Charlie Kirk

{{Short description|American conservative political activist (born 1993)}}

{{About|the American activist|other people named Charles Kirk|Charles Kirk (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Charlie Kirk

| image = Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg

| image_size =

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| caption = Kirk in 2024

| birth_name = Charles James Kirk

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1993|10|14}}

| birth_place = Arlington Heights, Illinois, U.S.

| death_date =

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| occupation = Political activist

| years_active = 2012–present

| organizations = Turning Point USA, Turning Point Action

| education =

| notable_works =

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| spouse = {{marriage|Erika Frantzve|2021}}

| children = 2

| awards = Full list

| party = Republican

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| footnotes =

| module = {{Listen |embed= yes |filename= Charlie Kirk and "Biblical Citizens".ogg |title= Kirk's voice |type= speech |description= On the influence of religion on people's behavior}}

| module2 = {{Infobox YouTube personality

| embed = yes

| channel_handle = @RealCharlieKirk

| channel_display_name = Charlie Kirk

| name = Charlie Kirk

| years_active = 2018–present

| genre = {{hlist|Broadcast journalism}}

| subscribers = 3.43 million

| views = 1 billion

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| stats_update = May 29, 2025

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}}{{Conservatism US|activists}}

Charles James Kirk (born October 14, 1993){{Cite tweet |number=1127024997485154304 |user=libertyu |title=Congratulations to our honorary doctorate recipients Mr. Anthony A. Nobles and Mr. Charles J. Kirk! |author=Liberty University |author-link=Liberty University |date=May 10, 2019 |access-date=January 16, 2022}}{{Cite web |title=Turning Point USA - Happy Birthday To One Of America's Greatest Freedom Fighters, Charlie Kirk! 🇺🇸 |url=https://www.facebook.com/turningpointusa/photos/a.376802782368444/3470714759643882/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Facebook |language=en}} is an American conservative political activist, author and right-wing populist media personality. With Bill Montgomery, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012, for which Kirk serves as executive director. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Turning Point Action, Turning Point Academy, and Turning Point Faith; president of Turning Point Endowment; and a member of the Council for National Policy.

Kirk was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights, Illinois. In high school, Kirk actively engaged in politics, supporting Mark Kirk's U.S. Senate campaign and campaigning against a price increase in his school's cafeteria. He briefly attended Harper College before dropping out to pursue political activism full-time, influenced by Tea Party member Bill Montgomery. In 2012, Kirk founded TPUSA, a conservative student organization that quickly grew with backing from donors like Foster Friess.

As TPUSA's CEO, Kirk has expanded the organization's influence through initiatives like the Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist, while raising millions in donations. In 2019, Kirk founded Turning Point Action, a political advocacy arm, and later formed Turning Point Faith, aimed at mobilizing religious communities on conservative issues. Kirk hosts "The Charlie Kirk Show," a conservative talk radio program.

Kirk has publicly promoted conservative and Trump-aligned causes, and criticized the COVID-19 response,{{Vague|date=May 2025|reason=whose or what COVID response?}} critical race theory, and the scientific consensus on climate change.

Early life and education

Charles James Kirk was born in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and raised in nearby Prospect Heights, Illinois. His mother is a mental health counselor and his father is an architect.{{Cite news |last=Keilman |first=John |date=October 22, 2018 |title=Before Trump and Kanye became fans, Charlie Kirk battled 'Marxist' high school teachers in Chicago's suburbs |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-charlie-kirk-turning-point-campus-conservatives-profile-20181019-story.html |access-date=September 27, 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune}} Kirk was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. In his junior year at Wheeling High School in 2010, he volunteered for the successful U.S. Senate campaign of Illinois Republican Mark Kirk (no relation).{{Cite news |last=Lester |first=Kerry |date=April 29, 2013 |title=Perfect storm launches 19-year-old Wheeling native into political punditry |url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130429/news/704299942/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129184002/http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130429/news/704299942 |archive-date=January 29, 2018 |access-date=January 31, 2018 |work=Daily Herald |location=Arlington Heights, IL}} In his senior year, Kirk created a campaign to revert a price increase for cookies at his school. He also wrote an essay for Breitbart News alleging liberal bias in high school textbooks, which led to an appearance on Fox Business.

At a subsequent speaking engagement at Benedictine University's "Youth Empowerment Day," Kirk met Bill Montgomery, a retiree more than 50 years his senior, who was then a Tea Party-backed legislative candidate.{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Rebecca |date=March 25, 2015 |title=The 21-Year-Old Becoming a Major Player in Conservative Politics |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/the-21-year-old-becoming-a-major-player-in-conservative-politics/451110/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808135151/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/the-21-year-old-becoming-a-major-player-in-conservative-politics/451110/ |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=The Atlantic}}{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Anne |date=May 2019 |title=Charlie Kirk And Candace Owens' Campus Tour Is All About The Owns |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/charlie-kirk-candace-owens-turning-point-usa-montana |access-date=2020-12-10 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}} Montgomery encouraged Kirk to engage in political activism full-time.{{Cite news |last=Keilman |first=John |date=October 22, 2018 |title=Before Trump and Kanye became fans, Charlie Kirk battled 'Marxist' high school teachers in Chicago's suburbs |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-charlie-kirk-turning-point-campus-conservatives-profile-20181019-story.html |access-date=May 8, 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune}} He subsequently founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a "grass-roots organization to rival liberal groups such as MoveOn.org." At the 2012 Republican National Convention, Kirk met Foster Friess, a prominent Republican donor, and persuaded him to finance the organization.{{Cite news |date=May 7, 2015 |title=This Boy Wonder Is Building the Conservative MoveOn.org in a Lemont Garage |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150507/NEWS02/150509859/this-boy-wonder-is-building-a-conservative-moveon-org-in-a-lemont-garage |url-access=subscription |work=Crain's Chicago Business |agency=Bloomberg}}

Kirk briefly attended Harper College, a community college near Chicago, but dropped out without having completed any degree or attaining a certificate.

