The Charlie Kirk Show - Charlie Kirk: A Life of Faith, A Legacy That Endures

Episode Date: September 11, 2025

Steve Bannon, Andrew Kolvet, Tyler Bowyer, Jack Posobiec, and others remember Charlie— the husband, father, believer, patriot, voice, and friend he was as the nation grieves America's greatest C...hristian martyr.Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 POMAYORILEEN SULLIVANILEEN SULLIVAN HADY HADY HADY HADY HADY HADY HADY HADY HADY HAD. I'm here in Utah with Andrew Colvette, Charlie Kirk's partner, and particularly on the content side. First off, can you get us up to date? How's everything doing? How's everybody holding together? You know, I think as good as could be expected, as well as could be expected. You know, yesterday it was a day that, you know,
Starting point is 00:01:00 none of us ever wanted to live through or experience and it was a horror and a nightmare um you know at the same time i didn't you know i got when when the team told me that um you guys wanted me on the show this morning i candidly didn't want to do it but um i knew charlie would want me to be here and i could hear his voice in my head being like you know toughen up you know better figure it out you can handle this and um and so yeah i mean we're going to you know just just like before we're going to do things that push us and we're comfortable with but um that he would want us to do so um and you know we're going to take his spirit on and keep fighting and keep pushing and um yeah but um it's still raw you know it's it's a organization
Starting point is 00:01:57 That's changed the direction of the country in American politics. But it's a very young organization with young people. I mean, Charlie was young. And the thing about Charlie, he was a happy warrior, right? No matter how intense it was always, how is the organization doing? You have so many young people there, right? I mean, Charlie started this thing when he was, what, 18, 19, 18, 19 years old. How is the overall team doing?
Starting point is 00:02:24 You know, I think everybody's still in shock. I think, you know, we held a prayer vigil at the HQ last night. It was beautiful. There was outpourings of support from across the country. Fidgils popped up in random places, and that was amazing to see. And it was all over the world. All over the world. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:47 And huge. Spontaneous. Spontaneous. Self-organizing. As Charlie would love. Right. I mean, that was this whole thing. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:55 And, yeah, I mean, like, Listen, a lot of the senior leadership came straight here immediately. There's a few senior leadership that are still in Phoenix. And listen, we're one of Charlie's, I mean, absolute cries of his heart. And something I heard him say repeatedly was that we're building an institution that's going to live beyond me. And he said that over and over and over again, obviously he is irreplaceable. and one of one but I know
Starting point is 00:03:30 that's what he'd want and already the outpouring of support from donors and supporters and friends that want to keep the mission going and they want Charlie's legacy part of that legacy to be
Starting point is 00:03:45 that it doesn't end with him and I think that's something that we are very committed to and there's you know it's just a lot to there's a lot to still just process. I think he picked you guys for a reason. I mean, you've got you and Tyler and the senior team, you know, he was building an institution.
Starting point is 00:04:04 That would live, you know, because Charlie, I told Charlie all the time, he was a future president of the United States. At some point in time, he was going to go into elective politics, right? Therefore, he would, the institution would survive him as he went on and did other, you know, either ran for governor of Arizona or ran for the U.S. Senate. or, you know, was picked as a vice presidential candidate, right? So he was building an institution the entire time, knowing that his future wasn't always going to be turning point. He would, turning point would stand on its own at some point in time. Yeah, I mean, that's true. Obviously, we anticipated Charlie being with Turning Point a lot longer and sort of always being there, whether it was Emeritus, you know, or not.
Starting point is 00:04:51 But, you know, I know what you're saying is true. You know, my wife just this morning before I left to come here said the same thing. It's like God has put you guys in this position for such a time as this and for a purpose and a reason. And he knew what he was doing and I believe that. And, you know, I think right now we still have some mourning and grieving, obviously, to do. and um but yeah i mean charlie the if if we wanted to disgrace the legacy of charlie kirk it would be not carrying on his mission and that is not an option no he's a fighter i mean his life ended right there when he's doing what he loved to do right debate let's play can we play
Starting point is 00:05:39 i want to play president trump's remarks about charlie at the beginning of the pentamacan commemoration for nine 11 can we go and play that and i want to get i want to get i want to get feedback from Andrew. Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief. So many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Eric, and his beautiful children. Fantastic people they are. We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie's voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on.
Starting point is 00:06:33 I'm pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The date of the ceremony will be announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing that we will have a very big crowd, very, very big. So Charlie posthumously awarded by the president the Medal of Freedom, that's a pretty powerful statement by the President of the United States. Yeah. You know, I'm reminded me of so many conversations where I would ask Charlie, what did the president say? you know what is and and so many times his answer was like you you know people just understand like we're actually friends like we're good friends and he loved him and I know Trump loved Charlie and it wasn't transactional and Steve you know this Charlie was
Starting point is 00:07:30 loyal to a fault and you know I'd see the people online you know criticizing if they if Trump did something they disagreed with and and Charlie wasn't loud enough, you know, against it. And people just didn't understand. Charlie was loyal. He was fundamentally good and decent. And anybody who knew him intimately knew that he was overly loyal, overly generous, overly decent, impatient. And so many people that, you know, maybe didn't treat him the way they should have,
Starting point is 00:08:04 Charlie would never return like for like and he really saw his role as keeping the coalition together that Trump built in 2024 and that turning point played a huge role and Charlie played a huge role and you played a huge role Steve and keeping that coalition together because he didn't see this as a four-year win he saw it as a generational win as a 60-year win that he wanted to build upon for the sake of his kids and this country. And, you know, I think I can hear it in the president's voice this morning that he lost a friend, as we all did. And I think it's a great honor.
Starting point is 00:08:49 I know Charlie is honored and his wife is honored, Erica, and it's well deserved. Charlie, a man, particularly people that may have not had a chance to go to the turning point of events or see China. What always impressed me the most was not simply the hard work or the pressures under because he was dealing at the highest level and building this organization. I call him the happy warrior. He was never down, totally up, no matter what the circumstances was, he'd always say we'll figure it out, right? These very complex events and then, of course, the ground game, which you guys delivered Arizona and Pennsylvania, right, besides helping in Georgia and Michigan and Wisconsin, two states that put Trump over the time. top. Talk to us about Charlie the man, particularly as this positive energy that was always out there because obviously the left-wing media is, you know, accusing Charlie or hate speech
Starting point is 00:09:43 and being divisive. He was anything really but divisive. No, I mean, for people who really know, I mean, the clips that go viral, it's just the internet doing the internet, what the internet does, you know, where it gets, you know, lively. And Charlie understood that dynamic. I mean, he, but as he got older, these campus debates, especially turned into big brother teaching yeah and 90% of the interactions if you go back and look at 90% of the interactions he was so soft and gentle and patient with these people and the people that really understood what you're trying to teach yes exactly he became such much more of a big brother figure um or role model model figure and um you know charlie some of my my favorite moments with
Starting point is 00:10:27 charlie was just flying on planes late at night you know across the country darting all over the place during the campaign or whatever. And, you know, the weight of the world really was on his shoulders. And here we are joking at, you know, 35,000 feet and having just a blast. And Charlie was funny. He was really funny. And he never, you know, that's not part of what people think about Charlie. He was hilarious.
Starting point is 00:10:55 And he was, he had this uncanny ability, Steve, to think about others. like more and I told my wife this last night I said he thought about me and like my travel or my family or how he could make my life better or if he could help me out in some way or get me a hotel more than I thought about me and he would be like hey is your wife you know is she set up do you do you need us to do something for her like let me know and he would just constantly do that and I would be thinking this guy has his schedule so tightly back like a Tetris you know board and yet somehow He made space in his brain to worry about me. And I knew that he was doing that for literally hundreds of people almost every day. And I don't know how he did it, but it's truly remarkable. Let's talk about that. The content and the building organization, and particularly something he focused on ballot chasing and ground game, given the experiences we had the last weekend of his life, he spent with Mina Kim in the folks in Korea,
Starting point is 00:11:58 that tremendous conference. You guys have done tremendous work there with Grace Chung. Tyler, too. Tyler by Zoom? Yeah. Okay. Let's bring in Tyler Bory. We'll give this a second.
Starting point is 00:12:08 Tyler Boyer joins us now. Charlie's head of kind of the political operation. Tyler, your memories of Charlie, particularly the upbeat nature and the positive energy he put in everything. Yes, Steve, thank you for having us. And, you know, I just echo everything that Andrews said is we have been in just a constant. state of mourning here but as we're going through all this what you said is that him being a happy warrior was the front face for what charlie kirk is and what continues on and you know we're out fighting a battle every single day and this is part of that battle uh that i know everybody's waking
Starting point is 00:12:54 up to this morning and you know they've you know a lot like me probably didn't get a whole lot of sleep but you're going through and you're looking at the legacy of Charlie Kirk and who he is and the man that that he led the organization with and you know you start to just to break down what the next steps are here and there's a lot of emotions that I think a lot of people are feeling right now and you know there's a sense of patriotism I think that comes in moments like these and that's that's a good thing that's that's a that's a great thing i'm telling people right now the anger those feelings that you're feeling uh must turn to activism turn it to activism uh that's what charlie would want and you know being a person like me or andrew who's
Starting point is 00:13:49 had said like a front row seat to the charlie kirk show you know in a bigger sense not the It's a little S, big S from the capitalization of the show. But being around Charlie and seeing how he operates and building things every single day. I don't think people realize every single day, the plan of waking up is, what are we building next? What are we doing next? What is the next step? What is the country need to essentially survive? And that's why it's just, you know, it's been such a pleasure, such an honor.
Starting point is 00:14:25 of a lifetime to be able to be part of that. Because without many of those things, we wouldn't be where we are today in the movement. And I know you know you feel that way, but it wasn't a mistake by any means that we are, we are where we are with young people, with the party, with everything. So he was building an institution. He had, you were putting up amazing amount of content every day. Tyler is one of the key architects of Trump's victory in 24 with the ground game and ballot chasing, which as a learning organization, you learned yourself the importance of that in the Kerry Lake race. And, you know, I remember Charlie saying and Tyler, that'll never happen again, right?
Starting point is 00:15:07 And it manifested itself in the victory in 2020. Okay. And look, Charlie Kirk was assassinated in cold blood. Charlie Kirk was executed. We're going to get to the bottom of that. Right? And, you know, that'll be dealt with when it's got to be dealt with. But the work of Charlie Kirk, particularly the three things, building the institution, which was so powerful, really telling everybody, I can change with this institution the arc of, where young people's perception of politics and engagement in politics and volunteering in politics, and therefore the arc of the nation, which he did. This is what 2024 was.
Starting point is 00:15:48 you two guys are the two key guys you on the content side more or less and Tyler on the political side and what I always impressed me about you guys and Charlie he created a learning institution I remember coming on the show the all night in the wee hours of the morning carry Lake this this county's coming in this district's coming in and and I remember Tyler and Charlie you guys afterwards okay we've learned a lesson here and it's never going to happen again and we will build an organization to the fact that Tyler and look if it was not been for turning point your guys focus on getting the kids out for particularly ballot chasing low propensity low information voters President Trump would not be in the White House right now
Starting point is 00:16:30 there's a I I totally agree we were laughing yesterday like that Charlie would have been upset that we weren't streaming last night and yeah Charlie would have wanted us to do it and that's partly why I'm here this morning you know I couldn't help but think, and I hope this isn't, you know, too bold of me to say, but watching the second tower commemoration, I feel like, you know, America just lost a third tower of a man yesterday. And we're going to miss him, but we built an institution. He built an institution designed to stand the test of time and to be able to ride out these waves and the different.
