U.S. right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was credited with building President Donald Trump's base among younger voters, galvanizing conservative youth and rising to international prominence through a group he founded at age 18.
Kirk, an Illinois native who founded the conservative student group Turning Point USA rose to prominence in the Republican Party during Trump's presidency. He had just returned from an overseas speaking tour when he was killed while addressing a large outdoor crowd on the Utah Valley University Campus in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. He was 31 years old.
The Utah governor described Kirk's death as a "political assassination." Authorities said the motive is unknown and it was not immediately clear whether a suspect had been arrested.
On Sunday, Kirk headlined an event in Tokyo organized by the far-right Sanseito party, which made big gains in Japan's upper house election in July. He also recently spoke in South Korea before returning to the U.S.
Kirk had 5.3 million followers on his X account and drew an audience of more than 500,000 monthly listeners to podcasts of his radio program, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He also authored or contributed to several books, including "Time for a Turning Point" and "The College Scam."
Influence built on campuses
In addition to founding Turning Point USA in 2012 with conservative activist Bill Montgomery, Kirk also launched Turning Point Action in 2019 as a non-profit advocacy group backing conservative candidates for office.
Turning Point USA, an organization dedicated to advancing conservative causes on college campuses, was instrumental in driving youth support for Trump in the November 2024 election.
"No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie," Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social in announcing Kirk's death. "He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us."
Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff in Kirk's honor.
Kirk, the son of a counselor at a mental-health clinic and an architect, launched his political career after a 2012 op-ed he wrote for the conservative media outlet Breitbart that led to appearances on Fox News, according to the New York Times.
Fox then booked Kirk to discuss the national debt. That appearance led to a speech at Benedictine University, where he met Montgomery, a Tea Party activist. Montgomery encouraged Kirk to spread his message to college campuses, and registered the name Turning Point USA for Kirk in July 2012.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika, a former Miss Arizona USA beauty pageant winner, and their two children.
'Threat to democracy': World reacts to Kirk's killing
World leaders condemned the killing, warning of the dangers of political violence.
"I am appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk. There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.
"We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear – there can be no justification for political violence," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.
"An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom. My condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the American conservative community," said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
"Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization," said Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Charlie Kirk's death is the result of the international hate campaign waged by the progressive-liberal left," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X.
"This is what led to the attacks on (Slovak Prime Minister) Robert Fico, on (Czech former premier) Andrej Babis, and now on Charlie Kirk. We must stop the hatred! We must stop the hate-mongering left!"
(With input from agencies)