Leadership of Turning Point organizations

= Turning Point USA =

Kirk has been CEO, chief fundraiser, and the public face of Turning Point since its founding.{{Cite web |last=Guinto |first=Joseph |date=April 7, 2018 |title=Trump's man on campus |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/charlie-kirk-donald-trump-man-on-campus-turning-point-usa/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401074336/https://www.politico.eu/article/charlie-kirk-donald-trump-man-on-campus-turning-point-usa/ |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |access-date=May 9, 2021 |website=Politico}}{{Cite magazine |last=Mayer |first=Jane |date=December 21, 2017 |title=A Conservative Nonprofit That Seeks to Transform College Campuses Faces Allegations of Racial Bias and Illegal Campaign Activity |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conservative-nonprofit-that-seeks-to-transform-college-campuses-faces-allegations-of-racial-bias-and-illegal-campaign-activity |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223012328/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conservative-nonprofit-that-seeks-to-transform-college-campuses-faces-allegations-of-racial-bias-and-illegal-campaign-activity |archive-date=December 23, 2017 |access-date=May 9, 2021 |magazine=The New Yorker}} He co-founded the organization in 2012 at 18 years of age.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-01 |title=A Profile of Charlie Kirk |url=http://dartreview.com/a-profile-of-charlie-kirk/ |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=The Dartmouth Review |language=en-US}} According to The New York Times, he has turned the organization into a "well-funded media operation, backed by conservative megadonors like the Wyoming businessman Foster Friess."{{Cite news |last=Plott |first=Elaina |date=October 27, 2020 |title=Win or Lose, It's Donald Trump's Republican Party |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/magazine/trump-influence-gop.html |access-date=January 6, 2021 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US}} TPUSA's activities include publication of the Professor Watchlist and the School Board Watchlist.{{Cite web |last=Childress |first=Greg |date=September 7, 2021 |title=National watchlist for 'radical left' policies includes 5 North Carolina school boards |url=https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2021/09/07/national-watchlist-for-radical-left-policies-includes-5-north-carolina-school-boards/ |access-date=November 13, 2021 |website=The Pulse}}

In 2020, ProPublica investigated the finances of TPUSA and claimed in their report that the organization made "misleading financial claims," that the audits were not done by an independent auditor, and that the leaders had enriched themselves while advocating for Trump. ProPublica also reported that Kirk's salary from TPUSA had increased from $27,000 to nearly $300,000 and that he had bought an $855,000 condo in Longboat Key, Florida.{{Cite web |last1=Spies |first1=Mike |last2=Pearson |first2=Jake |date=July 21, 2020 |title=At This Trump-Favored Charity, Financial Reporting Is Questionable and Insiders Are Cashing In |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/at-this-trump-favored-charity-financial-reporting-is-questionable-and-insiders-are-cashing-in |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723015436/https://www.propublica.org/article/at-this-trump-favored-charity-financial-reporting-is-questionable-and-insiders-are-cashing-in |archive-date=2020-07-23 |access-date=2020-07-23 |website=ProPublica}} In 2020, Turning Point USA had $39.2 million in revenues.{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Peter |date=October 23, 2021 |title=Money and misinformation: how Turning Point USA became a formidable pro-Trump force |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/23/turning-point-rightwing-youth-group-critics-tactics |access-date=October 24, 2021 |website=The Guardian}} Kirk earned a salary of more than $325,000 from TPUSA and related organizations.{{Cite news |last=Stanley-Becker |first=Isaac |date=July 29, 2021 |title=Charlie Kirk's pro-Trump youth group stokes vaccine resistance as covid surges again |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/29/vaccine-mandates-charlie-kirk-tpusa/ |access-date=November 13, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

In 2021, TPUSA announced an online academy targeted towards students in schools "poisoning our youth with anti-American ideas." Turning Point Academy was intended to cater to families seeking an "America-first education." Arizona education firm StrongMind initially partnered with TPUSA with plans to open the academy by the fall of 2022 and assessed its "potential to generate over $40 million in gross revenue at full capacity (10,000 students)." The partnership ended after StrongMind received backlash from its own employees and key subcontractor Freedom Learning Group, who prepared course content for the academy, also backed out of the academy after learning that it would be run by TPUSA.{{Cite news |last1=Stanley-Becker |first1=Isaac |last2=Reinhard |first2=Beth |date=2022-02-08 |title=Firm saw $40 million potential in Charlie Kirk's 'America-first' academy. Then its plans fell apart. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/08/charlie-kirk-turning-point-academy-strongmind/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

= Turning Point Action =

In May 2019, it was reported that Kirk was preparing to launch Turning Point Action, a 501(c)(4) entity designed to target Democrats.{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Brian |date=May 20, 2019 |title=Pro-Trump college GOP activist Charlie Kirk will launch a new group to target Democrats in 2020 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/20/pro-trump-activist-charlie-kirk-to-launch-new-group-to-target-democrats.html |access-date=July 22, 2019 |website=CNBC}}