Starting point is 00:17:17 iterations of our political environment and the different generations to come behind. And so, and I do, I can just tell you, there is the outpouring of love and support blowing me away some of these texts I'm getting. And so, yeah, those three prongs. I mean, he, he did build a learning institution. We were taking education into the universities that the universities weren't doing. And there was such a hunger and a thirst on these campuses from these kids to, to, to, see that that that that combat of of ideas and the back and forth and to hear people say something unapologetic about what they believed and they stood by it and they could defend it and and that piece see I mean we there's a a pollster Mitchell brown is one of the Trump pollster signal
Starting point is 00:18:07 he did a a poll after the election and basically if you extrapolate it out it was 16 or 17 million young people were more likely to vote for Trump across the country because of the content that Charlie Kirk made on these college campuses. President Trump awarded posthumously Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honor that one could get. He's also announced he was going to give one to Rudy Giuliani, the mayor, as we see in the New York shots, is in the front row there as America's mayor. Tyler, I remember, when I say learning institutions, you got, Charles.
Starting point is 00:18:45 Charlie led an institution. You guys didn't kid yourselves. I remember coming on the show, but you guys were in the studio. I would come on, and literally in the Kerry Lake thing, we were going, remember, is this precinct? You know, and you guys, after that, really changed everything by come up with this ballot chasing initiative. And this ballot chasing initiative is hard work. And it's not the type of work you think young people are going to be that excited about. But you guys, Tyler, tell us about that.
Starting point is 00:19:15 because the reason we're here today with a House and a Senate and the presidency is because the work of Charlie, his vision of Charlie Kirk in the work of the team around him, sir. Yeah, and you're exactly right, Steve, and you know this, is we've buckled in and got, again, an introspection into the world of politics, the RNC, what the Republican establishment wasn't doing on behalf of the American people. people and decided made it made a decision. Charlie made a decision to do that work. And it's not easy work. It's big work. And we knew we had the people to do the work. And so we felt and Charlie had always felt this way. It's felt like there was a mantle that that needed to be carried by him
Starting point is 00:20:08 with his influence, especially with young men in this last election to get that work done. And that's all of the conversations we had moving forward. And so you look at, you know, the most recent conversation I had with Charlie was, you know, this last week of being dramatically concerned about the direction of where the Republican Party is going, about, you know, conservatives, lifting up conservatives, making sure that we have enough young people that feel like they have the backing to run, to run for it. He's constantly focused on who from a, who, who, who, who, who, in the bench were we building,
Starting point is 00:20:46 just like we were focused on every single day, you know, getting things done by 9 a.m., you know, having a full agenda of things that we're going to move the needle. The big question was, is who's going to be the next man up
Starting point is 00:20:58 to fill the need and fill the void? And then how are we going to help those people make sure that they get elected? And those are the two very simple things when we talk about ballot chasing that Charlie and his legacy will carry on. We will carry it on as so much. many people within our sphere, with our ecosystem are hopefully yesterday waking up and realizing
Starting point is 00:21:21 they have to get more involved, they have to do more, they have to help chase ballots, they have to help get out the vote, they have to run for office, they have to step up because life is fragile, it's short, and this country is hanging by a thread at times. And we are very lucky this last election. We were able to bring all of that together. and work with the team from the content side to the turning point USA side, building the funnel for the bench, and then working on the political side to actually put bodies on the ground that we need. And again, we're looking ahead to 2026 and 2028, you know, and I said this to some of our team yesterday is there's nothing that we can do more to honor Charlie than to see this thing through. It cannot lose steam.
Starting point is 00:22:12 It cannot lose any kind of gas whatsoever. We have a war of a fight. We have a battle of a fight. Charlie Kirk would want to finish what we started, right? That was about, but I'll start with Andrew then. I want to bring you a Tyler. When I looked at Charlie, I said, this guy's tapped into something. And what it was was a deep spirituality and a focus on young men.
Starting point is 00:22:34 He realized that young men were lost. Tell me about this. You know, we saw it in the social media metrics. We saw it in the crowd. we saw it and just you know he couldn't walk down a street and I kept telling this because you know after the fall of 2025 and into the spring we had to kind of recalibrate because he was so so so famous like he 24 fall 24 at spring of 25 and it was like you know he was always pretty well known um you know even when I first started working with him like you know eight years
Starting point is 00:23:13 ago you know he'd get fist bumps in the airport and stuff like that from random people but then like i mean it went so nuclear um and it would always be these young young guys charlie can i get his selfie can i mean and they would mob him they would mob him it didn't matter if he was walking on the street of manhattan or in soul south korea or uh london england or you know montana or anywhere anywhere in between it was it was incredible i have a story for you that you probably enjoy Steve, he was hanging out with some Fox personalities, on-air Fox personalities, and they were at this bar, and they were kind of, you know, talking, they wanted to talk about some things.
Starting point is 00:23:54 And I won't say the names, because that would be, Charlie wouldn't want. These are people that you would know. These are people that you, of course, like very well-known people within conservative movement. And they're at this bar, because that's the only place nearby. Just to imagine. I think I'm going to love this story. Yeah, and you got to understand, you know, Charlie, Charlie, you know, had a good relationship with Fox, especially at the end, but there was times where it wasn't, you know, where he wasn't hang out, like for three years when he was banned because of your guy's work on Stone Election and all that, but what does it matter now? I mean, it was, you know, it was after, after Tucker.
Starting point is 00:24:30 But anyways, they ended up embracing and it was, it was, it was good, it was good. Anyways, I want to be, I want to be gracious in this time. It was good. It was good. anyway so part of that getting good time they're at they're talking about they're talking at this bar and it's in a small town i mean you can imagine fox is on every television in this town and um and there was a series of about 50 to 75 people i'm told over the course of about an hour and they all came up for selfies with charlie and on about 20 of those occasions they asked these very famous fox hosts if they could take the selfie with charlie they could take the picture you work the camera for him going to get it so yeah i mean like that was that was what charlie's life had become and he told me he's like i've just i've um i've come to grips with it i've
Starting point is 00:25:19 accepted this is my new reality and uh but the the amount of love just that he organically got look at look at we'll play later today in the afternoon show mea the great mina kim grace and mow go over to korea and charlie i mean there's thousands of people at this thing and charlie's like such a known personality right it's just it's incredible it's it's global it's it's not just the United States. It's so global. Tyler, Tyler, talk to me about the focus on men. Why did you choose?
Starting point is 00:25:45 Why did Charlie Kirk particularly focus on young men and made the point continually that they're adrift? There's something's happened different now in our country that's never happened before. That young men are kind of a drift. And we turning point in the senior leadership need to focus on that. Well, Steve, remember I met Charlie when he was basically a teenager, Andrew, not to long after that. And, you know, Andrew and I are the exact same age, and we have a very similar family, such as you're married and kids and everything else. And I think one of the pleasures of getting that front row seat with Charlie is being able to see Charlie grow into a husband and a
Starting point is 00:26:28 father. And for us being a little bit older than him, I'm sorry. It was always extremely gratifying to watch him become the man he wanted to be that he saw for himself, that he advocated for from day one, even as a young guy, that he wanted to be that honorable vision of a father and a husband for Erica that he is. And, you know, many people know this story, but, you know, Erica, I met Erica hosting the very first Trump rally ever. We'd organized it 2015 in July of 2015, and it was in Phoenix, and it was what star in the whole Trump rally phenomenon. It was the first big one in Phoenix. But many people don't realize behind Trump speaking was my family. and Erica was right behind the president
Starting point is 00:27:39 and she I wanted to hire her Charlie had different plans for that he he met Erica and was like oh my gosh I have to marry this girl and he did and her her world is collapsing you know because of this circumstance but he wanted to be a father
Starting point is 00:28:03 and a husband and a father first And so when you talk about young men and that influence over young men, every single decision that has been made for many years, you know, I would say pretty close to the beginning of turning point has been centered around this being a good husband and a good father figure and how we can influence young men. And when you have that as your mission first, as your voice first, you attract young men. and it wasn't popular to be that, you know, 10 years ago when, you know, 11 years ago when I met Charlie. And now it is popular. We see it everywhere and everything that we do. Young men admire Charlie Kirk for the husband and dad that he is. And I think that that's the most important thing that I want people to know.
Starting point is 00:29:00 That he was such a great example that all of us that do him. the best and that we got to watch him operate because there was never a decision that was made that didn't go through that lens and that's so important for people to know and it's such an example and that's why young men are coming around
Starting point is 00:29:21 because they're figuring out that's the way there's nothing better than having kids there's nothing better than being asked but there's nothing better than putting your family first so I'm so sorry I have like a better here so No, it's great. How did Charlie Kirk do that? How did he make himself into the man that he wanted to be? Well, I've got to say, Erica gets a lot of credit for that. When Erica came around, I mean, Charlie knew what his North Star was, but then when Erica came around, it was like just focused him, like a laser.
Starting point is 00:29:57 And if anybody who knows Erica, knows she's like legitimately one of the most amazing people you're ever. were going to meet. And this is why Charlie continued to focus on marriage and particularly getting married young. Yeah. And starting a family and family formation. Well, but he was in very Charlie fashion to tell a story you know, like Tyler, you know, he's like, he basically told
Starting point is 00:30:18 Erica, you know, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is you know, I'm not going to hire you at turning point. The good news is like, I want to date you. And they went on, they went on dates and then obviously they ended up getting married. And and that was very Charlie
Starting point is 00:30:34 because he was, you know, one thing I can tell you is from 18 to 31, Charlie packed more life into his, those short days than most humans will pack into 100. And he lived his life so full. And he, you know, I was just reflecting on what Tyler was just saying about young men and your question, you know, I got off topic. I apologize, but your question about young men and you had this, this. this NBC poll that came out just a couple days ago and Charlie was so excited about it because he said he said listen we got a lot of work to do with the women he's like but we've done some great work with young men like they know it they want to get married talk about that because the number one thing of young men is they want to they want to have children yeah and and Charlie I mean we preached it I mean and by the way that's this is this is existing in a world full of other voices even some on the right that say oh you know you know you know you know know, don't get married, it's not worth it, the marriage laws are X, Y, Z. And Charlie's POV was like, let's make them sacred again. Let's restore this institution because it's God's design.
Starting point is 00:31:45 And he said that over and over again, God's design is beautiful. God's design is amazing. Let's pour into, let's lean into God's design. And I can just tell you with the outpouring of all the letters and the notes, and I've been showing you here that my team is sending me from all the vigils that these pictures of these notes. And there's handwritten notes with tears, stains on them. And, you know, they keep saying, like, you led me back to faith in God. You led me back.
Starting point is 00:32:14 You restored my faith. And Charlie wanted to be remembered for his faith. And so I'm just so proud of that. And Steve, with your permission, I wanted to read something that's going to be going up on our turning point socials very soon. And our team put their heads together and wrote this. and says, and you're going to see this on the website soon, but I figured I'd give it to you here first, Steve. Every one of us at Turning Point is crushed and devastated
Starting point is 00:32:44 by the hateful murder of our founder and guiding light Charlie Kirk. All of us have lost a leader, a mentor, and a friend. Above all, our hearts are with Erica and their two children. Charlie was the ideal husband and the perfect father. Above all else, we ask you to pray for, for the Kirk's, after the incomprehensible loss that they have suffered. More than anyone, Charlie believed in the power of argument and good faith debate to find the truth and guide people towards, if not agreement, at least mutual understanding.
Starting point is 00:33:17 Charlie was no stranger to threats. He received hundreds throughout his life. Really, it was almost daily. But he will always, he always prioritized reaching as many young Americans as possible over his own personal safety. Now, Charlie has become America's greatest martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored. In his 31 years, Charlie lived more than any of us will live in a hundred. He had an overwhelming passion for life and a deep belief in his power as an individual to make a difference.
