Wheeling High School graduate Charlie Kirk, who rose from leading a youth-oriented conservative group to becoming a major far-right figure close to President Donald Trump, was shot in his neck and killed during an event at Utah Valley University Wednesday.
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Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk grew up in the northwest suburbs, rising from a suburban high school student to a major force in the national polarizing culture wars, advocating a Christian-oriented conservative agenda. He was 31.
He was the founder and president of Turning Point USA, a national organization focused on recruiting students to support conservative candidates and causes. In recent years, Kirk’s influence grew in part because of his closeness to Trump and his embrace of Trump’s right-wing MAGA movement. Turning Point USA has other related entities.
Kirk was also an author and the host of the Salem News Channel program “The Charlie Kirk Show.” He was married to Erika Frantzve Kirk, a former Miss Arizona, and the father of two.
Kirk’s LinkedIn profile states he delivered the commencement at his 2012 Wheeling High School graduation ceremony. His profile also says he was on the high school basketball team and an Eagle Scout.
What’s Turning Point USA?
Kirk’s career with the Turning Point USA organization he founded put him on the path to becoming a national political star.
He was considered one of the most influential figures in the nation when it came to dealing with bringing younger people into conservative politics.
Kirk, who traveled extensively, visiting high school and college campuses, was shot while at the first stop on his “American Comeback Tour,” in which he planned to visit campuses across the nation during September.
Kirk created Turning Point USA in 2012 — the year he graduated from high school — seeking to counter what would come to be called left-wing or liberal “wokeness.” His early success came with the help of older Republican donors who took to the young conservative.
At the time of his death, Kirk presided over a variety of interrelated groups, as the entities spawned from Turning Point USA grew to become significant far-right political forces. According to 2024 IRS records, Turning Point had revenue of $84.9 million and expenses of $80.9 million.
Kirk’s ability to relate to students propelled the growth of his organizations. At the same time, his allegiance to Trump — including his ability to turn out votes for him and his embrace of election denialism regarding the 2020 election — solidified his standing with the president.
On one of his websites, Kirk’s work is described this way: “Charlie is on the front lines of America’s culture war, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of students on over 3,500 college and high school campuses across the country, bringing you your daily dose of clarity in a sea of chaos all from his signature no-holds-barred, unapologetically conservative, freedom-loving point of view.”
Enterprises related to Turning Point include the Christian-oriented Turning Point Faith, which states on its website, “TPUSA Faith exists to unite the Church around primary doctrine and to eliminate wokeism from the the American pulpit.”
Turning Point Education “is committed to advancing all types of Christian, conservative values education” and restoring “God as the foundation of education.”
Turning Points USA also finances events about “American exceptionalism,” and runs a massive student-oriented field program to train new generations of political and civic activists.
Kirk’s enterprises also include Turning Point-related political action committees.
Kirk was also set to headline Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest conference, scheduled to be held Dec. 18-21 in Phoenix.