In July 2019, Kirk announced that Turning Point Action had acquired Students for Trump along with "all associated media assets".{{Cite web |title=Turning Point Action Launches 2020 Expansion, Acquires 'Students for Trump' |url=https://www.studentsfortrump.net/blog |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721151305/https://www.studentsfortrump.net/blog |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |website=Students For Trump}} He became chairman and launched a campaign to recruit one million students for the 2020 Trump reelection campaign.{{Cite news |last=Singman |first=Brooke |date=July 2, 2019 |title=Charlie Kirk launches GOTV campaign to enlist 1 million 'Students for Trump' in 2020 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirk-launches-gotv-campaign-to-enlist-students-for-trump-on-campus |access-date=July 19, 2019 |work=Fox News}} The unsuccessful effort led to TPUSA and the Trump campaign blaming each other for an overall decline in youth support for Trump.{{Cite news |last=Orr |first=Gabby |date=November 27, 2020 |title=Blame game erupts over Trump's decline in youth vote |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/27/blame-game-erupts-over-trumps-decline-in-youth-vote-440811 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |work=Politico}}

= Turning Point Endowment =

Turning Point Endowment Inc., formed in 2017, is a self-described "supporting organization" whose "mission is to support and benefit Turning Point USA's charitable purposes and long-term vitality."{{Cite web |title=TURNING POINT ENDOWMENT INC |url=https://www.open990.org/org/821225311/turning-point-endowment-inc/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704194040/https://www.open990.org/org/821225311/turning-point-endowment-inc/ |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |access-date=October 24, 2021 |website=Open 990}}{{primary source inline|date=February 2024}}

=Turning Point Faith=

After Liberty University did not renew Kirk's contract with the Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty in 2021, Kirk founded Turning Point Faith, an organization dedicated to "recruit pastors and other church leaders to be active in local and national political issues." Its activities include faith-based voter drives "and educating members on TPUSA's core values."{{Cite web |title=Turning Point Faith |url=https://www.tpusa.com/faith |access-date=6 September 2021 |website=tpusa.com |publisher=Turning Point USA}} According to TPUSA's 2021 Investor Prospectus, the program—with a budget of $6.4 million—"will 'address America's crumbling religious foundation by engaging thousands of pastors nationwide' in order to 'breathe renewed civic engagement into our churches'."{{Cite news |last=Armiak |first=David |date=October 25, 2021 |title=Turning Point USA Seeks $43 Million to Escalate the Right's Culture War in American Schools |url=https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/10/25/turning-point-usa-seeks-43-million-to-escalate-the-rights-culture-war-in-american-schools/ |access-date=December 11, 2021 |publisher=Center for Media and Democracy}}

Council for National Policy and CNP Action

Kirk is the William F. Buckley, Jr. Council Member of the Council for National Policy (CNP), a group "that has served for decades as a hub for a nationwide network of conservative activists and the donors who support them,"{{Cite news |last=O'Harrow |first=Robert |date=October 14, 2020 |title=Videos show closed-door sessions of leading conservative activists: 'Be not afraid of the accusations that you're a voter suppressor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/council-national-policy-video/2020/10/14/367f24c2-f793-11ea-a510-f57d8ce76e11_story.html |access-date=October 28, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} according to the CNP's September 2020 membership directory leaked in February 2021.{{Cite web |title=CNP Membership Directory September 2020 |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273354-CNP-Membership-Directory-September-2020.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227084952/https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273354-CNP-Membership-Directory-September-2020.html |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |access-date=September 18, 2021}}{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Annie |date=March 24, 2021 |title=The Shadow Network (Council for National Policy) Is Not Going Away |url=https://billmoyers.com/story/the-shadow-network-council-for-national-policy-is-not-going-away/ |access-date=September 18, 2021 |website=billmoyers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=September 30, 2021 |title=Top Republicans rub shoulders with extremists in secretive rightwing group, leak reveals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/30/revealed-council-national-policy-republicans-extremists |access-date=October 28, 2021 |work=The Guardian}} He is a spokesperson for CNP Action, the political arm of the CNP.{{Cite web |title=CNP Action, Inc. |url=https://cfnp.org/cnp-action-inc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020213246/https://cfnp.org/cnp-action-inc/ |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |access-date=October 30, 2021 |website=cfnp.org}}

Mount Vernon Project

According to Kirk, the Mount Vernon Project is a movement to "recruit leaders to serve on the RNC (Republican National Committee) and at the state level who wish to better represent the grassroots voice."{{Cite news |last=Stanley-Baker |first=Isaac |date=23 December 2022 |title=Charlie Kirk delivers a warning to the RNC, and sparks a backlash |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/23/charlie-kirk-rnc-ronna-mcdaniel-harmeet-dhillon/ |access-date=24 December 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

Air Force Academy Board of Visitors

In March 2025, President Trump appointed Kirk to the United States Air Force Academy Board of Visitors. Other notable appointees made by Trump included senator Tommy Tuberville, Col. Doug Nikolai & Dina Powell.{{Cite news |last=Samuels |first=Brett |date=2025-03-17 |title=Trump appoints Charlie Kirk, Walt Nauta, Michael Flynn to military boards |url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5199551-trump-appoints-charlie-kirk-walt-nauta-michael-flynn-to-military-boards/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250320014742/https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5199551-trump-appoints-charlie-kirk-walt-nauta-michael-flynn-to-military-boards/ |archive-date=2025-03-20 |access-date=2025-03-26 |work=The Hill |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Starcevic |first=Seb |date=2025-03-17 |title=Trump stacks military academy boards with MAGA loyalists, including Michael Flynn and Charlie Kirk |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/17/michael-flynn-charlie-kirk-trump-appointments-00234637 |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

