By suzanne downing 
The word “influencer” is tossed around so casually in today’s culture that it risks flattening people into little more than their social media followings.
In the case of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated today while speaking to students in Utah, the word doesn’t just fall short, it is a profound understatement.
Charlie Kirk was not simply an influencer. He was a husband, a father, a Christian, and a patriot. His work reshaped the contours of political discourse for a generation of young Americans. His life’s journey from the Chicago suburbs to national prominence was one of conviction, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to the causes vital to the nation’s future.
Born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 1993, Charlie showed signs early on of the tenacity that would mark his career. In high school, he led a campaign against cafeteria price hikes and spoke out about liberal bias in textbooks, earning him national media attention. A chance encounter with Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery set him on the path of full-time political engagement.
At just 18 years old, he founded Turning Point USA, building it from nothing into one of the most powerful youth conservative organizations in the country. What began as a scrappy grassroots effort became a sprawling network — Turning Point Action, Turning Point Faith, Turning Point Academy — all under Charlie’s leadership. He had an unmatched gift for organizing, fundraising, and energizing young people to see themselves not as bystanders in their nation’s story, but as participants with power and responsibility.
Charlie’s voice reached millions through The Charlie Kirk Show, his bestselling books, and his constant presence on campuses and stages across America. He was as comfortable behind a microphone as he was in a crowded student union or a church pulpit, always driving home the same themes: faith, freedom, and the future.
Critics often bristled at his views. He was unapologetically aligned with Donald Trump, outspoken against critical race theory, and skeptical of climate science orthodoxy and Covid-era mandates. But whether you agreed with him or not, there was no denying his influence on the national conversation. He had a rare ability to turn the language of politics into something students and young professionals could claim as their own.
To reduce Charlie to his political stances alone would miss the essence of the man. To his family and friends, he was first and foremost a devoted husband and father. His faith was central to his life, and it was that faith which fueled his commitment to public service and to strengthening the moral and cultural foundations of the country he loved.
At just 31 years old, Charlie Kirk’s life was cut short by violence on a campus where he had come to do what he had always done — challenge the Left, teach, inspire, and spark conversation. He was engaged in a question-and-answer period when a bullet hit his neck and took his life.
That is the great tragedy: that a man who dedicated his life to engaging America’s youth was silenced in front of them.
The legacy he leaves behind cannot be silenced. We will not be silenced. We must all be Charlie Kirk and continue on with his same spirit and conviction, with unwavering commitment to freedom, faith, and America’s future.
Breaking: Charlie Kirk shot on Utah university campus
Suzanne Downing
The loss of a National Treasure. So sad. Pray God will deliver justice in due course. 😢
This is so sad and should never have happened. The tone deaf rhetorical dog whistle of the left and, the original community organizer and Divider in Chief, led to what we’re seeing today. Not only Charlie’s murder but, the death of the young woman in North Carolina. Beyond praying for Charlie and his family, after hearing that he’d been shot, I find it extremely difficult to pray for the nation as I’m currently sitting in “righteous anger.” Any mention of gun control – as chimed by many lefists – should be aimed at the left who, from all recent evidence, are the perpetrators of most of the gun/knife violence in America today. I would encourage that conservative and republicans would man-up and take a firm stand against the corruptible effect of today’s leftist influences on America.
The lunatic fringe on the left has been calling for violence, the elected representatives of the lunatic left in the Democrat Party have been playing a game that violence isn’t bad if it’s used to their benefit. The calls for violence from the left have been local and national, it’s beyond unfortunate that some mindless stooge has done the unthinkable, but it wasn’t unforseen. The time is now for those who lean left and who are not completely overtaken by leftist ideology to make a stand against their fellow travelers who seek violence as a means of political expression.
He wasn’t just a “conservative activist” either. Also, a “bullet” didn’t take his life, a PERSON fired that bullet and took his life – a person filled with hate for Charlie Kirk and all that held similar beliefs.
Point well taken. – sd