Conservative content creator Isabel Brown, 28, held back tears as she recorded a video for her followers about the death of Charlie Kirk. Staring into the camera, she called the assassination of the far-right activist and organizer on Wednesday “the hardest day of my life.”
“Over the coming hours, days, weeks, months and years, we all will face the insurmountable, painful question that I’m asking myself repeatedly today,” she said in the Thursday video. “What the hell do we do now? Where do we go from here?”
Brown is one of countless young conservatives around the country who have expressed their shock and grief following Kirk’s murder on the campus of Utah Valley University at the age of 31.
In her video, Brown described Kirk as both a mentor and friend for the past eight years. Now, as she and other supporters mourn his loss, they are also beginning to confront the question of how to sustain the movement that he built.
“I can’t think of anything that would fill his heart and make him prouder than the generation that he inspired to pick up the torch and to carry it forward in whatever way we could,” Brown said.
For young conservatives like Brown, Kirk was more than just a far-right activist and online personality who repeatedly caught the ire of the left. He was the creator of a massive youth movement, amassing a generation of followers who came to political consciousness alongside the rise of President Trump.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18 as a space to counter the liberal-leaning organizations that dominated many university campuses. Since its launch, the organization has become a force in GOP politics, boasting more than 800 college chapters. The group has also since created a slew of connected political groups and reported an annual revenue of roughly $100 million in 2024.
A split legacy
For his critics on the left — of which there were many — Kirk’s brand of MAGA conservatism was often decried as deeply offensive. He spread falsehoods and conspiracy theories about vaccines and the results of the 2020 presidential election. He’s on record arguing that there should be no exceptions for abortion — even in cases of rape — and recently, he said he was uncomfortable with Muslim mayors leading big cities like London and New York.
His supporters see a different legacy, with some arguing that Democratic criticism of Kirk’s past comments fueled the violence that claimed his life. Many Gen Z and millennial Republicans have highlighted Kirk’s role in not only bringing young people into the GOP but also encouraging emerging leaders to run for office.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., 36, proudly puts herself in that category. The two-term congresswoman credits Kirk for helping her get her start in politics. They met in 2018 when Luna was an activist. At the time, Luna had been planning to head off to medical school, but Kirk instead offered her a job working with Turning Point.
“I am in office and owe my political career to Charlie Kirk,” she said in an interview on Thursday. “I wish that he was around so that he could help rise up others like me.”
She urged “heartbroken” supporters to see Kirk’s murder as a call to action to get more involved in political organizing. But it was a call that came amid deep grief as she recalled the horror of seeing videos of the shooting online.
“I’m just asking people to just show a little humanity,” she said, while holding back tears. “I saw a lot of videos online, after I had to watch my friend bleed out, of people celebrating his death, and that should be condemned and removed from polite society.
‘If Charlie could get killed, could we?’
While authorities have not yet identified a motive, some Republican leaders worry the shooting may stoke fear among young conservatives and make them wary of speaking out. That includes 33-year-old Hayden Padgett, the chairman of the Young Republican National Federation.
“It makes us wonder, well, if Charlie could get killed, could we?” he said. “We have to resist that fear.”
Kirk’s death is one of several recent acts of violence directed towards political figures across both parties. Roughly three months ago, a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in their home by a gunman, who authorities said had been targeting a list of 45 elected officials who were all Democrats.
Now, as Padgett looks ahead, he says he wants to use his leadership role to help rally young conservatives in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“This is the time to actually push forward even stronger to come out and not get angry and lash out and do the kind of things that led to this madman killing Charlie,” he added.
Some students are already trying to answer that call.
It’s part of what fueled Alex Shepherd, 22, to drive five hours from his home in Boise, Idaho, to Orem, Utah.
“He was someone I looked up to because I couldn’t do what he did. I don’t have the patience to go and talk to so many people that I disagree with on that scale,” Shepherd said. “I just loved what he did, and I love him for it.”
Saige Miller contributed reporting from Orem, Utah.
