Introduction
Introduction Statistics Contact Development Disclaimer Help
.-') _ .-') _
( OO ) ) ( OO ) )
.-----. ,--./ ,--,' ,--./ ,--,'
' .--./ | \ | |\ | \ | |\
| |('-. | \| | )| \| | )
/_) |OO )| . |/ | . |/
|| |`-'| | |\ | | |\ |
(_' '--'\ | | \ | | | \ |
`-----' `--' `--' `--' `--'
lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
How Charlie Kirk changed conservative media — and American politics
Analysis by Brian Stelter, and Liam Reilly
Updated:
6:27 PM EDT, Wed September 10, 2025
Source: CNN
Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on Wednesday, pioneered a new
model for conservative political advocacy, merging multi-platform media
commentary with in-person gatherings and get-out-the-vote drives.
Kirk, 31, was a hugely successful political field organizer, TikTok
influencer, radio host, nonprofit leader and public speaker all rolled
up in one telegenic figure.
One minute, Kirk would be on Fox News promoting his friend President
Trump’s agenda; the next, he would be on X or Instagram, inviting
young people to start conservative groups at their high schools and
college campuses.
With Turning Point USA, the nonprofit he co-founded in 2012 at age 18,
Kirk built a next generation grassroots operation that was plugged
directly into the GOP, much to the envy of his Democratic rivals.
The talking head part of his job almost seamlessly blended together
with the political-organizing part, but arguably what stood out most
were his public appearances at conservative conferences and on college
campuses.
Wednesday was the kickoff of Kirk’s fall semester tour of colleges
across the country — billed as the “American Comeback Tour.”
Kirk took the day off from his daytime radio show and podcast to
prepare for the on-campus event, and he was about 20 minutes into the
appearance when he was struck in the neck by a gunman’s bullet.
Prominent figures across the media landscape mourned the death of a man
who they knew personally. “We have lost one of the most important
voices that we’ve had in my lifetime on the right,” Megyn Kelly
said in a live stream with Glenn Beck.
“Charlie Kirk was doing it the right way,” Republican strategist
T.W. Arrighi wrote on X. “Charlie built a movement on campuses across
America by engaging students in debate and dialogue. Challenging
orthodoxy and winning hearts and minds in the process. Isn’t that
what we want from political figures? To try and silence that work
through violence is antithetical to everything we stand for as a
country.”
Over the course of a decade, Kirk successfully transformed Turning
Point into a nationwide powerhouse, styling himself as a mouthpiece for
the youth wing of the MAGA movement.
TPUSA’s website quoted Kirk saying, “We play offense with a sense
of urgency to win America’s culture war.”
That’s how Kirk and Turning Point found success in conservative
circles — by injecting the organization directly into cultural
battles and turning divisive debates into online and offline
engagement.
Kirk championed right-wing ideas in fiery, on-camera clashes with
progressive academics that then exploded on social media, especially on
Twitter, the site known as X. His desire to debate became a hallmark of
the nonprofit, helping turn Kirk into a MAGA media star and a
sought-after TV and podcast guest — when he wasn’t busy with his
own shows.
Some of his tour stops this fall were promoted as forums for
disagreement, featuring what Kirk called the “Prove Me Wrong”
table, here he would face off with ideological opponents.
“I’m trying to be proactive about encouraging dialogue between
people who disagree,” he told a CNN reporter in 2021.
Kirk’s ascent in conservative politics mirrored the rise of
right-wing populism in America. He embraced Trump during the 2016
presidential election and aggressively promoted Trump’s reelection
bids. Turning Point’s local chapters helped register young
Republicans and ensure that likely Trump voters actually turned out to
the polls. Trump and his inner circle, in turn, helped elevate Kirk and
TPUSA even more.
Kirk’s young age proved to be an advantage, as he naturally built an
online brand on platforms like YouTube, eventually gaining millions of
digital followers.
His political and media machine also launched other podcasts and media
ventures to reach young people in new ways.
Alex Clark’s “Culture Apothecary,” for instance, launched in
September 2024 and focused on wellness and lifestyle, viewing topics
through a “Make America Healthy Again” prism.
Kirk made his ambitions clear in an interview with the Deseret News, a
Utah newspaper, in the days leading up to the Wednesday college campus
event.
“We want to be an institution in this country that is as well-known
and as powerful as The New York Times, Harvard and tech companies,”
Kirk said. “And we believe we’re creating that.”
<- back to index
You are viewing proxied material from codevoid.de. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.