Starting point is 00:33:48 With the spirit of a pioneer, Charlie launched turning point out of his parents' garage as an 18-year-old with no money, no name recognition, and only a dream. His energy and drive were awe-inspiring, without equal, and deeply infection. Charlie refused to squander a single day of his life. And that's so true. He was a natural builder and problem solver who loved a challenge and saw every setback as a chance to learn, grow, pray, and try again. He was fundamentally decent, always eager to make new friends and allies and to support and defend the ones he already had made. His values were timeless American ones. Honesty, forthrightness, duty, loyalty, and fair play.
Starting point is 00:34:30 And I'm almost done. Charlie loved America, it's people, its constitution, its freedom, and the limitless good of all of them have done for the entire world. But above all, Charlie lived every day with an overflowing love of the Christ he knew he would one day get to see. When asked, Charlie said that above all, he wished to be remembered for his faith. Far more than any political victory, Charlie wanted to see a spiritual revival among America's youth. He wanted a nation of happy, thriving families who loved God and each other. And at his final public speech, just days before his murder, Charlie witnessed to Jesus Christ to an audience of non-believers. Even in his very last moments, Charlie was professing the gospel. He ran his race
Starting point is 00:35:21 well all the way to the end. Now he goes to his heavenly reward. Although Charlie is gone, his legacy will endure. He shall not grow old. age shall not weary him For all time He will remain the brave young man Who inspired Tens of millions of Americans To better themselves and take action
Starting point is 00:35:54 To better America All of us will miss Charlie None of us will ever forget him Fantastic. Tyler, comments, observations. Beautiful. Yeah, it's one of the most beautiful things that the team has put together is that it's important for people to know that that work is focus on, again, when we were talking about young men, rebuilding the home is the fundamental.
Starting point is 00:36:31 to having a faith-centered life and his belief that culture downstream from cultures is how you get your politics and so we talk about that we train all of our staff to that every single day and that is what the culmination
Starting point is 00:36:54 of what the full Charlie Kirk perspective was and it was and the beautiful part about this last election in 2024 was people saw it was undeniable that everyone on the left could see it. Forget the right that, you know, we sometimes think we see these things, but the left saw it. And they were so scared of that because the left could never embrace any of these values. They're not interested in any of these values. And that's why these conservative principles that, you know, we have worked with so many young people at all different age.
Starting point is 00:37:31 you know, everything from high school, college, you know, colleges are bread and butter, which is the heartbeat of Turning Point USA, where we started and, you know, Charlie Kirk pulling out a folding table on canvas, a card table on campus and handing out flyers that he printed himself out of a small office in Illinois in the shadows of the Obama re-elect campaign. People don't understand this was all born from the shadows of the Obama real-elect. campaign heading to 2012 where you had a Chicago boy in the shadows of the Obama Relat campaign that was out of the Chicago metro area working as a as a as a
Starting point is 00:38:16 true small versus large battle I mean one kid all of this millions of voices tens of millions of voices now have come out of it over the last decade plus and it's really been such an honor to see how that work is culminated and and the fruit that it's born it will continue to bear and and that's the that's the mission that we have to be on at this point which is we have to carry the baton of what Charlie's vision was because it's it's irref it's not replicable but millions of people can can stand in the pocket, can be a version, that version of American that Charlie hoped to influence because that was not the path that we were on in 2011, 2012, and and Charlie stepped in as a teenager to give America a voice, again, to give conservatives a voice.
Starting point is 00:39:31 again and just like Andrew had said he's always you know there was always that question of I can't really envision you know an old man Charlie Kirk and for many of us it was envisioning him as president of the United States for that reason and he is now going to live on forever in all of forever in eternity as that young man who did that work who engaged in that work, who changed so many lives, who dramatically changed the trajectory of where America was heading. And I don't think anyone can ever, you know, fully comprehend what that will do, what that will bear over the course of the next decades. But we'll see it. And we know, and again, we'll be able to have those conversations and remember him for that.
Starting point is 00:40:24 You've never had someone of that age. Remember, Charlie did not have a college degree. Charlie did this as a teenager. And you have to go back to the revolutionary generation, Hamilton, Jefferson, people like that in that youth to see somebody at that age do it. I know you guys got so much to do, and I appreciate it take the hour. But I want to finish with one just observations from both you. And I'll start with you, Andrew. People don't realize the bravery and courage is the most important of all virtues, as we know,
Starting point is 00:41:00 because upon courage, all other virtues for us. People do not understand the pressure, the tension, and the threats against Charlie Kirk, that he just goes, I'm not going to stop this work. I mean, he was assassinated in the very moment of what he did, what really changed the arc of this country. personal engagement in an upbeat mode, but digging in on debate and free speech and the sharing of ideas and changing minds. Talk to me about constantly, you guys, he was under threats, and he would not back off. He did not, and that's what we have to understand here.
Starting point is 00:41:39 We cannot back off. We can't flinch. Your thoughts. I mean, I hate to be the guy, but I begged him to do less. I was worried about his energy level. I was worried about his health. And I begged him to, you know, maybe we don't need to do a fall tour this way. Maybe we could put glass up.
Starting point is 00:42:01 I mean, we've talked about all this stuff. And he just, you know how Charlie was? He was just like, no, I'm not going to do that. You know, like, you know, I want to be close to everybody, you know. And, you know, and our security team is legitimately top notch for anybody wondering. They worked so long and extensively with local PD and advancing. all of these stops. I mean, we have like an army of these guys. Yeah, and he didn't want to do that.
Starting point is 00:42:26 But, you know, in some ways, you know, he died with his boots on and with the microphone in his hand, doing what he loved most to do. And I want people to understand Charlie loved this, like, format, this moment with these students. He learned so much. He would always say
Starting point is 00:42:42 that I learned so much. He loved it. He and he died doing what he loved and I know that because I saw it firsthand. I was the voice in his ear going, like, maybe we shouldn't try. No, he's like, I love this. You don't understand. He's not throwing the ball caps and engaged all.
Starting point is 00:42:59 He loved it. He loved it. Tyler, you're closing thoughts and observation, sir. What Andrew just said is exactly right. This was the work the man loved. There is nothing that was going to stop Charlie Kirk from doing the work that he loved to do, doing the work that was very directly what was needed to be done to put this country. on the right track, that debt of gratitude that we all have, that have been around Charlie, that have worked with Charlie in the trenches, that have been in the battles.
Starting point is 00:43:32 I mean, we've seen, I've been with Charlie, we've seen it, we've told these stories before where we've been attacked by Antifa in places. We've been spit on and hit and stuff has been thrown at us. We've seen it all from early days to where we are today. And he's just become more loved. And as we know, as he's become more loved, is that there's the crazy people and the radicals that are very uncomfortable with how that popularity has ascended. And again, the best thing that we can do is teach others to fearlessly do the work,
Starting point is 00:44:15 the brave work that has to be done in order. for this country to survive, for the Constitutional Republic to be defended. There was no, there was no pathway for a Trump revival without Charlie Kirk. There was no pathway for a Trump revival without all of the energy that you see in these images of particularly young men, but young people in general, coming around, turning around, that pride that Charlie had that we had shifted in many of these states well more than double digits to the right young people. I mean, in some of these places, we're talking 30, 40 points that we shifted. This is generational change that will never stop or be forgotten.
Starting point is 00:45:07 And so that's the best way we can honor Charlie's to honor and respect his work, how he went about his work, and then do our best to do bits and pieces of it to replicate it. And I know that that's what all of our people are thinking about today as we wake up and we think about Charlie and his legacy. And I know, Steve, I just want to say this, I know how much he loved and adored you as a guy that was in the foxhole with him constantly. And, you know, we talked about that loyalty. That was felt both ways with you.
Starting point is 00:45:43 And I know, I just want to say on behalf of the entire Turning Point family. for myself is i can't thank you enough for being that great friend to charlie through the thick and thin because that's what that's what that's what enabled charlie to become charlie and to do the work that he did yeah um i i echo that and i know i know because i saw what he said about you behind closed doors steve how much he loved you and uh no i mean that um he did he really did cared about you a lot and respected you a lot and never said to say a sideways word you know and um i i i just wanted to say one thing and i i don't think it's worth giving them uh the time of day frankly um but you see i i want i just wanted to echo something i saw matt walsh actually
Starting point is 00:46:38 right online because there's there's people celebrating this and i think it's really disgusting And they don't really deserve the time of day. But Matt had a great take and that he's like, you know, when I die, I hope my enemies are happy because that meant that, like, I was effective and they knew it. And so Charlie was fighting against ideological enemies against this country, against God, against goodness, against righteousness. And I will say this, what is sown in righteousness will bear righteous fruit. and Charlie, and you're hearing it from two guys and three guys really that knew him intimately and well and saw him day in and day out, saw him in the tough moments where the chips were down, he was fundamentally good and he was decent and he was kind and he loved
Starting point is 00:47:29 God and he was anchored and he honored his friends. And what he did behind closed doors is the same thing he did with his friends, whether it be, you know, Tucker Carlson or Megan Kelly or Steve Bannon or some, you know, kid that he randomly met at some chapter, it was who he was and he was the exact same person. He lived his values out. And that's why I say, what is sown in righteousness will bear righteous fruit. You cannot, you cannot snuff out what is sown in righteousness. And I truly believe that. And anybody in the, that can hear the sound of my voice, like, take faith because like God is our refuge. God is was Charlie's strength. Charlie is with God
Starting point is 00:48:16 right now. He is with Jesus. And I believe that with all my heart. I've gotten like some these pastors and prophetic voices calling me saying that the craziest things happened right, right when Charlie's life was taken from us. And I believe it that that God is going to bring about his vision and his goodness and his plan from this terrible. tragedy and I believe it with all my heart. And I, last thing, see, Charlie was not a revolutionary. It's funny
Starting point is 00:48:47 because I helped him with this book The Right Ring Revolution. And that was actually a counter-revolutionary book. It was like, hey, we love peace and we love our country. We love America. We don't want to see we don't want to see
Starting point is 00:49:03 blood in the streets. We don't want to see violence. And I just want to say that for all, I love the righteous anger that I'm seeing from our friends. Don't get me wrong. I love it and I share it. And I want whoever did this to be brought to justice swiftly and
Starting point is 00:49:18 firmly. But Charlie wants a country for his kids to thrive in and grow in. And I would just say it's okay to be radicalized. It's not okay for that to go in the wrong direction. Remember what Charlie would want. He loved our
Starting point is 00:49:35 founders. He loved this country. please direct what you're feeling towards saving America, not ripping it apart. Well, let's do that because Charlie, it's on your shoulders and the team at turning point to finish what he started. So what's your social media? Twitter is X. It's Andrew K. Say. I'm mostly there as an attack dog for Charlie, but I did leave a note as best I could yesterday moments after. what happened and we're going to we're going to probably be doing the show after you today with with jackisovic he's going to be guest hosting i'll probably chime in a bit and um
Starting point is 00:50:17 i'm i know jack's got a whole plan and um and uh turning point USA we're going to toss you guys like we always toss Tyler uh closing thoughts and where do people track you guys because now it's upon the team at turning point like i said to finish uh to finish what charley started Yeah, Steve, the best way, just like Andrew said, the best way to get involved is the spirit of Charlie Kirk, which is not the, you know, misdirected animosity and anger way. It's the way that Charlie built, I mean, the beautiful part about what Charlie did that's different from everyone else. And I just had this conversation with others is we've had Legends Pass who have done so much good for this world. guys like Rush Limbaugh and so many others that we've seen in the past,
Starting point is 00:51:09 the difference is that Charlie built something and led the way of this is what you do in order to help save the country in the way that Charlie would save it. All the programs that we do through Turning Point USA and High School College and our faith, TPSA, Fade, getting involved with that, or beyond that into politics and elections is winning elections, winning the argument, winning the debate within the public space. That's what Charlie did. That's his entire legacy. This is his entire life is get involved, become part of something in your community. Don't stand by and become so cynical that you don't think these things can change. The cynics all sat along the sidelines and said that Trump could never win again.
