Charles James Kirk (October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025) was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality. He co-founded the organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 and was its executive director. He was the chief executive officer of Turning Point Action (TPAction) and a member of the Council for National Policy (CNP). In his later years, he was one of the most prominent voices of the populist MAGA movement and exemplified the growth of Christian nationalism in the Republican Party.

Kirk was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights, Illinois. In high school, Kirk actively engaged in politics, supporting Republican candidate Mark Kirk (no relation) and his U.S. Senate campaign. He briefly attended Harper College before dropping out to pursue political activism full-time, influenced by Tea Party member Bill Montgomery. In 2012, Kirk founded TPUSA, a conservative student organization that quickly grew with backing from donors like Foster Friess.

Kirk expanded the organization's influence through initiatives such as the Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist, which critics have said sought to fire or silence professors and educators through targeted harassment campaigns for sharing opinions opposed by Turning Point. In 2019, Kirk founded Turning Point Action, a political advocacy arm, and later, with Pentecostal pastor Rob McCoy, formed Turning Point Faith—aimed at mobilizing religious communities on conservative issues. Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a conservative talk radio program. A key ally of Donald Trump, Kirk promoted far-right and Trump-aligned causes. He espoused a variety of controversial views, especially regarding his opposition to gun control, abortion and LGBTQ rights; his criticism of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr.; and his promotion of Christian nationalism, COVID-19 misinformation, the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, and false claims of electoral fraud in 2020.

Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a TPUSA public debate event on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.

Early life and education

Charles James Kirk was born on October 14, 1993, in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois,[1] and raised in nearby Prospect Heights. His mother is a mental health counselor, and his father is an architect.[2] Kirk was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.[3] In 2010, during his junior year at Wheeling High School, he volunteered for the successful U.S. Senate campaign of Illinois Republican Mark Kirk (no relation).[4]

In his senior year, Kirk created a campaign to reverse a price increase for cookies at his school.[2] He also wrote an essay for Breitbart News alleging liberal bias in high school textbooks, which led to an appearance on Fox Business. Kirk attended Harper College near Chicago, but dropped out before completing a degree or certificate.[1]

Kirk appearing with his patron Foster Friess in Arizona, 2019 At a speaking engagement at Benedictine University's "Youth Empowerment Day", Kirk met Bill Montgomery, a retiree more than 50 years his senior, who was then a Tea Party–backed legislative candidate.[5][6] Montgomery encouraged Kirk to engage in political activism full-time.[1] He subsequently founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a "grass-roots organization to rival liberal groups such as MoveOn.org".[7] At the 2012 Republican National Convention, Kirk met Foster Friess, a prominent Republican donor, and persuaded him to finance the organization.[5][7]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Kirk