A flood of reactions from people all over the political spectrum started pouring in after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a Turning Point USA event in Utah on Sept. 10.
Kirk founded the conservative student-outreach organization in 2012 and made a name for himself as a stalwart supporter of President Donald Trump, who broke the news of the 31-year-old’s death on his Truth Social platform.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the president wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!
The right-wing activist was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem when the shooting occurred. Videos posted online show blood seemingly coming from Kirk’s neck after the gunshot rang out.
TPUSA had previously confirmed that Kirk was taken to the hospital.
Initially Trump sent well wishes, writing, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Vice President JD Vance—who, according to NBC News, was Kirk’s personal pick for the office before Trump formally announced him as his running mate—wrote in a post on X, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hosted Kirk in March for an across-the-aisle conversation on the premiere episode of his podcast This Is GavinNewsom, also wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox agreed, posting on X, “Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.”
Kirk, known for controversial takes on matters of race, immigration, and other cultural issues, became one of the most influential players in the right-wing media ecosystem, his daily Charlie Kirk Show rising to No. 1 in the crowded conservative podcasting arena, according to Salem Media, his show’s home since 2021.
“This isn’t just a win for Charlie,” Salem Media Group CEO David Santrella said in April. “This is a defining moment for conservative media. The torch has been passed, and we’re not looking back.”
Here is more to know about Kirk:
Who is Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was born on Oct. 14, 1993, and grew up in Wheeling, Ill. (His hometown allegiance remained: While he lived in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his family, on the Sept. 9 episode of his podcast he lamented the Chicago Bears’ Monday Night Football loss and often sported a Cubs hat.)
A former Eagle Scout, he said in a 2015 speech to the Conservative Forum of Silicon Valley, per the New Yorker, that his “No. 1 dream in life” was to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but that didn’t pan out.
He briefly attended Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Ill., but left without finishing a degree to pursue activism full-time.
“I joke that I wasn’t smart enough to go to a four-year school,” Kirk quipped to the New Yorker in 2017.
Was Charlie Kirk married?
Kirk married wife Erika Frantzve in 2021. According to her Instagram bio, the 2012 Miss Arizona USA winner hosts the Midweek Rise Up podcast and is owner of the faith-driven clothing brand PROCLAIM x BIBLEin365.
They shared a 3-year-old daughter and 15-month-old son.
“Life, weirdly enough, is a countdown…you don’t get forever,” Erika wrote in an Aug. 20 Instagram post, captioning a carousel of family photos. “My favorite photos lately have been seeing the beginnings of a kiss with my husband. The before. The in-between. The after. This…everything in these photos are the fleeting fullness we prayed for.”
What is Charlie Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA?
Kirk and tea party activist William Montgomery founded the nonprofit Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 to, according to the organization’s website, “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.”
Mocking universities for being bastions of left-wing thought, Kirk’s goal was to get college students engaged with conservative politics, and his firebrand style proved popular among the Gen Z set.
After throwing his support behind Trump in the 2016 presidential race, Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the general election campaign, according to the Associated Press. The exposure led to cable news appearances, more speaking engagements and the launch of his own radio show.
Trump himself paid Kirk a number of compliments, calling the young activist “incredible” and “a special talent” during a Dec. 22 Las Vegas rally.
What happened to Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was speaking at a Sept. 10 TPUSA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, a stop on his “American Comeback Tour,” when he was shot about 20 minutes into his presentation.
According to the school, his security team removed him from the premises.
Videos circulating on social media showed Kirk standing under a tent while speaking to the crowd. After a shot rang out, blood appeared visible as he slumped in his seat.
A spokesperson for Utah Valley University said in a statement that Kirk was shot from the campus’ Losee Center, roughly 200 feet away from where he was sitting.
Before Trump shared on Truth Social that Kirk had died, FBI Director Kash Patel vowed his agency’s support, writing in a post on X, “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
Trump posted afterward, “In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly Great American Patriot, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Sunday evening at 6 P.M.”
See photos of Kirk in happy times with his family:
Behind Closed Doors
Charlie Kirk‘s wife Erika Frantzve Kirk introduced him at a Turning Point USA event and praised her husband.
“Behind the podium, he’s a fighter,” she said in a clip of the speech. “But behind closed doors, he is daddy, he is the love of my life and I find it so incredible that our children get to watch him be the man that God has called him to be so fearlessly and so boldly.”
August 2022
The pair announced the birth of their first child, a daughter.
“Welcome to the world baby girl,” the Turning Point USA co-founder wrote on Instagram. “We love you so much”
December 2024
The former Miss Arizona USA celebrated a beach trip with her family, including their son, who was born in May 2024.
“That’s the excitement about obedience, you find out later what God had in mind,” she wrote on Instagram. “Reframe and refocus your mindset, if you have to, but always find joy in the surrender.”
January 2025
Charlie and Erika visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. with their daughter, who they refer to online as “GG.”
“Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it,” she captioned her Instagram post. “The only person who loves you more than us sweet GG is Jesus.”
March 2025
The conservative activist and his wife took GG to a Chicago Cubs baseball game.
“God, family, country,” he captioned the Instagram post, “and the Cubs.”
May 2025
Erika and Charlie brought their kids to the set of Sesame Street.
“Everyday with them I get to relive the firsts I didn’t even know I’d lost from my own childhood,” she wrote on Instagram. “It’s the purest kind of full circle. They are my reason to breathe slower, pray deeper, and love more intentionally.”
May 2025
Charlie celebrated the 1st birthday of his son and reflected on the impact that being a dad has had on him .
“He has brought an infinite amount of joy and laughter into our lives,” he wrote on Instagram. “Being a parent is an incredible gift, made far better because I get to do it alongside @mrserikakirk.
June 2025
Erika celebrated Charlie for “being the most intentional husband and daddy” with a Father’s Day post on Instagram, which included a video of him buying their daughter a new doll.
“You have to be on very good behavior to get something like this,” the conservative activist told his daughter while grabbing a doll from the store shelf. “Have you been a good girl? OK, I’ll get it for you.”
July 2025
In a Fourth of July video, Erika shared how the celebration of freedom reminds her of her love for Charlie.
“On days like today when the skies erupt in red, white, and blue and the air hums with the sound of freedom I find myself especially grateful for the man I call my husband,” she wrote on Instagram. “I love how much he loves this country. He believes that the freedoms we celebrate today are worth defending every day.”
“And while you may not agree with every word he says, I hope you can still be stirred by the fact that he can say them,” she continued. “That we can all speak. That this land, although imperfect in some ways and perfect in others, is stitched together by a Constitution that beautifully protects our voice, our worship, our homes, and our hope.”
She added, “That alone is something worth celebrating.”
August 2025
Charlie celebrated his eldest’s 3rd birthday with a memory of himself building sandcastles on the beach.
“Happy birthday to our incredible daughter,” Charlie wrote on Instagram. “Teaching her to know God, alongside @mrserikakirk, is the greatest privilege. Having a family will change your life in the best ways, so get married and have kids. You won’t regret it.”
August 2025
Charlie and Erika took their kids to an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game, which Erika saw as an opportunity to live her childhood again “through their eyes.”
“Am I providing a childhood for my kids that will be one that compels them toward gratitude and faith, or one that sends them searching for healing in places I failed to give it?” she wrote on Instagram. “And the answer to that, in all honesty, is being written once the decision is made.”
She added, “This window is short, drench yourself in it.”