Starting point is 00:51:56 And we knew better than that. We knew that if we could get everybody involved. Charlie knew that if we could get everybody involved doing these things that they could win. So getting involved at Turning Point Action, we would welcome everybody with open arms. We have swing states to win. We have places to establish that Charlie's kids and our kids can all live in the America, the Constitutional Republic that we once knew and we know can be, that we know that the left is the radical left is working against. And so getting involved at tpaction.com, just click the links to get involved.
Starting point is 00:52:37 We would love nothing more of them for millions of Americans to march to the beat of Charlie's drum for the rest of their lives. That's the way. So thank you, Steve. Amen. We will toss to you guys at noon, Tyler Boyer, T.P. Turning Point Action, and, of course, Andrew Colvette. But kind of the attack dog a little bit, the executive producer of the show. Spokesman for Turning Boy, that's good. That was my fun job.
Starting point is 00:53:07 It was my fun job. Two of the toughest hombres I've ever met. And Charlie left this in good hands. So let's go ahead. We got Charlie Kirk. Last weekend of his life, what did Charlie Kirk do? Charlie Kirk went to Korea to spread the gospel of conservatism and also our Lord and Savior you, Jesus Christ, the great Mina Kim.
Starting point is 00:53:27 Let's go ahead and see it. We're going to do a Korean way of prayer for you. It's called a praying out loud pray. We would want to do that to you and bless you today. Giddo you're going to do that to you and bless you today. Gideh! I pray. Oh, we'll see how great, how great.
Starting point is 00:53:55 He's our God. How great, how great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your warrior to Korea. I lift up Charlie, the leader you have raised up in America to wake up next generation. may he remember Korea in every step he takes and may you protect him Lord and be with
Starting point is 00:54:33 him so that he may fully carry out the mission you have entrusted to him and Lord I thank you for making this gathering possible and I give all the glory to you Lord I pray all this name and name of Jesus Jesus Jesus my name of God yeshune Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Lady Gellon. I'm Jack Posovic here, live in Washington, D.C. And today, I'm sitting in a chair that I never wanted to sit in. I'm sitting in a chair that I never hoped to be in, that I don't want to be in, but I'm going to be here.
Starting point is 00:55:43 Because I know that's where Charlie would want me to be today. and I'm not just here as, I don't know, MAGA, Posobic, or fellow conservative firebrand, to the world, you know, Charlie Kirk was conservative firebrand, hero, cultural icon. But to me, he was my friend. And it's been the honor of my life to be standing shoulder to shoulder with him in this great fight. And so it's with a very heavy heart that I sit in this chair on this show that he built, on the platform that he poured his soul into, because Charlie is no longer with us. He was taken from us in an act of left-wing political violence, of terrorism, a scene. assassinated. Yet even in his final moments, Charlie was doing what he always did, standing tall, speaking boldly, proclaiming the truth without fear. Greater love
Starting point is 00:56:59 hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Charlie Kirk isn't just an American martyr. Charlie Kirk is a Christian martyr. And I've got right here One of those, one of those hats. And Charlie signed right there. I'm never going to let it go. And I'm always going to keep it right here with me. Because Charlie's always going to be here with me, with you, with all of us. And he's watching us all right now.
Starting point is 00:57:39 And what is Charlie saying? It's your turn. It's your turn. turn. Lock in Patriots. Charlie's faith in Christ Jesus was not just a private belief. It was the foundation of his entire life. The courage that he had to go into the battle that he went into every day on every campus was the courage straight from heaven. It was the Lord's. He spoke with the conviction because he believed the truth of Scripture and he was unshakable. And he gave of himself tirelessly. He loved his family, his friends, in this country that he knew God had blessed
Starting point is 00:58:22 in a very special way. So today, we're not just going to remember the man who founded Turning Point USA or hosted this show or owned the lives. We're remembering the son, the husband, the father, the friend, the mentor, and the warrior who never wavered. Charlie Kirk died with his boots on and a microphone in his hand proclaiming the truth on campus, his eyes fixed on eternity. He'll be forever 31. So as we begin this memorial podcast, let us not only mourn his loss, Erica's loss, their children's loss, let's also commit ourselves to carrying forward his mission.
Starting point is 00:59:15 because the mission of Charlie Kirk, the mission of Turning Point USA, goes on, and it will never stop. Charlie wouldn't want us to retreat. No, the word was not in his vocabulary. He would want us to fight with truth, with faith, with love for this nation, and for each other. They couldn't debate him, so they shot him. That's what happened. and everybody needs to understand that what was his crime talking he just wanted to talk and that was too much for you charlie kirk memorial show got our hats right here and if you were ever anyone who
Starting point is 01:00:00 happened to have a hat that was thrown out by charlie kirk or signed by charlie kirk i'm actually going to say something right now that you know kind of outside of memorial but i'm just going to say because I think it needs to be said, if you have one of those hats that signed by Charlie Kirk, do us all favor. Don't put it on eBay. Don't be that person. Just, just, that's not what Charlie was about. Charlie was never about that. He was never about trying to, uh, trying to turn this into something that was personal because it wasn't about him. It was about the country. It was about students. It was about young men, young women connecting. And it was about winning. It was never about playing these these games it just it just wasn't about and as a guy who knew charlie
Starting point is 01:00:45 it was not about that guys do we have did i see andrew there okay so working on uh i want to get one of the guests on but i'd love to play now some of the i think we have some visuals these visuals vigils that have been popping up overnight and completely organic completely not planned at all all across the country the south the north the east the west they're everywhere they're praying rosaries in scotsdale where charlie and erika lived they're spontaneously doing this you know charlie kirk spent his entire career trying to inspire a turning point in America. He spent his entire career trying to inspire a turning point in America.
Starting point is 01:01:52 And he's done it. He has completed that mission. America now has a turning point. And that was Charlie's gift to all of us. Charlie's gift of his time, his energy, His energy, his courage, and ultimately his life. Got my good friend and Charlie's good friend, Andrew Colvette. You guys know him, producer Andrew.
Starting point is 01:02:22 We get him on here. Andrew, how you holding up, ma'am? Hey, Jack. I just want to say thank you, first of all, for hosting today. I know it's not easy for you either. And, I mean, I'm holding up as well as you can. imagine, you know, I was hosting this show yesterday for Charlie so that he could go to the campus stop in Utah. And, you know, you just don't, you're never prepared for
Starting point is 01:02:53 something like this, obviously. And, you know, but I know he would want me and he would want you and all of us to keep going. I know he'd want me to do this. And so, We do the best we can and, and, well, you know, the thing with, the thing with Charlie, too, is I remember when, even when you and I were chatting or, you know, some of the gang was chatting last night, there wasn't even a question of, would we have a show today? There wasn't even a question of, you know, would, would turning point keep moving forward? There wasn't a question of, because, because that's who Charlie. Charlie was. And I remember, you know, I remember we were saying, should I, should I, should I, you know, come up and do shows? Should I fly out there? What, you know, what do you think? And I could hear Charlie's voice in my head. And he would always say to me, he said, because whenever I would go to him with, with a question and say, Charlie, I've got a, you know, a choice I have to make. Do I need to, you know, gut check. What do you think? Do this or do that. He'd say, do everything. Do everything. Do it all. Do it all. Do everything. Be everywhere. That was Charlie. I think he was secretly mad we weren't streaming last night. You know, I 100% we all had the same thought at the same time that we all know that when something big is going on when something big is happening, Charlie Kirk would be like, let's get in there, let's go, live stream it, get it up, make sure we get the Rumble live, make sure it's all going. We got everybody in, Freedom of Charlie Kirk.com, Freedom of Charlie Kirk.com.
Starting point is 01:04:37 Make sure you're all signed up. Subscribe to the podcast. And that was Charlie, right? Because he just wanted to gather people together. And I think, I actually think that's sort of Charlie's mission, or maybe it was his great skill in life, that he was a gatherer of people, or, of course, to use the biblical phrase, a fisher of men. Charlie Kirk truly was a fisher of men.
Starting point is 01:05:02 And I actually hadn't even thought about it that way until just this minute, but that's exactly what he was, is that he had that ability to go into a crowd of strangers, and he could get everyone together, and he could turn them into followers, and he could activate them, you know, politically, and he could get, he could motivate people. And that, that, that is not something that you can learn. That, that is a talent that was given to him from God. And now he's on another assignment for God. And we don't know, and we can't really understand that, but that's what it is that's what it is you know my my one pushback jack is that um i watched charlie kirk be terrible at a bunch of things and he learned how to be good he he learned how to be good at them
Starting point is 01:05:50 by sheer force of will he refused to not be good at things that he needed to be good at and he learned a lot of that stuff yes he was blessed by god with just this just this engine this motor that you couldn't hold back he was blessed by god with with just a spirit that you couldn't keep down. He was a happy warrior. He genuinely was a happy warrior. And he loved this country. He loved his family and he loved God.
Starting point is 01:06:21 And all of those things were true. And that drove him to be the absolute best he could be. It drove him to study the ancient texts. It drove him to study political philosophy and read the important books and the great books. And it drove him to like, I mean, I have a story. We were coming back from Aspen with Dr. James Orr from Cambridge, who's become a good friend. And we spent the whole plane ride and then talking about what James knew picking his brain. And then Charlie looked at him and he said, hey, what are you doing tomorrow?
Starting point is 01:06:51 Can you spend the entire day with me on a Sunday? And I'm just going to ask you questions. And so Cambridge professor sitting there teaching, coaching Charlie for an entire Sunday. that was his idea of a good time. And it was, that was Charlie. He wanted so badly just to keep growing and be infinitely curious and getting better so he could articulate his ideas better to the next generation so that he could go out to these campus events and be more equipped and ready no matter what the question was. And he ultimately put that same sort of energy into his family and into his marriage and he wanted to be the best husband he could be and he wanted to be
Starting point is 01:07:31 the best father he could be and he knew that the demands on his time were extraordinary that they were superhuman and so he threw himself into you know biohacking and how he could get the most out of his body and how he could sleep the deepest and how he could keep his energy the highest and then he would wait wait we should we should actually talk about the biohacking because i actually don't think that people know that about charlie and he would probably appreciate if we shared it because he was actually a huge as much of an evangelist as he was for jesus he was also an evangelist for biohacking. In fact, if you talk to him long enough,
Starting point is 01:08:04 he would say that they're connected because that's exactly how he saw it. I mean, Charlie was a cold plunge every single morning kind of guy. Those, those, Andrew, you know better than anyone. Was there coffee in those coffee cups from Starbucks? No.
Starting point is 01:08:20 There was not. There was a very specific mint tea with two honeies and not that fake honey. It had to be the real honey. And that syrup stuff. And he had a regimen of, supplements he would take and he was very big on sleep. He felt he could get the most out of his body if he got proper sleep. And so he was religious about how much sleep he got because he noticed
Starting point is 01:08:45 that that kept him high, kept his retention high. And he did that also. And this is kind of the final point that he did that because he knew that the demands on him were so extraordinary that if he was going to go home and be with his family and his kids, he had to have energy left. And so he did everything he could to make sure that he had maximum energy left for his kids. And he would, he's not Jewish, but he would do a Shabbat where he would unplug. It was like a digital Shabbat at Friday at sundown. He was off and he wouldn't come back on until usually late at night on a Saturday. And that was-
Starting point is 01:09:21 And I know because any time there was a Saturday, whenever, you know, something would come up, It's like, it's like, Andrew has to figure it out. So it always falls to Andrew. If it's, you know, if it was big enough, you got to, you got to call Erica or, or, you know, get, get some other people involved. I've never taken some of those calls from you on a Saturday. Jack, I can't get to Charlie, you know. Yeah. Before we go, there's something that just broke right before we came into the segment here.