Transcript:
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
For many young conservatives, Charlie Kirk was more than just another political activist or online personality. He was the face of their movement, a glimpse at how life for their generation could look by embracing a more hard-right MAGA worldview. The fact that this agenda was anathema to his many progressive critics was the sweetener on top. Today, Kirk’s followers are in shock and grief over his assassination on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. As they try to make sense of Kirk’s killing, many are also asking what’s next for the movement he started. NPR political reporter Elena Moore is covering this. Hey, Elena.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: You’ve been following Charlie Kirk for years. He had this huge network of followers. What are you hearing from them today?
MOORE: A lot of his supporters are hurting right now. You know, Kirk was a controversial political figure reviled by many on the left, but he was extremely celebrated by the MAGA movement, especially young organizers and activists who came of age in it. Remember, you know, he had millions of followers and had become a big media personality. But he was also the head of a massive political organizing network and even helped, you know, some folks decide to run for office themselves. That includes Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna. She’s 36 and in many ways got her start because of Kirk. When she met him, she was on track to start medical school and ended up scrapping that plan to work for his group, Turning Point USA. I spoke to her this morning, and she was very shaken up.
ANNA PAULINA LUNA: I saw a lot of videos online – after I had to watch my friend bleed out – of people celebrating his death. That should be condemned and removed from polite society.
MOORE: And she told me she really owes her political career to Kirk, and that’s a common theme I’ve heard from many of his followers today, that he inspired them.
SHAPIRO: What made him so impactful for young conservatives?
MOORE: Well, he entered the national conversation at a time when there weren’t a lot of voices like his. He started Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18. And Ari, I mean, think about that time. Former President Obama was extremely popular with young people, and Kirk gave folks a place to really revel in what was then seen as a political counterculture to that. You know, things, I have to say, though, look different now. Kirk has evolved into a close ally – you know, he evolved into a close ally of President Trump and played a key role in helping move many young voters towards the president.
SHAPIRO: And how big is that organization he started – Turning Point – in Republican politics today?
MOORE: Oh, it’s grown into a massive organization. They report having more than 800 chapters on college campuses. The group has also launched a bunch of connected nonprofits and reported an annual revenue of roughly $100 million. And to fans of Kirk, it’s really hard to overstate his influence in developing a new generation of conservative leaders. This is 33-year-old Hayden Padgett, the chairman of the Young Republican National Federation.
HAYDEN PADGETT: The impact Charlie was building was not about finding politicians and putting them in office today. It was about finding literally millions of young people who otherwise would never have heard conservative ideas and believe them and then now fight for them.
SHAPIRO: And Elena, what was it about the message Kirk was pushing that helped him gain such a big following and influence?
MOORE: Well, he talked a lot about free speech, of course, and free markets and limited government. But he was also a conservative fire brand. And as with the rise of Trump, you know, many of Kirk’s ideas became and are now much more mainstream. And since Kirk first came on the scene years ago, you know, the youth vote looks different. Last fall, Trump made serious gains with voters under 30. The day after the election, I actually spoke with Kirk about this, and I asked him to describe Trump’s connection with young people. I asked him, you know, was it about economic concerns, social issues? Here’s what he told me.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CHARLIE KIRK: They don’t look at it as economic or social. There’s one above. They just want to live in the same country as their parents. I don’t know if that’s a social issue or an economic issue. That’s just – they want a nice life, and they feel it slipping away. They feel as if insanity is creeping into their institutions.
MOORE: And Ari, that message, I’ve heard from him a lot at events, and it’s really one the party, I think, has adopted more broadly.
SHAPIRO: And so now that he’s gone, what happens to the void that he leaves behind? Is the role that he played one that can be filled by someone else?
MOORE: The young Republicans I’ve spoken with so far say no singular leader can fill Kirk’s shoes, so to speak. But young organizers and content creators who were inspired by him seem to be starting that conversation. Brilyn Hollyhand is one of those people. He’s 19 and chairs the Republican Party’s Youth Advisory Council. He posted a video on social media this morning calling for Kirk’s memory to inspire his generation to get involved now.
SHAPIRO: That is NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thank you.
MOORE: Thanks, Ari.
