservative Activist Fatally Shot at Utah Valley University?
Charlie Kirk, 31, was a prominent conservative political activist and media personality, best known as the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a right-wing youth organization focused on promoting limited government and free-market values on college campuses.
Raised in Prospect Heights, a suburb of Chicago, Kirk became politically active as a teenager. He was heavily influenced by conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, and by age 17, he was already speaking at tea party rallies in Illinois.
In 2012, at just 18 years old, he co-founded Turning Point USA with William Montgomery. The organization initially struggled but gained traction after aligning with major conservative donors and embracing the rise of Donald Trump. By 2016, Kirk had become a vocal supporter of Trump, even serving as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the campaign.
Kirk became a regular presence on conservative media, engaging in culture war debates and hosting the nationally syndicated “Charlie Kirk Show” on the Salem Radio Network.
At the time of his death, Kirk was touring college campuses as part of Turning Point’s “American Comeback Tour,” which featured live debates on controversial topics such as abortion, immigration, and religion.
He was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
Leave a Reply