Starting point is 01:09:51 And I think it would be, we'd be remiss to miss it regarding this situation that, of course, everyone's looking. looking into. I do want to cover this, though, because it is breaking news. The FBI has released images of who they believe is a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. They put out a tip line, 1-800 call FBI. There are also digital media tips. It is FBI.gov slash Utah Valley shooting. And So you can, you can see this individual seems to be college age, thin, you know, I'd say rail thin, average height, glasses, again, a hat, you know, clearly someone who is some kind of patriotic lettering or logo. So clearly someone who was attempting to blend in with
Starting point is 01:10:45 the crowd who was there. They have not told us whether or not this is the shooter. But here's I'm going to say, if you were, even if you didn't see that person, okay, if you were at that event yesterday. And Andrew, I certainly hope, you know, if the team's available or has footage that they haven't yet turned over to the FBI, scroll through your phone, scroll through your videos, go frame by frame, just see if you can find this person, these glasses, this hat, this logo anywhere in the crowd, because that is, and they could throw that back up again real quick, because that is going to be a way to potentially determine if he was talking to anyone, what he was up to, what direction he went in, any of those things. So if you were there or if you just recognize him
Starting point is 01:11:30 from this, please go ahead and share that out with the FBI. You know, we'll cover that as we can. Obviously, there's been a lot of questions as going on as to what happens. And I don't want to turn this into huge speculation about that. I want to make this about Charlie. But at the same time, if there are official updates, we're going to share them as we can. Andrew, do you want to take us out? Yeah. I mean, I hope they get this guy or guys. If it was coordinated, if it was sophisticated and well-funded, as some of the rumors that I'm hearing are, I hope they get them all. From root to stem, I hope they get them all. And I hope righteous justice is visited upon whoever was behind this. I'm very honored that we are now joined by someone who knew Charlie very well. It is the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Mr. Speaker, thank you so much for joining on this today. And although I just have to say for myself, and I'm sure you as well, I would much rather
Starting point is 01:12:25 be talking you about literally any other subject. Of course, Jack, you're doing a great job with an impossible assignment today. I mean, I should have wondered last night who would be in the chair today because the nation needs to hear what you're sharing and what we're all sharing. I can tell you it has changed the atmosphere of Capitol Hill. It began immediately after the situation. event. I was in a high level meeting and my chief of staff burst in the door and handed me a card and said, Charlie Kirk has been shot. And I stopped and I mean, we had, you know, these are like
Starting point is 01:12:59 heads of state and we all just paused and I told them what was on the card. And it's, it still seems unbelievable to me. I mean, we're all kind of in shock here. Charlie was a singular voice, as you know. I mean, this show was about him. It's a tribute to him. He deserves it. He deserves so much more because there are few people who had such an effect on the country and on his generation. I did all the media shows last night. I was on, I think on CNN. I said, you know, we talk a lot about the free marketplace of ideas. And I think it is undeniable. I don't think anyone can argue. Charlie Kirk contributed more productive content, the free marketplace of ideas than anyone in his generation. And arguably, in several
Starting point is 01:13:46 generations. I mean, he just was that kind of figure, and he's irreplaceable. But I'm comforted to know, Jack, that his legacy will continue because what he did and what he started will go on. And I hope it inspires in the hearts of everybody who followed and loved him and believed in him and prayed for him, that same spirit that Charlie carried, you know, to not give in, to stand for freedom, stand for the truth, and love the people on the other side of the argument. And that's what he represented you know and i was saying this we were on last night and and you know when you would go to these events with charlie he would act he would actually say if you disagree with me come to the front of the line i don't want you i don't want you to ride in the back of the bus come to the very
Starting point is 01:14:28 front of the line let's have it out let's talk and he had this ability to kind of get past the argument the the politics of it and see if there was this was this was his move right his skill he would He would try to connect with the person, find out what made them tick, find out who they were at their core, and then start there. And you've never seen anyone do it like that before. He was so talented because he had that gift. It's a gift from God, a gift from the Lord, to be able to go to the heart of the matter and the heart of the person because what Charlie was motivated by, you and I both know, I knew him
Starting point is 01:15:06 so well. And he was a man of deep faith as I am, and we talked about this a lot, that the objective is not just to win the argument. The objective is to move the heart, right? And what Charlie was about was trying to advance the permanent things. He was a master in the temporal things, right? He could argue any issue better than anybody, better than most people on Capitol Hill or could ever hope to. And he could talk about public policy or issues that were pending. He was a master of his of his science in that regard, political science and all of that. But really what it was really about was not winning the temporal argument or that particular issue. It was about the permanent things,
Starting point is 01:15:46 the eternal things, the scripture says. The Apostle Paul said, we don't focus on the temporal. We focus on the eternal. And that's what Charlie was about, because he was trying to be an ambassador for the king of kings. He was trying to be an ambassador for his savior, Jesus. And he modeled that. And so, you know, what I love about Charlie, and I said this to a big gaggle of reporters here this morning because they're following me around. They want me to just give comment at every turn about this. And because they know I knew him well and in love. loved him and we, you know, it's moved us so much. But this is what I said about Charlie as I said, you know, the thing about it was he was the sharpest wit. He could argue and win any debate,
Starting point is 01:16:20 but he never held it personally against the person on the other side, no matter how far to the other end of the spectrum they were. In fact, the further they were, the more compassion he had for their heart because he believed that he was ultimately trying to lead people to the truth that we know, the eternal truth, right? And so what Christ taught us is that it says in Romans 12 that you stand strong, you, you be courageous and bold, and you stand firm, and you act like men, it says, which Charlie was, a man's man, but do, let all that you do be done in love. That's what scripture says, and that's what Charlie was about, and he was motivated by his love for his fellow man.
Starting point is 01:16:58 He didn't hate anybody. He was trying to win him over to the argument because he knew that would be better for them in the long run, and that's what we appreciated about him so much. And we opened the show with that, and I said, greater love, hath no man than this. he gives him so give his life for his friends and and i'm sure speaker i'm sure you're on charlie's list as well because you could always tell what charlie what what charlie was focusing on in the bible because he would he would pull a quote every morning and he would just text it to his whole list of people individually i said how are you doing this charlie and i would see him doing it sometimes
Starting point is 01:17:29 if we were together and he and it wasn't just you know some you know ephemeral thing or he's pulling it from one of those verses of the day or you know different things it and it was fine but no this was deep study and he pulled those verses for a specific reason and in a strange way when i woke up this morning and i didn't get that text from charlie it's almost like that's when it hit me yeah because he always does that every single day but every single day and today he didn't yeah um it leaves a big void not just in the text chain but in in in our society. There are more than 2,500 chapters, turning point chapters on university campuses around the country. I mean, it's just an unequaled movement that he began and grew and stewarded
Starting point is 01:18:22 as a great steward, by the way, the platform that God gave him. You know, he was faithful in the little things, and then God trusted him with more and more. He had one of the biggest voices in the culture, and he knew the responsibility that came with that, and he was very careful with it. And that's why he was so deep in the scripture and in prayer because he wanted to make sure that he carried that mantle well and he did you know we know where he is right now i'm absolutely convinced where he is and he's hearing that great that great call well done good and faithful servant speaker johnson president trump earlier today at the 9-11 memorial of course today is 9-11 it certainly feels like 9-11 again um that he announced
Starting point is 01:19:08 that Charlie will be at some upcoming date posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Do you know anything about that or potential other memorials that around D.C. That may be up with the Capitol that are being discussed. Yeah, there's a lot being discussed. It's interesting. I talked to President at length yesterday probably about an hour before this event took place. And I have not spoken to him since. And so we've been, he was busy all last night and I was. And this morning, I'm going to call him here shortly. But I know that the president was felt very close to Charlie. He was like family, as you know, in the Trump family. And we all shared that same. So many people, so many members of Congress, Republican members in the House for certain all of my closest friends here, they all felt a close connection to Charlie because he made everybody feel that way. And because of that, there's so, there's just sort of this big movement.
Starting point is 01:20:07 now that members are just one after the other are coming up with ideas on how to memorialize him and how to have an appropriate, you know, remembrance. And there are lots of ideas. There are different resolutions. Some of them were begun to be filed in the record, you know, last yesterday evening shortly after all this took place. So we've got to sort all that out. I'm going to have a collection, a stack of ideas of things of how to do this and we'll figure it out. But we want to do something certainly that.
Starting point is 01:20:37 is appropriate for his stature and what he meant to the country, what he meant to the conservative movement, what he meant to our party. But it really does transcend party because Charlie in so many ways represented the best of America, like all of us, right? He obviously was on our team. He was one of the principal conservative voices in the culture. But even larger than that, he represented the best of America. And, you know, Charlie believed in and he tried to advance and share with the next generation, the principles of freedom. He believed and he understood that the foundation of all this is our Judeo-Christian heritage, the great tradition that we have that began 250 years ago when we boldly proclaimed the self-evident truth that our rights come from
Starting point is 01:21:21 God, not the government, and that God made us in his image, and we owe a responsibility to him. I mean, Charlie understood what made America different and exceptional in the greatest nation in the history of the world, and he was so passionate about making sure the next generation understood that even the people that didn't agree with him. That was his drive. And so he represents so much. And all that is to say that there's an appropriate level of memorialization of this great life that is not suited for most. And we've got to sort that out and figure it out. And that's what we'll be doing the next couple of days. I think that's absolutely right. I think that's absolutely appropriate. And I've also been privy to some of the ideas and memorial ideas and perhaps naming ideas of, you know,
Starting point is 01:22:04 maybe a park or something that, you know, tied with the 250th. People have been kicking around that that, that, because Charlie Love the Outdoors, that's something that actually people don't, you know, you see him on campus, you see him on camera, but, you know, every single minute he could get in the sun, he was a big believer, you know, big Maha guy and always believed in the power being outside and believed in our country, you know, this past weekend, he went to Korea, which I believe Korea, Japan will end up being his last tour. and that was the first time he'd been to that part of the world.
Starting point is 01:22:36 And he just loved America so much and traveled to. I remember he used to tell me he was so proud that he'd visited every state twice. He said, I got every state twice, Jackie, you have all 50 yet? And so he and I were always ribbing each other. And that's the, I think that's what I'll, you know, in many ways, I'll miss that the most, just the little debates and the camaraderie that you have with them. Mr. Speaker, I understand you obviously have quite a lot on your plate as well today. Just is there any other message that you wanted to give for the folks that are watching where he take off?
Starting point is 01:23:08 Well, I'll just say this. I mean, because you touched on it there, he traveled to all 50 states more than once. He was a singular figure in history because I heard yesterday some people comparing Charlie in a way, his stature, his status, his character, his demeanor, his integrity to that of the founding fathers. I mean, he kind of had that spirit about him, right, as we know. And what's interesting about Charlie as opposed to our forefathers is that he had the, the ability of technology of modern transportation means he could take the voice everywhere. And he did.
Starting point is 01:23:39 I mean, he used every platform available. I mean, radio, podcast, everywhere, television, he was ubiquitous. And he used, again, the platform that God gave him to the greatest extent possible. In fact, he was a pioneer in that regard. I mean, you know, people said, well, he aspired to be like Rush Limbaugh. He went further than Rush in many ways because he mastered all these other mediums, right? And he did more than the founders could have ever imagined to advance the principles that they set in place. And it is very appropriate on the eve of our 250th birthday as a nation,
Starting point is 01:24:13 the greatest nation in the history of the world, that we had a figure like this for such a short time. And he left such a tremendous legacy for the next chapter of American history that we're all going to forge together. And I hope we do it in the spirit that Charlie left us with, not timidly, but boldly, but in love. And that is his great. greatest, his greatest contribution. So, Jack, thanks. You're doing an extraordinary job on an impossible assignment. Appreciate you, brother. We'll see you soon. Speaker Johnson, thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for your kind words today for Charlie and his family. You know, just piggybacking on what he said there. The founding fathers,
Starting point is 01:24:48 they certainly use new media their time as well. The printing press is indelibly and inextricably linked to the founding generation. So the new media of the time, Thomas Payne, commas sense, that was the new media that was going viral. And I just wanted to read something just very quickly before I bring an ex-guest on. People were talking about the ages of the revolutionary generation. And one thing that I don't think people realize, so Charlie, Charlie's 31, when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, 1776, he was 33 years old. John Hancock was 39 when he signed it. Patrick Henry, 40, John Adams, 40. James Monroe, 18 years old.