Talk radio host

In October 2020, Kirk began hosting a daily three-hour radio talk show, called The Charlie Kirk Show, on Salem Media's "The Answer" radio channel.{{Cite news |last=Robins-Early |first=Nick |date=November 2, 2020 |title=The Christian Radio Network Working To Reelect Trump |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-radio-christian-evangelical_n_5f9c79c2c5b616c2f31489b4 |access-date=May 9, 2021 |work=HuffPost}}{{Cite press release |title=SRN Adds The Charlie Kirk Show to Weekday Lineup |date=September 1, 2020 |location=Caramillo, CA |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005017/en/SRN-Adds-The-Charlie-Kirk-Show-to-Weekday-Lineup |access-date=November 25, 2020 |author=Salem Media Group |website=Business Wire}}

In 2024, NBC News reported that it was presented with internal data showing that Kirk's podcast is being downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times each day. It is currently ranked No. 13 on Apple Podcasts for news.{{Cite web |title=The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast - Listen, Reviews, Charts |url=https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-charlie-kirk-show |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=chartable.com}}{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Allan |last2=Gomez |first2=Henry J. |last3=Dixon |first3=Matt |last4=Hillyard |first4=Vaughn |date=2024-02-18 |title=Conservative activist Charlie Kirk helped oust Ronna McDaniel at the RNC. Now the knives are out for him. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/charlie-kirk-ronna-mcdaniel-rnc-trump-rcna139288 |access-date=2024-03-19 |work=NBC News |language=en}}

Political positions and activities

= 2024 Presidential election/'You're being brainwashed" tour =

Prior to the 2024 presidential election Charlie Kirk visited around 25 college campuses labeled as the "You're being brainwashed" tour, trying to stir up more gen-Z voter turnout by where he would engage/debate with students on many different relevant topics. According to Turning Point Action the tour produced around two billion viral views on social media.{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=Joshua Rhett Miller Chief Investigative |date=2024-11-08 |title=Charlie Kirk took conservatism to college campuses ahead of Trump's big win |url=https://www.newsweek.com/charlie-kirk-turning-point-trump-reelection-1983029 |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Newsweek |language=en}} The tour has been praised as having a "critical role" in helping Donald Trump get elected.{{Cite web |last=Aitken |first=Peter|date=2024-11-17 |title=Trump Is Picking the 'Avenger Squad' for Cabinet, Charlie Kirk Says |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-picking-avenger-squad-cabinet-charlie-kirk-1987225 |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Newsweek |language=en}} Kirk has aided the President elect in choosing leadership positions for his administration, including cabinet positions.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-12 |title=Trump is taking Charlie Kirk's advice on who will serve in his administration |url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/charlie-kirk-trump-administration-b2645711.html |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

=Promotion of falsehoods and conspiracy theories=

Kirk promotes the antisemitic Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory, and has described universities as "islands of totalitarianism".{{Cite journal |last=Braune |first=Joan |date=2019 |title=Who's Afraid of the Frankfurt School? 'Cultural Marxism' as an Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory |url=https://transformativestudies.org/wp-content/uploads/Joan-Braune.pdf |journal=Journal of Social Justice |location=New York City |publisher=Springer |volume=9}}{{Cite web |last= |title=Cambridge Union allowed far right-linked Turning Point to invite three members of their own debate opposition |url=https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/16994 |access-date=2020-11-09 |website=Varsity Online}} {{external media

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In a 2015 speech at the Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley, Kirk stated that he had applied to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and was not accepted. He said that "the slot he considered his went to 'a far less-qualified candidate of a different gender and a different persuasion'" whose test scores he claimed he knew. He told The New Yorker in 2017 that he was being sarcastic when he said it. He told the Chicago Tribune in 2018 that "he was just repeating something he'd been told,"{{Cite web |last=DePaolo |first=Joe |date=November 15, 2019 |title=Charlie Kirk Shouts 'Fake News' at a Town Hall Questioner for Asking About Something He Actually Said |url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/charlie-kirk-shouts-fake-news-at-a-town-hall-questioner-for-asking-about-something-he-actually-said/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008202705/https://www.mediaite.com/tv/charlie-kirk-shouts-fake-news-at-a-town-hall-questioner-for-asking-about-something-he-actually-said/ |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |access-date=September 20, 2020 |website=mediaite}} while at a New Hampshire Turning Point event featuring Rand Paul in October 2019 he claimed that he never said it.

On July 7, 2018, Kirk falsely claimed on social media that Justice Department statistics showed an increase in human trafficking arrests from 1,952 in the year 2016 to 6,087 in the first half of 2018. He deleted the tweet without an explanation the next day, after a fact-checker had pointed out that the false 2018 number had originated on a conspiracy site 8chan.{{Cite news |last=View |first=Travis |date=September 18, 2018 |title=How conspiracy theories spread from the Internet's darkest corners |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/09/18/how-conspiracy-theories-spread-internets-darkest-corners/ |access-date=May 6, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{Cite web |last=View |first=Travis |date=September 12, 2018 |title=How A QAnon Talking Point Traveled From 8Chan To Charlie Kirk's Twitter Account |url=https://contemptor.com/2018/09/12/charlie-kirk-qanon-deleted-tweet/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506174037/https://contemptor.com/2018/09/12/charlie-kirk-qanon-deleted-tweet/ |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |access-date=May 6, 2021 |website=Contemptor}}

