Who was Charlie Kirk? The activist who turned campus politics into national influence

The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on Sept has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed attention to the atmosphere of political violence in the United States To numerous Kirk was not just another partisan commentator He was one of the the bulk visible leaders of the young conservative movement Kirk helped shape Republican politics on college campuses in media and within President Donald Trump s coalition To understand the significance of the attack and why the reactions to it have been so strong it helps to know who Kirk was what the organization he built stood for and the role he and his allies have played in national debates Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist author and media personality who rose to prominence unusually early Raised in the Chicago suburbs he made national headlines at for founding Turning Point USA a conservative youth movement Kirk only briefly attended college Instead he chose to devote himself full time to conservative organizing That decision became central to the mythos surrounding him He represented a choice among promising young conservatives to skip higher coaching in protest of the alleged left-leaning bias of universities Over the next decade Kirk grew into a national figure Beginning in he frequently spoke at Trump rallies which helped him to build an extensive media profile In he published the The MAGA Doctrine a bestselling book that argued in favor of nationalism and Trump s America First Agenda And his eponymous podcast The Charlie Kirk Show was downloaded more than million times over the past months according to Turning Point Kirk s effort featured political commentary and interviews with prominent Republican personalities and politicians guests included Tucker Carlson Missouri Sen Josh Hawley and Florida Gov Ron DeSantis These conversations amplified Kirk s reach well beyond aspirant audiences Connecting college students and GOP Turning Point USA was founded in by Kirk and Bill Montgomery Kirk met Montgomery a retired businessman after Kirk gave a speech at a conservative youth summit in Kansas Montgomery urged him not to pursue college but to instead dedicate himself fully to building a youth conservative movement Kirk described the early days as lonely driving to campuses handing out flyers and trying to recruit students to talk about free markets and limited regime Related The threat of political violence is keeping parents out of elected office Turning Point drew key financial backing from high-profile conservative donors including Foster Friess the Wyoming financier the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation and Illinois businessman Richard Uihlein and his family foundation By Turning Point claimed chapters at more than campuses employed more than staffers and had grown its annual budget to over US million In the modern day Turning Point is best known for hosting large-scale conferences Its Novice Action Summit in Florida regularly draws between and students and has featured appearances by GOP heavyweights including Donald Trump Jr and Texas Sen Ted Cruz A gathering in Phoenix called AmericaFest attracted more than attendees The bulk controversially the group s Professor Watchlist webpage publishes the names of academics it accuses of bias against conservatives Turning Point has also spun off like-minded subsidiaries including Turning Point Action and TPUSA Faith These organizations expand Turning Point s reach into electoral politics and church organizing TPUSA s media division produces a steady stream of popular videos livestreams and podcasts a legacy that should ensure Kirk s influence lasts despite his death Expanding national role for Turning Point Kirk and Turning Point provided fundamental connections for younger conservatives and the Republican Party In Turning Point mobilized thousands of students for Trump s campaign and Kirk was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention By the organization was playing a more overt political role Turning Point Action ran voter-registration drives in battleground states and the group sponsored buses and advertising to bring supporters to Washington D C ahead of the Jan Stop the Steal rally Kirk tweeted at the time that Turning Point would be sending buses full of patriots to the event In the wake of the Capitol riot Charlie Kirk has deleted a tweet in which he discussed sending buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president https t co NRwdt v pic twitter com VqdRNWqMMZ Mikael Thalen MikaelThalen January While he later deleted the message and distanced himself from the violence it underscored the group s entanglement in the bulk contested moments of the Trump era Kirk also acted as a crucial media surrogate for Trump He used his podcast social media and speaking tours to amplify Trump s message and attack critics He was an early and persistent promoter of Trump s baseless declares of voter fraud in the balloting helping translate them for younger conservative audiences Spreading misinformation inflaming tensions Critics argued that Kirk thrived on outrage and intimidation rather than debate The Professor Watchlist has been denounced by faculty associations as a blacklist that chills academic freedom Journalistic investigations by outlets such as The New Yorker raised questions about Turning Point s finances including accusations of blurred lines between nonprofit educational work and partisan campaigning Kirk was criticized for spreading misinformation such as false asserts of voter fraud in the polling and misleading statements about COVID- vaccines and mask mandates He suggested that populace wellness measures were a form of governing body control rhetoric that populace healthcare experts argue undermined trust during a situation More broadly his sharp attacks on political opponents he framed them not merely as wrong but as dangerous drew accusations that he fueled polarization and inflamed tensions on American college campuses and beyond Stephanie A Sam Martin is the Frank and Bethine Church endowed chair of community affairs at Boise State University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license Read the original article The post Who was Charlie Kirk The activist who turned campus politics into national influence appeared first on MinnPost