Starting point is 01:25:30 old. Alexander Hamilton, 21 years old. James Madison, 25 years old. And Edward Rutledge and Thomas Hayward, 29 years old. And Washington was 44. Ben Franklin, of course, was the old man of the group. He was 70. So when you look at the revolutionary generation, they were the exact same age as Charlie and the age of the people that he's trying to reach and even the next generation. I want to bring on Tyler Boyer here, the COO, Turning Point Action, and just trying to Charlie's right-hand man in so many things. And Tyler, as a student of history, as you are, you know, had it ever occurred to you that, you know,
Starting point is 01:26:08 that's the exact age Charlie was? Well, first off, Jack, I just want to say this, is thank you for taking on the job of standing up for Charlie's show today. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way than, you know, his partner in crime in which you've been his right-hand guy and doing so much of media on Real America's voice and on radio and everything else. So thank you for that.
Starting point is 01:26:37 But, yeah, I mean, I look at the group, you know, that picture just came up of the four or five of us. You know, Andrew, who I think was on earlier yourself, me, Charlie, like, we have some young guys. Like, when I got involved with Charlie, I'm eight years older than him. And I was in my mid-20s, yeah, when I was getting involved with Turning Point and with Charlie. starting to take, you know, that bull by the horns. Charlie was a teenager. So, you know, we now, we feel old, you know, and we're on the precipice here because you, me,
Starting point is 01:27:14 I think Benny Johnson and Andrew are all basically the same age, and we're a little bit older than Charlie, about seven or eight years older than each of us. And, but, you know, we're all under the age of 40, clearly, and have been doing this work for the last 10 to 15 years. Charlie's legacy is that he was the young guy in that group when you make the comparison to that but he was the leader and the thing that we've reflected on this entire time for the last 24 hours in particular is Charlie has always been a leader amongst men
Starting point is 01:27:51 I remember meeting him again in my 20s and he was basically just coming out of his teenage years and I just thought to myself, I was like, oh, my gosh, this guy's like an 85-year-old trapped in a 20-year-old's body. He was an old soul. He always was. But he was like that Lincoln-esque, you know, Ben Franklin-esque, you know, the way that you read it in the textbook as a wise person, that's the kind of, and I know everybody's listening, but listens to the show frequently. He just had that sense. He had that sense that came from somewhere else. For once, Charlie Kirk is in the audience right now. And Charlie Kirk is watching all of us. I said in the beginning of the show, I'll say it here again. I know what Charlie's message would be to everyone asking, what do I do next?
Starting point is 01:28:41 What do I do next? It's very simple. Charlie would say, it's your turn now. I want to bring back on Tyler Boyer, you know, one of one of Charlie's closest, closest associates. And Tyler, you know, we were just kind of talking about that. about how, you know, personally, as many things that Charlie was interested in and involved in, even non-political things, Andrew and I were talking
Starting point is 01:29:07 about the biohacking, you know, earlier, that he was just fascinated with that and lived it, theology, that he was a simple, he had this tenacity and this ability to make the complex simple and just in so many realms outside of the things that you see or that you know him for, That's just who he was, no matter what he was doing. Yeah, and that's really the legacy of Turning Point USA.
Starting point is 01:29:34 I mean, we talked about this all the time. You know, most people don't really connect the dots on this. But when we came onto the scene and really Charlie started Turning Point USA, there were no battle tanks. It was all think tanks. And we used to talk about this point, which is, you know, there's all these think tanks out there making things, really hard to reach for the average American, a little bit overcomplicated, a little bit over convoluted.
Starting point is 01:30:06 And there just weren't enough battle tanks of people going out and fighting the good fight or just as you said is making the really smart things, the complex things simple, so that the average American could understand them, that the average American would want to understand them, that they would want to engage them. This is the whole thing.
Starting point is 01:30:27 is like this is what Charlie died doing was this very issue. I mean, you listen to Charlie and you and I both know Charlie better than just about anybody. You know, Andrew who was on earlier and there's a number of us in our senior team at Turning Point USA
Starting point is 01:30:41 and Turning Point Action. But people knew Charlie is a genius. You met Charlie, you talked to him. He was an absolute genius of a man. But he spoke and broke things down. so simply and so easily so that everybody could really approach it. And that's what's made politics approachable. That's what I think has got so many young people,
Starting point is 01:31:07 the Turning Point USA involved. It's what's got so many young men be able to embrace the qualities of what the Christianity that Charlie professed. And that's what he would want everybody to know him by. but his activism as well being a dad and being a husband those things are not complex things but the world is complicated and the challenges are complicated but the application of those things is really simple
Starting point is 01:31:41 and I think that's the memorial that we'll have for Charlie forever and that I hope that my dear friend that I have known for so long since essentially the beginning of time I was joking with Benny Johnson earlier today that we had to convince Charlie to start his Instagram and you wouldn't believe that knowing Charlie today of how, you know, his speaker Johnson just said he, he, you know,
Starting point is 01:32:07 dominated all these mediums, you know, Rush Limbaugh didn't dominate social media or have a full 501c3 or a C4 and employ thousands of people. The man did everything. He did it all. but he made it so simple for everyone to approach and be able to engage with. And I will greatly, greatly miss him for that because there's no one that is like Charlie.
Starting point is 01:32:32 There's no one, it's not likely we'll ever encounter someone that's able to do all those things. No, and I agree with you that there was something timeless, but also outside of time about Charlie. There was just, he, he just didn't seem to be of this era. And I'm not even sure what era he belonged in. He just, the way he fit in the world, but also was different from anyone else that you would meet. I mean, it's, it's just God knew what he was doing when he made Charlie. God gave him assignment. And now God's got him on another assignment.
Starting point is 01:33:14 And that's how it is. And he's up there with Rush now. And well, Tyler, let me, let me ask you this, though. You know, Charlie, obviously, he's been building turning point USA, building turning point action all of these years. He built these institutions to last. And I always got the sense, I never really talked to him about this directly, but I always got the sense that he wanted turning point USA to be separate from him in the sense that it would always go on. because it was always about the students. It was always about the chapters,
Starting point is 01:33:51 and the chapters were constantly changing. And what does that look like from your perspective? Well, and we talked about that all the time. You know, having the honor of being COO of Turning Point USA for many years and now Turning Point Action and having, you know, hired and worked with thousands and thousands of people, the greatest legacy that Charlie Kirk has is that he infused his energy, his resilience, his constant need for improvement for the conservative movement. Because when we really start engaging on many of these things, you know, the question was,
Starting point is 01:34:37 was, wow, why doesn't the conservative movement have good enough events? Why aren't we attracted enough people? We got to do it bigger and better. Why is there no one that has a real legitimate field program and operation that supports young people? We got to do it bigger and better. Why is there no 501C4 or a political operation that's out there actually doing it the way that the left does it with community organizers? And we got to do it bigger and better. And just each and everyone of those things, and that's not even touching all the individual unique things on the media front, the podcast front,
Starting point is 01:35:07 And the, you know, TikTok, obviously, is the second largest voice on TikTok next to Donald Trump this year. And, I mean, you're just talking about a monster of a human being, irreplicable, that desire to fight and work. And, you know, I was just talking about this as well. It's just like, you know, one of the quotes was, you know, don't care, keep working. Don't care, work harder. You know, we talked about hating to lose, you know, how. devastating the 2020 election was and how how horrified we were to learn that there wasn't enough work being done on the political side, which caused turning point action to really
Starting point is 01:35:50 kick into gear, you know, really following in the lead up to 2022 and following 2020 for 24. I mean, that was really the first time anyone's ever done anything like we did. It was throwing the kitchen sink at the thing. And Charlie was leading from the front on that. And there's just no one else. And I could I could tell because, you know, of course, there's that election night live stream, 2022. It's me, you, Charlie, Andrew was in and out. And we were doing the, we were doing the, remember the batches and other batches in, another batches in, other batches in other batches in. And I remember doing the math till late in the wee hours.
Starting point is 01:36:31 And I can remember the moment where Charlie just turns to me. I don't even know if it was on air. just he just turns to me sitting there and says jack we need to start doing ballots and you could just see it in his eyes he said they won this thing with ballots and we need to start doing that and i could tell just in that moment again very simple that he took this whole complicated thing and he figured it all out and he was doing the math you could see him doing it furiously just scribbling away and doing the math in real time like like like rain man you know and uh and he said it's all ballots And so we need to chase ballots.
Starting point is 01:37:09 And I could tell in that movement, everything that was going to happen in that moment, everything that would happen between then and 2024. And that's exactly what happened. And he knew that he had you to execute it. I was talking with his sweet wife who all the prayers, we need to be praying unceasingly for Erica and his two sweet babies. That I just was talking with her about this yesterday, the look on Charlie's face when he figured when he would figure something out he kind of give
Starting point is 01:37:41 you that yeah oh look and I'd seen that a million times because I've been in these rooms oh sorry about that I've been in these rooms with Charlie you know fighting these battles and these wars and we'd figure out the problem that existed and then try to come up with the solution and then applying the right solution and you know going and getting the donors to pay for it and work towards it and then we build it and then we do the next thing and then the next thing and then the next thing and it never stopped lock in patriots lock in that's how charlie would want us to be that's what charlie would that's what charlie would say he would say be better work harder what do you doing next what's the next fight take the next hill finish the job
Starting point is 01:38:34 the job. Complete the task and complete the mission. We've the editor of Breitbart, Alex Marlowe now joining us. Alex, you knew Charlie as well as any of us, obviously. And for you coming from Breitbart, this is now the second time you've had to go through something like this in this in this moment. Talk to me a little bit about the legacy of going through the legacy of Andrew and now we have the legacy of Charlie. Thanks, Jack. You're doing a wonderful job on this. It's beautiful tribute so far. I guess I'm unique in this regard that I was Andrew Breitbart's right-hand man when he passed away at 43. Different circumstances certainly wasn't an assassination while he was just trying to debate people on a campus. But a similar situation in a
Starting point is 01:39:32 genuinely great man who is here and called to do great things for this country and in this life and got taken from us and one thing that was so heartening that after Andrew passed, people understood the importance of hard work, of determination, of trying to externalize all the messages that Andrew had given us that we'd internalized and he became the pioneer of citizen journalism. He already was, but people, not everyone stopped and thought about it until he was taken from us until that light was extinguished and that has got to be the exact approach if not twofold tenfold with what charlie's done Tyler was touching on something really important that I've been trying to share with people is that Charlie wasn't just a giant in talk radio
Starting point is 01:40:17 and podcasting he wasn't just a giant in activism and he may have been the biggest at that but he was also meeting people where they were he was on the campuses a hundred hours a semester He was on the platforms that conservatives wouldn't even go on, things like TikTok. He was someone who was reaching people who might not get news from anywhere else. Now, I wish people got news from all over the place. But a lot of the times they were relying on Charlie. He was an international sensation. We at Breitbart today were covering how the international press is reacting to Charlie's assassination.
Starting point is 01:40:51 And they've strong opinions. They've thought long and hard about this guy. And he did it all with a smile, with joy. he was always trying to run up that next hill and summit it. That spirit always inspired me as one of his peers and colleagues, and it is just infectious to be around. And my heartbreak for his family, for the whole turning point team.
Starting point is 01:41:12 But Charlie's message was loud and clear. We need to be those happy warriors. We need to be fearless. We need to be determined. And the fight sadly has only just begun. You know, it's one of those things, too. And obviously, we're still getting more and more information out about the shooter who is still at large. And I know we have these photos that have come up as well.
