Charles James "Charlie" Kirk (October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025) was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality. He co-founded the student organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 and served as its executive director. Kirk was also the CEO of Turning Point Action and was a member of the Council for National Policy. He was known as a prominent voice of the populist MAGA movement within the Republican Party and a close ally of former President Donald Trump. Kirk started Turning Point USA at age 18 to promote conservative principles on college campuses, which expanded to over 850 college chapters and branched into affiliate groups. He was known for engaging in debates with students on a range of culturally conservative topics including gun rights, abortion, family values, and skepticism of liberal education. Kirk hosted a popular conservative talk radio show called The Charlie Kirk Show and wrote the book The MAGA Doctrine. He played a significant role in mobilizing youth voters for Trump and helping transform conservatism into a mainstream movement among younger generations. Kirk was well known for controversial views such as opposition to gun control, abortion, and LGBTQ rights, criticism of the Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr., and promotion of Christian nationalism and misinformation on COVID-19 and 2020 election fraud claims. On September 10, 2025, Kirk was tragically shot and killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA event on the Utah Valley University campus. His death garnered national and international attention. His widow, Erika Kirk, is expected to take a leadership role in TPUSA. Overall, Charlie Kirk was a highly influential and polarizing figure in American conservative politics, particularly for his role in shaping youth involvement in the MAGA movement and conservative activism on college campuses.
