A Turning Point: Honoring Charlie Kirk

We are reeling from the heartbreaking news that Charlie Kirk has been assassinated. It is surreal, stunning, and sickening. I have no words … but silence is not an option.

I first met Charlie in 2012, when Turning Point was just beginning. He was a whirlwind of passion and statistics, determined to reach America’s youth. In 2013, when his fledgling organization struggled with the IRS over nonprofit status, True the Vote stood with him as a fiscal sponsor. It was a bold and uncommon step in our movement, but I knew then that Charlie was charting a new course.

And what a course it was. Slowly at first, and then all at once, Charlie’s voice broke through. He never talked down to young people; he walked with them, gave them courage to think critically, and clarity to stand boldly. Over the years, we worked together on many projects, and through it all, his passion never dimmed. His reach only grew because his heart was fixed on truth.

And now, he is gone.

An assassin’s bullet has taken Charlie’s life, but it cannot take his legacy. It cannot silence the movement he built.

Charlie was very gifted — he spoke truth to power, he was a true patriot, but above all else, he was a Christian committed to the way of Jesus. As Scripture reminds us, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” - 2 Corinthians 5:8. Today, Charlie is with the Lord. And though the time of reunion is not yet, believers know we will see him again.

Here on earth, his death is a solemn reminder of the battle before us. Liberty and faith are under siege  — in our nation and around the world. The gravity of this moment is undeniable, but we must not let his death be in vain.

Let this day be a turning point. Let it strengthen our resolve to speak more boldly, to stand more firmly, to love more deeply, and to keep the faith.

And to those psychopaths who plotted this evil act — if your plan was to weaken this movement, you will fail. Like Charlie, we know how this story ends. We revere life, but we do not fear death. Our salvation is assured, and our mission continues.

Now is the time for mourning, but when your mind turns to sorrow, I urge you to replace that ache with a spirit of rededication — to liberty, to truth, to the work that remains. Liberty is not granted by government; it is written on our hearts by our Creator. Never forget that. And never forget that Charlie’s life and sacrifice now call each of us to carry the torch forward with courage and faith.

May God comfort and strengthen the Kirk family in this hour of unfathomable loss. And may God bless America, the cause for which Charlie gave his life.

Ever onward, with much love -