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Opinion

The Charlie Kirk I Knew

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1 day ago

9 minute read

This afternoon, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking onstage at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University. Kirk, 31, was one of the most influential figures on the contemporary American right. In the below essay, Adam Rubenstein remembers Charlie Kirk, the subject of his 2018 profile, Kid Trump. Here he is on “The Charlie Kirk I Knew.” We’ll be bringing you more on this story in the coming hours and days. —The Editors

In 2019, Charlie Kirk and I were, by complete coincidence, on the same flight, Denver to Chicago. I was going to visit my girlfriend in law school, and he was going home to visit his family in Lemont, a Chicago suburb. He technically still lived with his parents—for the few days a year he wasn’t on the road building his organization, Turning Point USA—and was returning home after a campus visit in Colorado.

While walking down the aisle, Charlie spotted me, seated in a middle row at the back of the plane, and asked the person sitting next to me to switch seats so we could catch up. She obliged, and Charlie sat down next to me. It had been about a year since I’d seen him last. We knew each other because I had written a profile of him in The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine that was shuttered later that year—a sign of how the conservative movement was transforming in the age of Trump. While we closed our doors, Charlie was raising millions and speaking in front of sold out audiences.

The profile I wrote ended up on the magazine’s cover in August 2018. “Kid Trump” was its headline. To deliver the story, I had spent a week with Charlie, then 24 years old, in Washington, D.C., backstage at a summit he put on for high schoolers in Turning Point USA, on George Washington University’s campus. Five members of the cabinet appeared, as did Mark Cuban, Kellyanne Conway, and Fox News’ Jesse Watters. Students traveled from across the country to attend. Parents came with their children, thrilled by the prospect of seeing Charlie up close.

In the months before publication, I’d meet him periodically at “The Trump,” as he called it—the old post office where President Trump had a hotel.

He was always mobbed. Hotel guests and Trump-adjacent figures would come up to him as we talked. They’d introduce themselves, ask for a selfie, and thank him for his work bringing conservative ideas to America’s youth.

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In the profile, I described the movement Charlie was building and what motivated him. He had decided at age 18 against going to college so that he could build Turning Point, to fight back against left-wing excesses—and would tell his audience of adoring, mostly young men and women things that we used to take for granted. Things like “America is the greatest country in the history of the world.” And “The Constitution is the greatest political document ever written.” And “Free market capitalism is the most moral and proven economic system to lift the most people out of poverty into prosperity.”

It is a sign of our times that such messages are now considered radical or fringe.

His talent for public oration, and his infectiously good attitude, propelled him forward. He would say yes to—or try to make happen—any request of him that he could: a student asking him a question about Murray Rothbard (a libertarian economist), an activist asking for a photo (the answer was always yes), a reporter asking about the latest Trump tweet (that was me).

In the week I spent following him around, what I found most striking was how someone at such a young age could command the attention and respect that he did—and in such a short period.

The profile was fair, and by no means a puff piece. And while his flack reached out to me to tell me that I was a Never Trump reptile (or something like that), Charlie texted me a link to my own story and said, “Well done!”

He had a mission. It filled him with meaning. And that, above all, was why he convinced countless young people to listen to him, to change their lives for the better, to stand up for things that used to be called common sense.

That was Charlie. If I had to use a single word to capture him, it would be gracious. We could disagree about anything—and we did—but he would, without fail, engage civilly and explain his point of view. He did not do this, as many do, to make himself feel smart. He did it so he could share the other side of something he cared about. And he cared deeply.

That’s the spirit he took to the hundreds of campuses he visited. Not denunciation. Not shouting down. Never an insult. He sought to debate ideas, and did so in hostile territory. Charlie all but recreated the public town square on these campuses with a tent and an irrepressible smile in an era where many people of his generation can’t look up from their phones.

Today, upon news of Charlie’s murder at the hands of a still-unknown shooter at a university in Utah, Donald Trump said that “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.” It was more than that. I saw it. He had a mission. It filled him with meaning. And that, above all, was why he convinced countless young people to listen to him, to change their lives for the better, to stand up for things that used to be called common sense.

