The 31-year-old far-right influencer with major influence among young people, Charlie Kirk, was killed by a gunshot during an event at a university in Utah on Wednesday, 10.09.
D. Trump owes him a significant part of his rise among young voters, as Ch. Kirk used his massive social media audience to promote the president’s positions.
Although he had never been elected to public office, he wielded significant influence in the White House.
In 2012, he founded “Turning Point USA” with the aim of promoting conservative, “anti-woke” views on U.S. college campuses—something that turned him into an unofficial leader of America’s far-right youth.
Even his political opponents described him as a charismatic showman with an innate talent for mobilizing crowds.
His career was marked by the spread of misinformation, hate rhetoric, and the amplification of conspiracy theories—especially during the pandemic—while he was openly homophobic, transphobic, and Islamophobic.
At the age of 23, he became the youngest speaker at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
He was a close associate of D. Trump’s son, served as chair of D. Trump’s youth organization in 2019, and in 2020 organized the “Stop the Steal” campaign, which led to the events at the Capitol on 06.01.2021.
During D. Trump’s 2024 election campaign, he spoke at 25+ U.S. universities, aiming to bring Gen Z to the side of the Republican president.
Wednesday’s rally was the first of 15 scheduled across the U.S. through the end of October, titled the “American Comeback Tour.”
The gunshot was heard at the moment Ch. Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings involving firearms and trans people.
Around 3,000 people attended the rally, along with six police officers responsible for Ch. Kirk’s security, in addition to his personal bodyguards.
The perpetrator, who shot Ch. Kirk—likely from a rooftop within the campus—has so far evaded arrest.
Two individuals who were detained late at night were released, as it was determined they had no connection to the shooting.