In December 2018, Kirk falsely claimed that protesters in the French yellow vests movement chanted "We want Trump." These false claims were later repeated by President Trump himself.{{Cite web|first1=Louis |last1=Baudoin-Laarman |first2=Guillaume |last2=Daudin |date=December 4, 2018 |title=No, French protesters are not chanting, 'We want Trump' |url=https://factcheck.afp.com/no-french-protesters-are-not-chanting-we-want-trump |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208222105/https://factcheck.afp.com/no-french-protesters-are-not-chanting-we-want-trump |archive-date=December 8, 2018 |access-date=December 8, 2018 |website=AFP Fact Check |language=en}}

In defending the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kirk falsely stated that during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic it "took President Barack Obama 'millions infected and over 1,000 deaths'" to declare a public health emergency.{{Cite web |last=Fichera |first=Angelo |date=March 31, 2020 |title=Flawed Comparison on Coronavirus, H1N1 Emergency Timelines |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/flawed-comparison-on-coronavirus-h1n1-emergency-timelines/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413043721/https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/flawed-comparison-on-coronavirus-h1n1-emergency-timelines/ |archive-date=April 13, 2020 |access-date=May 19, 2020 |website=FactCheck.org |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last1=Qiu |first1=Linda |last2=Bouchard |first2=Mikayla |date=March 5, 2020 |title=Tracking Trump's Claims on the Threat From Coronavirus |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-fact-check.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518103658/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-fact-check.html |archive-date=May 18, 2020 |access-date=May 19, 2020 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

Kirk has spread falsehoods about voter fraud{{Cite news |first=Elizabeth |last=Culliford |date=February 4, 2020 |title=REFILE-Iowa official slams viral claim of suspicious voter registration activity as false |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-iowa-misinformation-idUSL1N2A31MT/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205165411/https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-iowa-misinformation-idUSL1N2A31MT |archive-date=February 5, 2020 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |work=Reuters}}{{Cite web |date=3 February 2020 |title=Report about potential Iowa voter fraud is false |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/feb/03/charlie-kirk/conservative-organizations-are-spreading-misinform/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525095204/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/feb/03/charlie-kirk/conservative-organizations-are-spreading-misinform/ |archive-date=May 25, 2020 |access-date=May 17, 2020 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US}} and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Forbes, Kirk is known for "his repudiation of liberal college education and embrace of pro-Trump conspiracy theories."

=Racial issues and opinions on Martin Luther King Jr. =

Kirk has said that the concept of white privilege is a myth and a "racist lie."{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Brendan Joel |title=Turning Point USA's blooming romance with the alt-right |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/02/16/turning-point-usas-blooming-romance-alt-right |access-date=30 June 2021 |website=splcenter.org |date=February 16, 2018 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Charlie |title='White Privilege' is a Racist Lie |url=https://www.tpusa.com/live/white-privilege-is-a-racist-lie-2 |access-date=30 June 2021 |website=tpusa.com |date=April 7, 2021 |publisher=Turning Point USA}} Kirk served on President Donald Trump's 1776 Commission, a response to the 1619 Project.{{Cite web |last=Kotch |first=Alex |date=March 17, 2021 |title=The Right's Campaign to Erase America's Racist Roots |url=https://www.prwatch.org/news/2021/03/13701/rights-campaign-erase-americas-racist-roots |access-date=13 September 2021 |website=prwatch.org |publisher=PR Watch}} Assuming "more hard-right positions", he said that Democratic immigration policies were aimed at "diminishing and decreasing white demographics in America".{{Cite news |last=Rumpf |first=Sarah |date=September 23, 2021 |title=Charlie Kirk Wants to Start a Border Militia to Protect 'White Demographics in America' |url=https://www.mediaite.com/radio/charlie-kirk-wants-to-start-a-border-militia-to-protect-white-demographics-in-america/ |access-date=October 24, 2021 |work=Mediaite}} In October 2021, Kirk began the "Exposing Critical Racism Tour" of a number of campuses and off-campus venues to "fight racist theories on America's college campuses!!"{{Cite news |last= |date=September 8, 2021 |title=Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Coming To Mankato |url=https://www.southernminnesotanews.com/right-wing-activist-charlie-kirk-coming-to-mankato/ |access-date=9 September 2021 |work=Southern Minnesota News}}{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=Riley |date=October 19, 2021 |title=After finding a venue, Charlie Kirk brings his show to Burlington |url=https://vtdigger.org/2021/10/19/after-finding-a-venue-charlie-kirk-brings-his-show-to-burlington/ |access-date=October 24, 2021 |work=VTDigger}} On the Minnesota leg of the tour on October 5, 2021, Kirk called George Floyd a "scumbag" and appeared to refer to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol when he said that "if you dare walk into the U.S. Capitol building and take a selfie, they'll put you in solitary confinement."{{Cite web |last=Eischens |first=Rilyn |date=October 6, 2021 |title=Right-wing celeb Charlie Kirk thinks George Floyd is a 'scumbag' |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/hagedorn-munson-attend-charlie-kirk-speech-in-mankato/ |access-date=October 24, 2021 |website=Minnesota Reformer}}

In a November 2021 Fox News article, Kirk wrote that state power should be used to stop teachers from indoctrinating children with critical race theory: "directly confronting the left, and promising to fight their illiberal ideology with state power when necessary, is the key to winning everyday Americans."{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Charlie |date=November 5, 2021 |title=Charlie Kirk: What Youngkin's victory tells us about Trump and the conservative movement |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/youngkin-victory-conservative-movement-charlie-kirk |access-date=9 November 2021 |publisher=Fox News}}{{Cite magazine |last=Turton |first=William |date=12 January 2024 |title=How Charlie Kirk Plans to Discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act |url=https://www.wired.com/story/charlie-kirk-tpusa-mlk-civil-rights-act/ |access-date=13 January 2024 |magazine=Wired}}

