Charlie Kirk's Assassination and the Duty to Build
Charlie Kirk was assassinated by political terrorism. Our response must be to build louder, stronger, and bigger than before.
Yesterday, at the hands of a terrorist, one of the titans of the modern conservative movement was taken from us. Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley State University. As of now, the precise motive of the shooter remains unclear, but one fact is undeniable: Charlie Kirk was targeted because of his place in American politics.
This assassination is meant to send the message that it is dangerous for conservatives to stand up in the public square, to speak our convictions, and to organize our people. That is, after all, the aim of political violence. To silence. To intimidate. To break the will of a movement. But if anything, this act of evil only makes clearer our moral obligation. Despite the risk of physical harm, conservatives cannot let up. We must fight for America with greater courage than ever before.
We owe it to Charlie. We owe it to his wife and children. We owe it to the movement he poured his life into and literally took a bullet for. Charlie Kirk built something rare in American politics: an institution that rose from nothing and became a national force. He did not merely create a platform for himself, out of selfish vanity or pursuit of fame and wealth. He built a movement capable of mobilizing millions and influencing the direction of a political party and, ultimately, the nation. Never forget, Turning Point was instrumental in Trump’s 2024 victory and Charlie himself was a huge part of the resurgence in conservatism in young American men.
Builders like him are rare, but more must rise in his place. If Charlie Kirk showed us anything, it is that a lone advocate with vision and resolve can overcome the inertia of our top-heavy political system and influence the trajectory of a generation. Now the responsibility falls to us. Who will carry that torch? Who will lead the next institutions that endure beyond their founders and generate real political power?
We must become intentional about equipping and supporting the next generation of builders. That means cultivating leaders who are not merely pundits or online personalities, but true architects of ideas greater than any one person. Figures who can transform ideas into institutions, and institutions into lasting political power.
Our movement has no shortage of voices, personalities, and organizations. But very few can claim to have built something that transcends its founders, institutions capable of shaping the future of American politics. Charlie Kirk was among those few. His death is a personal tragedy for his wife, his children, and the thousands of young people he mentored. If you work in or around conservative politics, you likely know multiple people that owe their careers to Charlie Kirk. Indeed, his death is a tragedy for America. That is why his loss is so devastating, and why our response must be to multiply his work.
A giant is gone. But the cause he championed, and the institutions he built, must endure and grow beyond what they are today. The surest way to honor him is to make certain that his vision permeates every corner of this country, and that political violence never succeeds in silencing American conservatism.
Be like Charlie. Build something bigger than yourself.