There are moments in American history that punch you straight in the gut — this is one of them.
This week, the body of Charlie Kirk returned home to Arizona. The 31-year-old conservative firebrand, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated while answering a question about mass shootings in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley University.
The scene was somber but powerful. As Vice President JD Vance helped carry the casket off Air Force Two and into a waiting car, Kirk’s widow Erika was comforted by Usha Vance. The two women, side by side in black, walked down the steps with all the pain and strength you’d expect. At one point the Second Lady took Erika’s arm and helped her down the plane’s stairs. It’s good to see VP Vance’s wife step up to the plate and help out a fellow mother during this difficult time.
Erika is now a young widow with two small children to care for by herself. She also now has to decide what to do with Turning Point USA, the youth activist organization her husband Charlie founded and ran.
President Trump confirmed he spoke with Erika personally. “She’s devastated,” he said, “but they want to keep Turning Point going.” That’s the kind of resolve Charlie inspired. Trump also announced Kirk will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Deserved? Absolutely. The man gave his life doing what he loved — standing up to the mob, pushing back against the radical Left, and lighting a fire under America’s youth.
Authorities announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson for Charlie’s murder. The Utah resident’s own father reportedly turned him in. Even the guy’s own dad couldn’t live with the evil his son unleashed. President Trump confirmed the arrest, saying, “We HAVE HIM in custody. Everyone did a great job.”
The FBI’s reward for information? A cool $100,000. But they didn’t need it. Dad did the right thing. Now the shooter’s going to get exactly what justice demands — and in Utah, where the death penalty is very much on the table for those convicted of capital murder.
Governor Spencer Cox isn’t mincing words either. “This was politically motivated,” he said. Good on him for calling it what it is — domestic terrorism fueled by the Left’s nonstop campaign of hate against conservatives. And President Trump nailed it in his Truth Social post: “For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers.” That poison has consequences. This is one of them.
Charlie Kirk built a movement, one that rattled the Left to its core. He gave conservative students a voice on campuses where they’re usually told to shut up and sit down. And he paid the ultimate price for it. But make no mistake — his voice isn’t silenced. It’s amplified. His legacy won’t be buried with his casket. It’ll be carried on by the millions he inspired.
So while the Left tries to spin, distract, and downplay what happened, we’ll keep telling the truth: a patriot was assassinated for speaking the truth. And now it’s our job to make sure his mission doesn’t die with him.