Charles James Kirk was an American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality. He co-founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 and was its executive director. He published a range of books and hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a talk radio program. In his later years, he became recognized as one of the most prominent voices of the MAGA movement in the Republican Party.
Kirk was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights, briefly attending Harper College before dropping out after one semester to pursue political activism full-time. He worked with various donors to fund TPUSA, rising to prominence via college campus debates held at his signature Prove Me Wrong table. He extended TPUSA's influence through initiatives such as the Professor Watchlist and mass rallies aimed at young voters, and has since been credited with generating interest in political conservatism among American youth. Under his leadership, TPUSA developed several affiliate groups, including Turning Point Action and Turning Point Faith, with the latter aimed at mobilizing religious communities around conservative issues. Initially critical of the evangelical right, Kirk later shifted to Christian nationalism, advocating a Christian form of government and a Christian population. He sent buses of students to the rally that led to the January 6 United States Capitol attack, for which he pled the Fifth before the January 6th Committee.
A key ally of Donald Trump, he espoused a variety of conservative stances, including opposition to abortion, gun control, DEI programs, and LGBT rights. His more controversial views included his criticism of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr., his promotion of COVID-19 misinformation and false claims of electoral fraud in 2020, and his opposition to immigration.
On September 10, 2025, Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a TPUSA public debate event on the Utah Valley University campus. His death gained international attention and led to the condemnation of political violence by prominent domestic and international figures. President Trump announced that Kirk would posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