Charlie Kirk was not naive. In the video after he is shot, you can see a security team of at least half a dozen bodyguards surround him and spirit him away. Like anyone speaking their mind in public these days, he knew there was a risk.

He had the courage anyway. And today he died under one of those tents where he defended freedom—his, and all of ours.

May his memory be a blessing.
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Censorship Industrial Complex

UK’s top cop wants to ‘stop policing tweets’: report

Published on September 11, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Frank Wright

‘I don’t believe we should be policing toxic culture wars debates,’ said Sir Mark Rowley, chief of the London Metropolitan Police.

In a remarkable shift, Britain’s most senior police officer is to recommend changes to the law which could allow police to “stop policing tweets” within weeks.

Sir Mark Rowley, chief of London’s Metropolitan Police, said he will approach the Home Secretary with proposals which could see police return to policing real-life crime.

Sources close to Rowley told the UK’s Daily Telegraph:

He wants Shabana Mahmood, the new Home Secretary, to change the rules so police officers are not required to record or investigate complaints when there is no evidence the suspect intended real-world harm.

The change would be a remarkable departure from the crackdown on “non-crime hate incidents,” which have seen British people given sentences of several years for remarks made online.

Rowley’s move to change the law comes alongside the UK Labour government’s proposal to introduce digital ID – which could tie access to bank accounts and work to online speech.

Return to common sense policing?

The Telegraph’s source said Rowley “is proposing a shake-up of legislation that would give officers greater discretion to use ‘common sense’ when deciding whether to record and investigate complaints about comments on social media.”

The proposed change follows the arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan, prompting the Metropolitan Police Chief to respond.

Responding to Linehan’s arrest, Rowley said on September 3 that a return to common sense was needed as a series of high-profile arrests over “non-crime hate incidents” was undermining public trust in the police.

He said the policies of successive governments had left the police in an “impossible position” over hate speech laws.

“[O]fficers are currently in an impossible position. I have offered to provide suggestions to the Home Office on where the law and policy should be clarified.”

Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson, who was doorstepped by police last November for a tweet described as a “non-crime hate incident,” responded on September 9 by saying Rowley’s step towards defending free speech was “disingenuous” at best.

“At the risk of being arrested,” Pearson said, “I suggest Met chief Mark Rowley is a total muppet.”

Commenting on the recent arrest of comedian Graham Linehan for online speech, she added, “It is disingenuous in the extreme for the commissioner to say officers’ hands are tied in cases like that of Graham Linehan.”

Pearson explains that Linehan, famous for writing sitcoms, was arrested by five armed police after a “notorious trans activist” reported his tweets to police.

Rowley’s claim is that guidelines to police compel them to treat such appeals as crime reports, leaving no room for discretion.

Pearson then refers to the many real-life crimes to which British police do not routinely respond – even over decades:

It’s perfectly clear that the police have discretion to ignore complaints, even crimes, if they want to. Let’s see now:

Phone theft – ignored.

Shoplifting – essentially legal.

Carjacking – we’ll send you a crime number.

Burglaries – help yourself, lads!

Sexual harassment, child gang rape – er, sorry, cultural sensitivities.

Pearson concludes that the police chief is himself being dishonest – at best – in saying that speech crime laws tie the hands of officers.

For Sir Mark to claim that his officers were unable to use their common sense and ignore a complaint from a notorious trans activist about [Linehan] is to insult the public’s intelligence.

Baronness Winterbourne of the House of Lords responded, recommending that “[i]nstead of blaming Parliament for your officers’ inability to think for themselves intelligently, perhaps you might firmly tell them, please, to stop being stupid.”

As the latest Telegraph report shows, government advice to police already exists – which has not prevented the policing of so-called “non-crime hate incidents.”

More than 13,200 non-crime hate incidents were recorded by police in the 12 months to June 2024, a similar number to the previous year, despite new guidelines requiring police to investigate only ‘when it is absolutely necessary and proportionate and not simply because someone is offended.’

Rowley was also recorded on a UK radio show defending the officers who carried out Linehan’s arrest.

