Charlie Kirk

Kirk grew up in the Chicago suburbs and got political early, dropping out of college to co-found Turning Point USA in 2012 with donor Bill Montgomery. The organization grew into a nationwide network mobilizing conservative students and spinning off sister groups like Turning Point Action and Turning Point Faith. He became a key MAGA ally, hosting The Charlie Kirk Show and publishing books while pushing opposition to abortion, gun control, DEI programs, and LGBTQ rights. His stance hardened over time into Christian nationalism, and he promoted COVID-19 misinformation, false 2020 election fraud claims, the white genocide conspiracy theory, and criticism of the Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr. On September 10, 2025, a rooftop sniper killed him while he spoke at a TPUSA debate event at Utah Valley University. Almost 100,000 people attended his memorial service eleven days later at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.