Starting point is 01:41:35 Alex, can you put us, just give us a little bit of that taste? You know, where do you think we stand with this, this manhunt? Well, it's not great. It's not great news. We're getting nothing but bad news. First of all, there were some false hope that we'd caught the guy right away. and then the person got away. And I think that that already is a disgrace.
Starting point is 01:41:57 A person like Charlie should have protection. I think we need to be very cautious going to these universities going forward. And I think that that's a shame because we need free speech now more than ever. And they're going to use this as an opportunity day, the left, who's responsible for this. They're going to use this as a victory because they're going to see that there will be a chilling of speech because they hate free speech. They want control. They want authoritarianism. Charlie wasn't a front to that, and that's why he was targeted.
Starting point is 01:42:24 And law enforcement needs to get the job done as soon as humanly possible. I know our guys are in charge at a federal level. I don't know much about the local law enforcement, the state law enforcement. But it doesn't matter. We need to demand answers. We need to demand accountability right away. And we must be better. I'll tell you, I was just reading a lot about Butler recently and how we still don't have answers from Butler.
Starting point is 01:42:45 That's a warning to people. I was on campus with Charlie Kirk over a year ago at UC Davis. They're smashing windows. they're trying to break into the building, Antifa's present. It is very dangerous to be a conservative right now. I'll tell you, Jack, my audience right now, we feel hunted. We feel hunted down right now, and that is not a good thing. And we're just showing some of these images that are now coming in from all over the country last night.
Starting point is 01:43:09 Spontaneous vigils, prayer services, rosaries, people coming out and putting up pictures of Charlie. I don't even know how he gets something that printed so quickly. the candles going up everywhere and it's all organic this is this is nothing that um that was directly from the organization even the turning point's own headquarters which are showing there uh they held a vigil last night that was completely spontaneous and organic which is exactly exactly what charlie would have wanted people becoming activated people doing things on their own, stepping up, taking agency. That's what he always wanted. And I remember him saying this, he would say, if I can just get people to step up and start doing things, then we win.
Starting point is 01:44:02 If we just get people motivated, we will win. And I said it before Charlie spent his entire life trying to inspire a national turning point. And he has accomplished that. He has now done so. Alex Marlowe, what do you make of the, of this, where it really is just a very positive outpouring. We're seeing it from around the world. We're seeing it from members of, you know, across the aisle of liberals, Democrats, people saying, you know, I think even the New York Times, as we're Klein, they said, Charlie, Charlie did politics the way it should be done with, with Moxie, with smarts, with boldness, but never with anger. Yeah, pretty remarkable contrast to the initial reactions from the J.B. Pritzker's of the world and the MSNBCs of the world who are suggesting maybe Charlie brought this on himself. The New York Times is very intentional today when they put in his obituary. They called him a provocateur. That word is on purpose. They believe he provoked his own assassination. And that's disgusting. But you did start seeing some people start getting a hold of themselves and start understanding as is recline flagged on his own, not the paper itself. And as well as some of these leaders all around the, the world. We're saying this is not the humanity we want. And this is a spiritual fight we're in,
Starting point is 01:45:24 Jack, and Charlie knew this. He wasn't just an evangelist for conservatism and for a constitution. He was an evangelist for Christ. He was evangelist for Judeo-Christian values. Charlie stood for that, and people around the world who observe him know that, that he was as fluent in biblical matters as he was in political matters. And this is the spiritual battle that we need. And people who might not agree with his politics, need to understand that Charlie did do things the right way. He did things with debate. He did things with nonviolence. He did things with just trying to meet people where they were and convince them, trying to get them to change their minds if he disagreed and happily accepting them if they didn't. That's what he stood for. That's who he was. And I think smart people always knew
Starting point is 01:46:05 that. Maybe today they're finally starting to admit it. Yeah, and I remember being on campus with them or being at wherever we were. And, you know, he would always say, if you disagree, come right to the front. If you disagree, come right up here. Let's have it out. Let's have that conversation. But you can watch the, I don't know, hundreds of hours of videotape of Charlie on these campuses. You'll never once see him raise a hand in anger.
Starting point is 01:46:31 You know, he's got conviction. Of course, he's got boldness. Absolutely. When you're debating, you're going to. But he doesn't get angry. He doesn't get physical. There's no, there's never. been a violent bone in his body i've never seen that in private i've never seen i've never known
Starting point is 01:46:46 him to be like that and it it it really does just sum it all up they they couldn't debate him so they did this and that's exactly right do you think do you think this will be a a turning point against and we've seen a wave of left wing violence we've seen a wave of political violence and anti-christian violence that's going on just this month do you think that it will wind down or are we going to see more? I run very pessimistic in this regard and I think some of those initial reactions we saw from people in the left wing commentary
Starting point is 01:47:19 to make me think that maybe it won't be and I've seen some of the reactions on blue sky and TikTok but if you look around the world there are so many bright spots we are bright bar we were tracking today conservatives in Spain in Latin America in Brazil in El Salvador
Starting point is 01:47:35 all over the world that they're in Argentina we're seeing even the Mexican president and Claudia Scheinbaum condemning it. So many people are out there saying this is not the way forward for the human race. And it does give me some hope. There is a layer of hope. But there is a deep spiritual problem that we have in this country.
Starting point is 01:47:56 There is a yearning for God in so many American households that is absent right now. And it's the absence of God that provided this in people's lives. It's a demonic impulse that we're witnessing day after day in this country. And people need to confront it. They need to confront it, though, on a microliferation. level. It's communities, it's families. And until we fully address that, then I'm going to be in fear that this will continue to some degree or another. No, and I've seen it all. I've seen every single piece of it. People are sending me stuff like crazy, phone, you know, blew up
Starting point is 01:48:27 yesterday. I was on air when this happened. And I've seen the comments, the TikToks, and there's no other word for it than demonic, the way people are cheering, celebrating. a man whose life was cut down in his absolute prime when he was just getting to the top of the mountain. I think he was just there and he had other mountains yet to climb and we all knew that he did. And he wanted us to be along there with him. And these monsters want to celebrate it. And you see it all across blue sky. You see it across TikTok.
Starting point is 01:49:05 You can find tweet after tweet. You know, sort of the big names have kind of realized they have to be careful now. But I've said this for a year now at this point that there will be more Mangione's and the cult of Luigi, the fandom of Luigi, was there because now that they have lost political power, they are now choosing physical kinetic power. And it was Chairman Mao himself who said political power grows from the barrel of a gun. Alex, I know you've got to run and where. can people go to it to follow and everything you guys are putting up the alex marlowe show i have a long tribute to charlie uh today on my podcast and i uh can't thank you enough jack for having me including me in this and real americans voice wonderful job over there um and we're going to honor charlie
Starting point is 01:49:57 at brightboard news all day every day we're putting up dozens and dozens and dozens of pieces of content about charlie he got his start writing for us as something we're deeply proud of and will always be a part of that in history charlie was my friend i was spoke with him virtually Every day. I was on his program once a week. He was a good man. And people need to understand that. If you're motivated to get involved right now, know that he wasn't just a conservative warrior. He was a good person, a genuinely good person. He was that guy. Absolutely was. Alex. Thank you for being here today. Thank for being a part of this. President Trump has just put out a new statement. He's been talking to reporters. He brought up Charlie. I want to play that now. You don't replace Joe. I don't know as well as I do. He was a unique man, but for the best we can.
Starting point is 01:50:48 Anything on the investigation or anything on the latest that you've heard from the FBI or cash hotel? No, they've reported to me so far, pretty much what you're seeing in the news is what it is. They have a virtual manhunt out there, so we'll see what happens. We hope we get them. Sir, thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. All right, that's President Trump. virtual manhunt. I hope we get him. I want to go now to Harrison Field press team of the White House. Harrison,
Starting point is 01:51:19 thank you so much for joining us and being here today. It's going to be here, Jack. I wish it was better circumstances, but it's good to see you. Absolutely. Can you tell us just, you know, beyond the politics of this, Charlie had so many friends in the White House. Can you tell me what the mood is like in there or how it's been in the last 12 hours or so? Well, I recently departed, so I'm actually back in the private sector, but I've been talking to my friends back at the White House. They're just all devastated. There are no words, right? And first and foremost, our prayers, our thoughts, everything in our bodies is going towards Erica and the kids. We can't fathom it. I am a young father myself, recently married, kind of following that Charlie Kirk motto, get married, have babies. This is what
Starting point is 01:52:02 it's all about. You're out of loss for words. There is just no making sense of the unsensible tragedy that took our friend's life. And even if you didn't get to know him, you felt like you did know him. I was talking to friends from all over the country, and they're at a loss. They don't understand how something like this could happen. They got my friends engaged in politics. After years of me trying to convince people to become conservatives, all they needed was one Charlie Kirk video, and here they were voting for the president. That's the type of impact that he had. And his legacy will be a lot of things, but one thing, and I know you guys have been talking about it. His legacy as a man of faith, as a Christian, as a lover of Jesus will be
Starting point is 01:52:41 of paramount importance. I mean, this is a man that when he saw my pin, it's right here on my lapel right here. It has a crossover of the United States flag. He pointed it out to me. He noticed it. And I joked with him. I said, it's my Christian nationalist pin. And he got to chuckle out of it. Because we cannot be afraid to be Christians in this country. And just minutes before he passed, we knew that he was professing his faith once again. And I heard Kaylee McEnany mentioned this quote, and I think it's beautiful. It's not about left or right. Just remember above and up. And we know that our brother, Charlie, is in the arms of Jesus Christ and the angels up there. And as a Christian, that gives you some level of comfort when you're just grasping for something to make sense
Starting point is 01:53:24 of it all. No, and martyrs, martyrs absolutely go, go straight in. You know, Harrison, we got about a minute here until the break but you know it's it's it's something that charlie always led with and he was so unapologetic about his faith and i think that's something that to gen z really really was able to connect with them at a time when so many people are asking what's going on it felt like you know through covid everything was collapsing and then here comes charlie it's god it's the bible it's jesus and he's there serving it to you right on campus yeah we talk about all the time we have a loneliness epidemic between our younger population. Charlie was able to influence them in a way to introduce them to God. With God in your life, you can't be lonely. You are so fulsome and wholesome in
Starting point is 01:54:14 your life. So he's been able to evangelize in many ways to people. You know, you became a Christian and a conservative just from listening to him. That's the type of impact he has. You look throughout history. There's not many people that have been able to do that. You look at the Graham family. You look at people like, you know, MLK or, you know, other prominent people in our country that have had such a platform, the president of the United States, such a palpable platform, one that doesn't die with them, but really lives on. But the reality is, you know, again, as Christians, we know that he's very much alive in heaven, a place where he prayed and wished and knew he probably would end up one day. By no means that we think it would be at 31 years young. But again, our hearts and
Starting point is 01:54:59 Our thoughts and prayers are with this family right now. This is a live shot, a camera that we have up at the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, where a makeshift memorial has been set up, where people are just coming in. These aren't people who work for TPSA. These are some of the people who work there have come out, but this is really just people coming by. well-wishers, fans, friends in many cases. Charlie, of course, lived in Phoenix. His family still lives in the Phoenix area in Scottsdale.
Starting point is 01:55:39 And people are just coming by watching this in real time as people are putting this memorial together for Charlie at the work that he did. And the campus of Turning Point USA, I've visited many times. I've been there many times, been there with Charlie many times. and it's his life's work. You are looking physically at these buildings at Charlie's life's work. They would not exist without Charlie Kirk.