Graham Linehan’s case is but one of many in which British people have been prosecuted for online speech. As the Free Speech Union reported in April 2025, new data showed that over 12,000 people in Britain are arrested for speech crimes every year.

Hitchens: Disband the police?

Peter Hitchens, a veteran conservative commentator and staunch Christian, spoke out on GB News – calling for the British police to be completely abolished and replaced.

Hitchens, a devout Christian, said the British police should be “disbanded” as they have become a “sinister menace to the freedom of speech.”

“They’re not responsible for crime anymore,” Hitchens explained. “They’re a politically correct body who think they’re policing thought.”

He told GB News’ Michelle Dewberry that “the police don’t believe they should be doing what we think they should be doing. They do believe they should be arresting people for incorrect tweets. The only solution is to disband them and start again.”

Elsewhere Hitchens argued this was no novel development, saying this “new style of policing” went back 20 years.

Two-tier Keir Starmer

The embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer has long been accused of “two-tier” policing in cracking down on “far-right thugs” who commit online speech crimes.

As the murder of Charlie Kirk focuses attention on the toxic speech of the left, Britain’s justice system sees no evil when left-wingers call for the collective murder of people on the right.

Whilst former Conservative councilor Lucy Connolly received a 31-month sentence for an angry tweet about illegal migrants, a councilor for Starmer’s own Labour Party was found not guilty of incitement to violence after demanding that everyone he saw as “far right” be murdered.

Ricky Jones was declared innocent after publicly calling for his comrades to “cut the throats” of the so-called “disgusting Nazi fascists” who were protesting over the murder of children by a man of migrant heritage. Three girls were killed in Southport by a Rwandan youth last July. After stabbing the nine children in a frenzied assault, Axel Rudakubana told police, “It’s a good thing those children are dead.”

When angry protests broke out at the murders, Jones responded on video, saying of the so-called “far-right” protesters: “We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.”

Jones was freed, Connolly was jailed.

Despite the obvious dangers in preferring the policing of speech to genuine threats and crimes, there seems to be no cause for concern from the point of view of Britain’s prime minister.

During Wednesday afternoon’s questions, Sir Keir Starmer was asked whether he would commit to revising speech laws to “ensure legitimate free expression is protected.”

Starmer replied with a stock response: “I’ve been clear throughout, we must ensure the police focus on the most serious issues and the issues that matter most to our constituencies and all communities.”

He ended by saying he was proud of Britain’s long history of free speech, which he said he would always protect.

“And that includes tackling issues like antisocial behavior, knife crime and violence. And we have a long history of free speech in this country. I’m very proud of that, and I will always defend it.”

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Crime

FBI offering $100,000 reward for information leading to arrest of Charlie Kirk Assassin

Published on September 11, 2025

By

From The Center Square

By Thérèse Boudreaux

The Utah Department of Public Safety has released photos depicting the person of interest connected to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Although law enforcement uncovered the rifle used to kill Kirk during a Wednesday event at Utah Valley University, a manhunt for the shooter remains ongoing. Authorities had initially detained two individuals at different times following the shooting but released them after determining neither was involved.

Authorities in Utah are looking for this man in relation to Wednesday’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

State of Utah with permission

The two blurry images, circulated by Utah DPS Thursday, depict what appears to be a white male wearing sunglasses, a hat, and dark clothing. Authorities have not officially confirmed the person of interest’s race, sex, or age.

Utah DPS is encouraging anyone with information on the person to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit digital media tips to https://tips.fbi.gov/digitalmedia/f4507712a3b2893.

The FBI is also offering up to $100,000 for “information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

Authorities in Utah are looking for this man in relation to the Wednesday assassination of Charlie Kirk.

State of Utah with permission

The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder and ally of President Donald Trump took a bullet to the neck while speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” on UVU’s campus. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, leaving behind his wife and two children under the age of five.

School authorities traced the shots to the roof of the Losee Center, about 200 yards from the outdoor event.

Kirk’s death sent shockwaves across the political sphere, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemning the shooting Wednesday afternoon. Calling Kirk “a truly Great American Patriot,” Trump ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-mast until Sunday evening.

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