Kirk praised Martin Luther King Jr. prior to December 2023, variously calling him a "hero" and a "civil rights icon"; that December, however, he used a speech at AmericaFest to describe him as "awful … not a good person" and as someone who is admired only because he "said one thing he didn't actually believe." The speech also saw Kirk condemn the Civil Rights Act of 1964, calling its passage a "huge mistake" and alleging that it had created a "permanent DEI-type bureaucracy". Kirk told the New York Times “I take the Caldwellian view, from his book ‘The Age of Entitlement,’ that we went through a new founding in the ’60s and that the Civil Rights Act has actually superseded the U.S. Constitution as its reference point. In fact, I bet if you polled Americans, most of them would have more reverence for the Civil Rights Act than the Constitution. I could be wrong,” he added, “but I think I’m right.”{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=Robert |date=2025-02-10 |title=How Charlie Kirk Became the Youth Whisperer of the American Right |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/magazine/charlie-kirk-american-right.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In January 2024, Kirk said that a "myth" had been created around King which had "grown totally out of control" and that King was currently "the most honored, worshiped, even deified person of the 20th century" despite "most people" supposedly disliking him during his life. Responding to accusations by Malcolm Kenyatta that he was working to undermine King and the Voting Rights Act, Kirk called this claim "a lie" and "fear-mongering", and added that telling the "truth" about King "should not be trampling sacred ground" since he was "just a man ... a very flawed one at that" and a "mythological anti-racist creation of the 1960s." Kirk later claimed to have "found the sacred cow of modern America" in criticizing King.{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Anna |date=15 January 2024 |title=Charlie Kirk Flips on Martin Luther King Jr., Attacks Growing 'Myth' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/charlie-kirk-flips-martin-luther-king-jr-attacks-growing-myth-1860839 |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=Newsweek}}

Also in January, 2024, Kirk blamed DEI programs for national aviation issues, saying "If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, 'Boy, I hope he's qualified.'"{{Cite news |last1=Haberman |first1=Maggie |last2=Gold |first2=Michael |last3=Goldmacher |first3=Shane |date=2024-03-12 |title=Trump Courts Black Voters Even as He Traffics in Stereotypes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/politics/trump-black-voters.html |access-date=2024-03-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last=Freeman |first=Mike |title=A story about sports, Black History Month, a racist comment, and the greatest of pilots |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/mike-freeman/2024/02/04/charlie-kirk-black-pilot-comment-tuskegee-airmen/72412319007/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |work=USA Today |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Ingram |first=David |date=2024-01-28 |title=How right-wing influencers turned airplanes and airports into culture war battlegrounds |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/airline-airport-united-delta-dei-migration-spirit-rcna135098 |access-date=2024-03-29 |work=NBC News |language=en}} He had previously expressed opposition to DEI programs describing them as "anti-White."{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=Former BLM activist: DEI is a fancy way to say anti-White |url=https://www.foxnews.com/video/6323049282112 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}} NBC News further reported that Kirk's comments about DEI programs and his comment about Black or African American airline pilots resulted in ongoing conflict with the Republican National Committee over outreach to Black voters.

= Abortion =

In a debate hosted by Jubilee Media, Kirk argued that there may be situations wherein abortion could be medically necessary if the mother's life is at risk. However, he also argued that abortion is murder and should be illegal. He is against exceptions for rape.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV29R1M25n8 |title=Can 25 Liberal College Students Outsmart 1 Conservative? (feat. Charlie Kirk) {{!}} Surrounded |date=2024-09-08 |last=Jubilee |access-date=2024-12-30 |via=YouTube}}

=Climate change=

Kirk has consistently supported the extraction and use of fossil fuels. He is a climate change denialist, falsely claiming that humans have no significant effect on global climate change.{{Cite web |last=Ferderer |first=Jackson |title=Charlie Kirk's appearance isn't worth your time |url=https://dailyevergreen.com/24984/opinion/charlie-kirks-appearance-isnt-worth-your-time/ |access-date=30 June 2021 |website=dailyevergreen.com |publisher=Daily Evergreen}}{{Cite web |last=Bellanger |first=Boris |date=April 16, 2021 |title=In viral Turning Point USA video, Candace Owens and Charlie Kirk falsely claim there is no evidence of global warming and scientists don't know the cause |url=https://science.feedback.org/review/in-viral-turning-point-usa-video-candace-owens-and-charlie-kirk-falsely-claim-there-is-no-evidence-of-global-warming-and-scientists-dont-know-the-cause/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=Science Feedback |publisher=Climate Feedback}}

=Republican and pro-Trump activism=

File:Donald Trump & Charlie Kirk (51335308796).jpg at a rally in 2021]]

Kirk addressed the 2016 Republican National Convention.{{Cite web |title=Republican National Convention, Day 1 Afternoon Session |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?412399-1/day-republican-national-convention-afternoon-session |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=c-span.org}} In an interview with Wired magazine during the convention, Kirk said that while he "was not the world's biggest Donald Trump fan," he would vote for him, and that Trump's candidacy made Turning Point's mission more difficult.{{Cite magazine |last=Lapowsky |first=Issie |date=July 20, 2016 |title=At the Republican Convention, Millennials Search for Signs of the Future |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/07/republican-convention-millennials-search-signs-future/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021060017/https://www.wired.com/2016/07/republican-convention-millennials-search-signs-future/ |archive-date=October 21, 2017 |access-date=January 31, 2018 |magazine=Wired}} Kirk flipped to supporting Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention and spent the remainder of the campaign assisting with travel and media arrangements for Donald Trump Jr.{{Cite news |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Rogers |first2=Katie |date=April 19, 2020 |title=For Charlie Kirk, Conservative Activist, the Virus Is a Cudgel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/us/politics/charlie-kirk-conservatives-coronavirus.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419091021/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/us/politics/charlie-kirk-conservatives-coronavirus.html |archive-date=April 19, 2020 |access-date=May 5, 2021 |work=The New York Times}}

