Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of the conservative activist group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday while appearing at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, organizers and local authorities said.
The appearance was part of Turning Point’s "America Comeback Tour," which drew hundreds of students to the campus. The shooting prompted swift bipartisan shock and renewed attention to political violence in the United States, coming days after the start of a trial in a case involving an alleged attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Kirk rose from an 18-year-old college dropout to build Turning Point into a national political operation that supporters and news accounts have called a multimillion-dollar force in conservative politics. Founded in 2012 with mentor Bill Montgomery, Turning Point and its related political arm expanded rapidly, drawing donations from major conservative donors and organizations and becoming a prominent organizer on college campuses.
The organization’s reported revenues reflect that growth: the two Turning Point entities reported combined revenue of $4.3 million in 2016 and about $92.4 million in 2023. Allies and donors who backed the group included evangelical businessman Foster Friess, Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus’s foundation, members of the DeVos family and others. Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has served on Turning Point’s board.
Kirk long positioned himself as a voice for conservative youth, and his influence extended to national Republican politics. He cultivated a close relationship with Donald Trump, earning regular retweets from the former president, invitations to the White House and Mar-a-Lago and a public profile as a mobilizer of young voters. Supporters have credited Turning Point’s outreach with helping Trump’s electoral coalition among younger voters; major donors told the New York Times earlier this year that Kirk’s work played a consequential role.
Kirk was a prolific media presence. He published books, hosted a chart-topping conservative podcast and ran a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers. He frequently advanced conservative Christian themes and culture-war issues, opposing diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campuses and championing policies aligned with social conservatives.
His public interventions were often controversial. In March 2025, he appeared as the first guest on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast, where the two sparred on multiple topics; during that interview, Newsom agreed with Kirk on the competitive fairness of excluding biological men from female sports, a concession that drew criticism from progressives for legitimizing Kirk. In recent days Kirk’s comments on his podcast were the subject of a CNN panel, after he suggested race motivated the killing of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina — a claim that a CNN commentator called “race-mongering.”
Kirk’s Christian faith was a visible part of his public persona. He had publicly suggested in the wake of an attempt on Trump’s life that divine intervention may have played a role in saving the former president. Two days before Wednesday’s shooting, Kirk posted on X that "it is 100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska because it was politics that allowed a savage monster with 14 priors to be free on the streets to kill her," reflecting his recent focus on crime and immigrant policy in public statements.
Born and raised in a Chicago-area suburb, Kirk said his family was conservative though not heavily political. He was an Eagle Scout and at one point sought admission to the military academy at West Point; that rejection and his subsequent college experiences helped push him toward activism, according to his public statements. He briefly attended Harper College before dropping out to focus on activism and organizational work.
Turning Point’s growth brought Kirk access to prominent Republicans and donors and a platform that critics and supporters alike described as influential. By 2023 the organization and its political arm were widely visible on campuses and in conservative media, and Kirk was frequently cited as a key figure in building a new generation of conservative activists.
Kirk is survived by his wife, former beauty queen Erica Frantzve Kirk, whom he married in May 2021, and their two young children: a three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son, according to people close to the family.
Authorities and event organizers gave limited immediate details about the shooting in Orem. The incident occurred amid heightened national attention to political attacks; it came after a series of incidents involving attempts on or near the life of former President Trump, including an alleged rifle attack at a West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024 that resulted in an arrest and a separate earlier incident in Pennsylvania in which a bullet grazed Trump. Federal and local officials in recent days have been handling multiple cases and related security matters.
News of Kirk’s death drew rapid responses from political figures and media outlets across the spectrum, reflecting his prominence as a conservative organizer and cultural provocateur. Supporters and critics noted his role in shaping youth political engagement and the influence of Turning Point in Republican politics, while also pointing to the polarizing nature of his rhetoric.
Details about the circumstances of the shooting, the identity and motive of any suspect, and the status of the investigation were not immediately available. Local law enforcement and university officials said they were investigating the incident and coordinating with other agencies. Further developments are expected as authorities release additional information and as Turning Point and Kirk’s family address the aftermath of the killing.
Kirk’s trajectory from a teenage activist to the leader of a national conservative operation made him a defining figure in 21st-century conservative organizing. His death at a campus event underscores the volatile intersection of politics, media and public life in the United States, and will likely intensify debates about political rhetoric and security at political gatherings.