EXPLAINER US assassination: Who was Charlie Kirk? And why is he trending?

CHARLIE KIRK, a well-known conservative activist in the United States and a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday.
Video of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk speaking to a large outdoor crowd when a gunshot was heard.
Kirk briefly clutched his neck before collapsing from his chair, sending attendees fleeing.
He was 31 years old.
A bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the shooting was found in nearby woods.

The rifle and three unfired rounds of ammunition inside it were engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the investigation and an internal law enforcement bulletin.

What happened?
Kirk was on a speaking tour, and his stop at UVU was the first of at least 15 scheduled eventsEXPLAINER
US Assassination: Who was Charlie Kirk? And why is he trending?
CHARLIE KIRK, a well-known conservative activist in the United States and a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday.
Video of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk speaking to a large outdoor crowd when a gunshot was heard.
Kirk briefly clutched his neck before collapsing from his chair, sending attendees fleeing.
He was 31 years old.
A bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the shooting was found in nearby woods.
The rifle and three unfired rounds of ammunition inside it were engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the investigation and an internal law enforcement bulletin.

What happened?
Kirk was on a speaking tour, and his stop at UVU was the first of at least 15 scheduled events at universities around the country as part of his “American Comeback Tour”.
Six officers were working the event and there were more than 3 000 people in attendance, according to Jeff Long, chief of the UVU police.
Kirk also had a private security team with him.
Before the shooting, he was seated at his “Prove Me Wrong” debating table, taking questions from an audience outdoors.
Videos show that Kirk was going back and forth with a student about mass shootings and transgender people when he was shot.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kirk was asked.
“Too many,” Kirk responded as the crowd clapped.
“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” To which Kirk replied, “Counting or not counting gang violence?”
Seconds later, Kirk could be seen struck in the neck as he fell from his chair.
No one else was shot during the event.
Kirk’s wife and children were present during the incident.

Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was one of the most prominent conservative activists and media personalities in the US, and a trusted ally of President Trump.
He co-founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit conservative advocacy group, when he was just 18.
Kirk’s group grew into the country’s largest conservative youth movement, and over the years, he became a central player in a network of pro-Trump influencers, often described as the face of the “Make America Great Again” movement.
Trump often credited Kirk with bringing many young voters and voters of colour over to his side during the 2024 presidential campaign.
He was also a sharp critic of mainstream media and threw himself into culture-war battles over race, gender and immigration.
His provocative style won him a loyal support base but also fierce opposition.
Kirk became a close friend of the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and the two travelled together to Greenland in January.
He also emerged as an early supporter of Vice President JD Vance as Trump was deciding whether the senator would be his running mate.
Kirk had 5,5 million followers on the platform X and hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a podcast and radio programme that reached more than 500 000 listeners each month.
According to a report by The New York Times, Kirk never pursued a role within the administration.
His aim was to reshape the Republican Party and, more broadly, US politics.
“We want to transform the culture,” he told The New York Times Magazine in February.
Kirk also built a fortune through his popular podcast, frequent speaking engagements and books, including his 2020 bestseller, The MAGA Doctrine.
On social media, he posted constantly, offering a right-wing perspective on a plethora of issues.

What were some of Kirk’s most controversial positions?
Kirk made several controversial statements on issues including gun laws, black Americans, Gaza and Islam.

Black Americans
He had, on some occasions, criticised the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter movement, and aired his belief that whites are disproportionately attacked by black people in the US.
On September 9, the day before he was killed, Kirk appeared on Fox News, accusing US Democrats of pushing a “false narrative” that black Americans are under attack in the US, when in reality he said, white people were being targeted. He was speaking regarding the murder of a Ukrainian woman last week by a Black man on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“White individuals are actually more likely to be attacked, especially even per capita, by black individuals in this country,” he said.

Islam
Kirk once compared Islam’s Prophet Muhammad with the child sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, referring to the prophet’s marriage to Aisha at a young age. In an interview with GB News in May, he also said Islam was “at odds” with Western values.
“Islam does not believe in freedom of speech, Islam does not believe in freedom of religion, and Islam does not believe in separation of mosque and state,” Kirk said.

Gaza
Kirk was a strong supporter of Israel and backed its war on Gaza. On one occasion, he questioned whether Palestine even exists. In May this year, while debating a pro-Palestinian student at Cambridge University, Kirk justified Israel’s two years of war on Gaza, saying: “When you declare war on Israel, expect a firestorm in reaction.”

Gun laws
Kirk was a staunch supporter of the right to own guns in the United States. Speaking at an event in April 2023 at the Salt Lake City campus of Awaken Church in Utah, Kirk said a few gun deaths every year were an acceptable price to pay for the right to own guns.
“It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” he said.
The Second Amendment of the US Constitution grants Americans the right to bear arms.
“That is a prudent deal. No one talks about that,” Kirk added. He also said schools should be protected by armed guards to reduce school shootings, rather than by passing anti-gun laws.

Abortion
Kirk believed in “traditional” gender roles for women and was against abortion, even in exceptional circumstances. In a debate hosted by Jubilee Media in September 2024, Kirk said in a hypothetical scenario, he would not allow a 10-year-old daughter who was pregnant from rape to have an abortion.

How has Trump responded?
The US President described the killing as a “dark, dark, moment for America”.
He ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening, in honour of Kirk.
Trump also recorded a video from the White House that was both an ode to Kirk and an angry criticism of liberals, whose rhetoric he blamed for Kirk’s assassination.
“I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah,” Trump said.
“Charlie inspired millions, and tonight, all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to open debate and the country he loved so much, the United States of America.”
Trump said it was “long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonising those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most despicable way possible”.
He accused the “radical left” of comparing “wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals”.
“This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we are seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”

How have others responded?
Democrats and Republicans quickly denounced the shooting on social media and in Congress.
“There is no place” for this violence, former US President Joe Biden said on X.
There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 10, 2025
Former Vice President Kamala Harris in a post on X, wrote: “I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family.
Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 10, 2025

First Lady Melania Trump also paid tribute to Kirk.
Charlie’s children will be raised with stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father’s voice should have echoed.
Charlie Kirk’s life should serve as a symbolic reminder that compassionate awareness elevates family, love, and…
— First Lady Melania Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had invited Kirk to Israel just two weeks earlier, describing the 31-year-old as a “lion-hearted friend of Israel”.
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. I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place.
— Benjamin Netanyahu

Barack Obama, former US president, said “despicable violence has no place in our democracy”.
We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.
— Barack Obama

Former US President Bill Clinton said on X he was “saddened and angered” by the killing.
I’m saddened and angered by Charlie Kirk’s murder. And I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully. Hillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers.
— Bill Clinton

George Bush, former US president, also condemned the killing in a post on X, saying: “Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square.
“Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public…
— George W. Bush
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