In October 2016, Kirk participated in a Fox News event along with Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Lara Trump that had a pro-Donald Trump tone.{{Cite news |last=Vasquez |first=Michael |date=May 7, 2017 |title=Inside a Stealth Plan for Political Influence |url=http://www.chronicle.com/article/Inside-a-Stealth-Plan-for/240008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916125911/http://www.chronicle.com/article/Inside-a-Stealth-Plan-for/240008 |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017 |work=The Chronicle of Higher Education |language=en-US |issn=0009-5982}}

In July 2019, Kirk became chairman of Students for Trump, which had been acquired by Turning Point Action, and launched a campaign to recruit one million students for the 2020 Trump reelection campaign.{{Cite web |last=Singman |first=Brooke |date=July 2019 |title=Charlie Kirk launches GOTV campaign to enlist 1 million 'Students for Trump' in 2020 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirk-launches-gotv-campaign-to-enlist-students-for-trump-on-campus |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719173123/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirk-launches-gotv-campaign-to-enlist-students-for-trump-on-campus |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |access-date=July 19, 2019 |website=Fox News}} The unsuccessful effort led to TPUSA and the Trump campaign blaming each other for an overall decline in youth support for Trump.

At an August 2020 meeting of the Council for National Policy, Kirk said: "Democrats have done a really foolish thing by shutting down all these campuses... It's gonna remove ballot harvesting opportunities and all their voter fraud that they usually do on college campuses – so they're actually removing half a million votes off the table. So please keep the campuses closed – it's a great thing. Whatever!"{{Cite news |last=O'Harrow |first=Robert |date=October 14, 2020 |title=Videos show closed-door sessions of leading conservative activists: 'Be not afraid of the accusations that you're a voter suppressor' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/council-national-policy-video/2020/10/14/367f24c2-f793-11ea-a510-f57d8ce76e11_story.html |access-date=October 22, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

The New York Times argued that Kirk "[walks] the line between mainstream conservative opinion and outright disinformation" and that "with a powerful ally in the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., Mr. Kirk both amplifies the president's message and helps shape it.

=COVID-19 misinformation=

File:Simone Gold and Charlie Kirk.jpg, founder of America's Frontline Doctors, at a TPUSA forum in 2020]]

Kirk spread false information and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 on social media platforms, such as Twitter, in 2020. Kirk sharply criticized Democrats' criticism of Donald Trump's withdrawal of World Health Organization (WHO) funding and referred to COVID-19 as the "China virus", which was retweeted by Trump.

Kirk alleged that the WHO covered up information about the COVID-19 pandemic. He was briefly banned from Twitter after falsely claiming that hydroxychloroquine had proved to be "100% effective in treating the virus"; He alleged Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, threatened doctors who tried to use the medication. These falsehoods were retweeted by Rudy Giuliani whose account was then suspended by Twitter as well.{{Cite news |last=Porter |first=Tom |date=March 29, 2020 |title=Twitter deleted a tweet by Rudy Giuliani for spreading coronavirus misinformation |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-twitter-deletes-giuliani-tweet-for-spreading-misinformation-2020-3 |access-date=May 5, 2021 |work=Business Insider}} Kirk also described the public health measure of social distancing prohibitions in churches as a "Democratic plot against Christianity" and made the unfounded assertion that authorities in Wuhan, China, were burning patients. In 2020, Kirk said that he refused to abide by mask requirements, stating that "the science around masks is very questionable."{{Cite web |last=Solender |first=Andrew |title=Trump Gives Conservative Youth Activist Charlie Kirk 'Patriotic Education' Post During Last-Minute Hiring Blitz |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/12/18/trump-gives-conservative-youth-activist-charlie-kirk-patriotic-education-post-during-last-minute-hiring-blitz/ |access-date=2020-12-21 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Ecarma |first=Caleb |date=December 18, 2020 |title=Thousands of Young Conservatives May Hold Blowout Conference in Florida, COVID Be Damned |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/12/young-conservatives-blowout-conference-florida |access-date=2020-12-21 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-us}}

In July 2021, Kirk promoted misleading claims about the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. On Fox News' Tucker Carlson show, Kirk called student mandatory requirements for taking the COVID-19 vaccine "medical apartheid".{{Cite magazine |last=Levin |first=Bess |date=July 8, 2021 |title='Apartheid-Style, Open-Air Hostage Situation': Conservatives Lose Their Minds Over Biden's Vaccination Push |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/07/charlie-kirk-republicans-vaccine-push |access-date=12 July 2021 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}