Starting point is 01:56:13 Turning Point USA would not exist without Charlie Kirk. Without turning point action, who knows? Maybe you don't have a President Donald Trump, a vice president, J.D. Vance, and the vice president had put up an incredible 1,000-word eulogy to Charlie last night. And you could tell, you could just tell from the way it was written that J.D. wrote it himself, that he had been so close with Charlie all the way back to 2017. And so what we are also told right now is that,
Starting point is 01:56:55 The Vice President Vance will be, of course, he was not at the 9-11 Memorial because he is on his way. He's en route to Salt Lake City, where he can be with Erica and the family as they work through the arrangements and the preparations for saying goodbye to Charlie. And that's something that we're all going through. It's something we'll all have to go through for everyone in our life, saying goodbye. And last night, FoxNews.com reached out to me and asked if I would like to write something for Charlie that they would publish on their opinion side. and so I did and that is up now you guys can go read it
Starting point is 01:57:53 Charlie Kirk died as he lived bold, unashamed and anchored in faith and you can go check it out I said on September 10th America lost a warrior and family lost a father
Starting point is 01:58:12 Charlie Kirk was my brother he was a man who stood tall with his feet firmly planted and a microphone in his hand. And he was taken from us at Utah Valley University while proclaiming truth. He did not flinch. He did not waver.
Starting point is 01:58:29 He did not run. He died as he lived. Bold, steadfast, and unashamed of the gospel and the truth. When America needed a hero, God sent us Charlie Kirk. And there was something about Charlie that no matter how,
Starting point is 01:58:48 big charlie got and i i was with him and i knew him as he went from from being well known to an international celebrity and it didn't matter because he was always kind he was always generous to everyone super generous with his time and he could make a nobody feel like a somebody because he would listen to every single person whether it was an event or just on the street who wanted to talk to him. There's someone I know who's been in this fight for a long time and continues to fight and serve this country at the highest levels, but beyond all that, a great friend of Charlie Kirk's. Darren Beattie joins us now from the U.S. State Department. Darren, I jack. I don't even know where to start with any of this, but tell us, tell us what your thoughts are. Tell us where
Starting point is 01:59:44 you're at today well as you know we we had a chance to see each other not too long ago and we're discussing oh well come on and do and do charlie's show do the show here and so ordinarily you know it would be a situation where i'd say it's so great to be back but it's really um the circumstances that occasion my appearance here are terrible um you know just like everyone else in the country. I'm really heartbroken. There's no words to really capture the magnitude of what happened and the magnitude of the loss. You know, there's one sense in which, you know, as the president said, Charlie, among his other attributes, was a man of fearlessness. And that kind of courage is contagious and will live beyond him as one of the many
Starting point is 02:00:44 aspects of his legacy. But there's another sense in which I think he's just irreplaceable. He is probably, I would say, without question, the best youth political organizer in America's history. And I think people who don't understand sort of the history of how all this developed may not understand the magnitude of what he accomplished. And that's just one of the things, but to create what he created, have these political events with young people engaged, which are more than political events. Like with Trump's rallies, these were rock concerts, and he was a rock star. And that's something that so many people desperately wanted to achieve for so long and couldn't do it. And it took someone of unique character, unique capabilities,
Starting point is 02:01:41 like Charlie. And so, you know, there are just a handful of people in the world who are not replaceable. And he was one of them. And when we look across this at the situation, how many times did I, did I or you come on the show with Charlie? And we talked about this violence that had started creeping up in our society, probably with the first Trump campaign, then throughout the first Trump administration, which you were serving in, leading up, of course, to Butler. And now this. And in a way, Charlie saw it coming. And he knew, he knew going out there the threat that he was under. I talked to him about it. Everyone talked to him about it. And he did it anyway. He did it anyway. and yet we are in this situation, Darren, in our country
Starting point is 02:02:38 where we're in very dire straits because there are so many people who refuse to condemn it. There are so many people who celebrate it. And I really hope that better angels of our nature can prevail in this country, but I worry that perhaps someone else wants to be the next Luigi or whoever this person is. I believe the FBI, by the way, I'll just announce because it is just breaking, that the FBI has two pieces of information.
Starting point is 02:03:12 The FBI has announced a $100,000 reward for information regarding the shooter. It's number one, number two. This was something that I had actually heard about last night, but I wasn't able to say it publicly yet. And that J.D. Vance will meet with Charlie Kirk's wife, Erica, and their two children in Salt Lake City today. And following that, J.D. is going to be giving Charlie one last ride on Air Force 2, and he will be flying him back to Arizona, to his home state. So that's the updates that we have today. Darren, where do we go at a time like this? It's simply a tragedy, and I think it'll take a long time for us to recover as a country if we can at all.
Starting point is 02:04:14 I think right now, you know, just want to focus on love and positivity, which, you know, Charlie was a warrior. He was also a happy warrior. he was somebody full of love for his fellow citizens for his country and I think that's really part of the legacy that we should we should remember today but yeah I think in time I trust of course the president and the appropriate authorities to deal with this in the manner in which it is appropriate no I think that's right Right. And of course, we've heard President Trump and others. Darren, you've spoken out so forcefully in the past and are now working your capacity regarding the ideas of censorship, the ideas of silencing speech.
Starting point is 02:05:11 Isn't political assassination just the final step of censorship? Isn't that entirely the point? Yes, I mean, it's the ultimate silencing, but it doesn't achieve its intended effect because it really just, it will make us all, all louder, more forceful, more committed to the cause that Charlie fought for so bravely and so effectively. And, yeah, I think it's appropriate to say don't want to get into too much of the, you know, the personal history. But the first time I really had the chance to engage with Charlie was a very long time ago when I was a speechwriter for President Trump. And we're doing an event with him. And it was an event on free speech in college campuses. This was all the way back in 2018. and he'd been around for a while since then
Starting point is 02:06:15 so it's just at such a young age to achieve so much and be so committed to all of these critical fights for our nation's history is really just a remarkable thing and you know, I'm sure it's been pointed out but there's something appropriate but also very poignant and adds to the tragedy is that you know he's wearing a shirt called freedom when his life was taken away and you know he was for freedom to the very end that's exactly right charlie kirk was a martyr of
Starting point is 02:06:57 many causes interlinked causes but first and foremost freedom of speech the bedrock upon which the american experiment was built right the idea that we have this freedom and we will use this freedom and charlie would want us to continue using this freedom and that's why we're doing the show and that's why when i reached out to them last night and i said if you guys need any help let me know and they said they they want to keep keep doing the show because that's what charlie would have wanted because charlie and by the way Charlie would, I know for a fact that Charlie would be saying, Jack, don't talk about me the whole time, talk about what's going on, talk about the news, get into things, what's happening. And, you know, Charlie used to, he would take Saturdays off and he would use Saturdays to sort of stand still and be there with his family. And so I only think it's appropriate that we take one day and stand still for Charlie. Final minute to you, Darren B.
Starting point is 02:08:10 Amen to that. And I can only reiterate this is an irreplaceable individual, a great family man. Our hearts go out to his family. Obviously a profound loss for the family, but also a profound loss for us for the movement, for the country. And the only consolation we can do,
Starting point is 02:08:37 take is that the courage and the fight and the legacy will live on. So I very much commend you for doing this today, Jack, because I know it's not easy. What can I say, Darren? We know Charlie would do it for us. So. Amen. It's rough, but when you stand with a man, you stand with him. It means so much to know how beloved Charlie was to this country.
Starting point is 02:09:07 what a hero that he was and is such an icon and you know having been along for the ride to see how he went from from where he started to where he is now or or have achieved this level of success and become this beloved figure it's it's important possible but it you know it just i never saw him that way because to me he's just my buddy he's my friend and i'm always just kind of wondering what what the what's the next fight charlie where are we going next what's the next hill we're going to take where are we going to plant the next flag and so today we're taking a day to step back from all of that and we're talking to some of charlie's closest friends and associates
Starting point is 02:10:07 all about the man Charlie was the way that he lived and the reason that he stood head and shoulders above all of us Mike Benz joins us now Mike I mean it's horrific that we have to be here
Starting point is 02:10:25 in such circumstances but in a way for me and I think for a lot of us we weren't surprised because we saw the trajectory of the way our country was going and it was only a matter of time before another act of senseless hate-filled violence came after one of us and of course they went after charlie yeah might do you do you think that this is going to turn the temperature up is it going to turn it down what's your sense
Starting point is 02:11:06 i don't know i think it i think it has to be you can't forget this that was the most graphic horrifying video i or anyone i could ever imagine could see in their life it was in broad daylight thousands of people watching mid-sentence shot in the jugular vein and this was our child prodigy we would not be here without Charlie I would not be here without Charlie on so many levels
Starting point is 02:11:50 Charlie was our bridge to the young Charlie made it okay to believe in this for people whose minds were growing and developing. When I was in college, I was afraid to be friends with anybody who considered themselves conservative. I hit away from the label because there was no institution. There was college Republicans, which sucked and nobody wanted to be a part of. What he did with Turning Point is he built really the first.
Starting point is 02:12:28 mega institution and probably the most important one the pipeline of people networks of community of solidarity and i can't do something like that i i used to joke with people about um when people would say oh ben's you know you work so hard like uh and i would say well there's someone who works harder than me actually, how would you like to be Charlie Kirk? He has to do all of this, and then he has to manage teams of thousands of people. He has to bridge divides from all of the different splintered factions of MAGA so that they have one unified vision. He has to be the peacemaker, the diplomat, the communicator, the long-term strategic planner. Every room he walked in, He looked like he would be president one day.
Starting point is 02:13:26 You see him next to presidents. He looks like he's going to be president. And all of this responsibility was on the shoulders of a kid, of a kid. He was 17 years old, 16 years old when he started all this. Start turning point at what, 18 years old? And all of that weight and responsibility. And he never lost. I never saw him lose a debate.
Starting point is 02:13:56 I never saw him lose his composure. He had a unique and probably the perfect skill set for something that is very, very rare in somebody under 60, let alone somebody in this movement, which is in many ways motivated by passion and to some extent, the kind of chaos of newness and reform. but Charlie was the steady hand he never lost his cool even in that moment it's completely surreal
Starting point is 02:14:33 Mike I couldn't agree more and I'm a shaking up about this as anybody and I don't even think I slept last night honestly and I've been up with my wife and she barely slept
Starting point is 02:14:51 and we're just praying, talking. And I know, though, because I can hear Charlie's voice in my ear, he would say, keep fighting, keep up the fight, keep going, finish the mission, complete the task, work harder. He'd actually, and he'd be saying, what do you think, you guys think you get a day off? No, no, we don't take days off. No, we don't.
Starting point is 02:15:21 I want to show very quickly, since we are covering the breaking news, we do have a new image that's been released by the FBI. And so that's the original image right there. And then let's show the new image that's been released, this clearer image that is zoomed in, the tighter, clearer image. If we don't have it, we don't have it. But those are the images that were released earlier. trying to get a sense of this, uh, right now. Okay, here's the new image that's been released. Mike, as, as you look at this situation, what do you make of the fact that the shooter are still at large?
Starting point is 02:16:07 Hustled. I know that this is the most wanted person on earth. I have faith in Cash Patel, Dan Ben Bonino, Pam Bondi, to me. make sure this killer is brought to justice and i want the slowest most painful most gruesome most public execution of this man possible i want we certainly have to look i i i'm emotionally i know exactly where you're coming from and obviously cross r t's dot our eyes but look i get it something has to give a line was crossed yesterday that we can't go back from we can't go back from the we can never turn back into the america that we were before we lost charlie kirk
Starting point is 02:17:16 but we can still move forward to become something good because that's what Charlie stood for. But make no mistake, we were robbed yesterday. Erica Kirk was robbed yesterday. Charlie's children were robbed yesterday. And there is now a debt. there is a debt that must be paid and it will be but as for Charlie's kids
Starting point is 02:17:54 I'm going to make sure that they knew who the father was because I'm going to make sure to tell them myself I'm going to tell them that Charlie was I'm going to tell them that Charlie was So, you know, I'm sorry, I'm going to
Starting point is 02:18:18 I'm going to Thank you. Thank you.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.