=Election fraud claims and the 2021 United States Capitol attack=

Immediately after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Kirk promoted false and disproven claims of fraud in the election.{{Cite web |last=Budryk |first=Zack |date=2020-12-15 |title=Geraldo Rivera, Charlie Kirk clash over voter fraud: 'That is so dishonest' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/530239-geraldo-rivera-charlie-kirk-clash-over-voter-fraud-that-is-so-dishonest |access-date=2020-12-18 |website=TheHill |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Collman |first=Ashley |title=Fox News star Geraldo Rivera called out die-hard Trump fan Charlie Kirk for continuing to push voter-fraud theories after the Electoral College confirmed Biden's victory |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/geraldo-rivera-to-charlie-kirk-stop-denying-trump-loss-2020-12 |date=15 December 2020 |access-date=2020-12-18 |website=Business Insider}} On November 5, 2020, Kirk was the leader of a Stop the Steal protest at the Maricopa Tabulation Center in Phoenix.{{Cite web |last=Armiak |first=David |date=November 6, 2020 |title=Operatives tied to Council for National Policy Organizing Protests Alleging Voter Fraud |url=https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2020/11/06/operatives-tied-to-council-for-national-policy-organizing-protests-alleging-voter-fraud/ |access-date=13 September 2021 |website=exposedbycmd.org |publisher=The Center for Media and Democracy}}

Charlie Kirk was considered a "big name" social influencer in Rudy Giuliani's communications plan to overturn the 2020 election.{{Cite web |title=Strategic Communications Plan Giuliani Presidential Legal Defense Team |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/january-6-clearinghouse-strategic-communications-plan-giuliani-presidential-legal-defense-team-bernard-kerik-documents.pdf |access-date=24 December 2022 |website=justsecurity.org |publisher=House January 6 Committee}}

On January 5, 2021, the day before the Washington, D.C. protest that led to the storming of the United States Capitol, Kirk wrote on Twitter that Turning Point Action and Students for Trump were sending more than 80 "buses of patriots to D.C. to fight for this president".{{Cite tweet |number=1346271038011625472 |user=charliekirk11 |title=This historic event will likely be one of the largest and most consequential in American history The team at @TrumpStudents & Turning Point Action are honored to help make this happen, sending 80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president |first=Charlie |last=Kirk |access-date=2021-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105014339/https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1346271038011625472 |archive-date=2021-01-05 |url=https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1346271038011625472}} A spokesman for Turning Point said that the groups ended up sending seven buses, not 80, with 350 students.{{Cite news |last=Qiu |first=Linda |date=2020-09-16 |title=No, there is no evidence that Ginni Thomas paid for buses to bring people to the Capitol siege. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/2020-election-misinformation-distortions |access-date=2021-01-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last1=Tanfani |first1=Joseph |last2=Berens |first2=Michael |last3=Parker |first3=Ned |date=2021-01-12 |title=How Trump's pied pipers rallied a faithful mob to the Capitol |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-organizers-insight-idUSKBN29G2UP |access-date=2021-01-12 |work=Reuters |language=en}} In the lead-up to the storming, Kirk said he was "getting 500 emails a minute calling for a civil war."{{Cite news |last=Cerabino |first=Frank |title=Cerabino: Pence missed chance in West Palm last month to alert U.S. to its domestic terror problem |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/columns/2021/01/11/cerabino-vp-pence-missed-chance-florida-honest-his-role-vote/6626927002/ |access-date=8 July 2021 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=11 January 2021 }} Publix heiress Julie Fancelli gave Charlie Kirk's organizations $1.25 million to fund the buses to the January 6 event. Kirk also paid $60,000 for Kimberly Guilfoyle to speak at the Trump rally.{{Cite news |last1=Stanley-Becker |first1=Isaac |last2=Reinhard |first2=Beth |title=Publix heiress was willing to spend $3 million on Jan. 6 rally, documents show |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/22/publix-heiress-jan-6-financing/ |access-date=24 December 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post}}

Afterward, Kirk said the violent acts at the Capitol were not an insurrection and did not represent mainstream Trump supporters.{{Cite web |last=Halon |first=Yael |date=2021-01-10 |title=Kirk: Despite what the media claims, Trump supporters are 'repulsed' by Capitol riots |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/charlie-kirk-trump-capitol-riots-gop |access-date=2021-01-12 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |first=Ewan |last=Palmer |date=2021-01-12 |title=Charlie Kirk says Capitol attack was not insurrection after deleting "80+ buses" tweet |url=https://www.newsweek.com/charlie-kirk-insurrection-buses-washington-tweet-1560727 |access-date=2021-01-12 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}

Appearing before the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, Charlie Kirk pleaded the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. His team however "provided the committee with 8,000 pages of records in response to its requests."{{Cite web |date=22 December 2022 |last=Hansen |first=Ronald J. |title=Kelli Ward, Charlie Kirk had little to say to Jan. 6 investigators about 2020 election efforts |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2022/12/22/kelli-ward-and-charlie-kirk-had-little-to-say-in-capitol-riot-probe/69749643007/ |access-date=24 December 2022 |website=azcentral.com |publisher=AZ Central}} In another closed-door meeting of the House January 6 Committee, Ali Alexander blamed Kirk and Turning Point USA for financing the travel of demonstrators to the Stop the Steal rally.{{Cite news |last=Petrizzo |first=Zachary |date=December 28, 2022 |title=Jan. 6 Organizer Turns on Right-Wing Youth Org in Capitol Riot Blame-Fest |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/jan-6-organizer-ali-alexander-blames-turning-point-usa-for-capitol-riot |access-date=28 December 2022 |work=The Daily Beast |publisher=Daily Beast}}

= School board activism =

In May 2021, Kirk tweeted for parents to protest at school board meetings urging parents to stand up and push back on mask mandates and the teaching of critical race theory.{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Julia Carrie |author-link=Julia Carrie Wong |date=2021-08-24 |title=Masks off: how US school boards became 'perfect battlegrounds' for vicious culture wars |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/24/mask-mandates-covid-school-boards |access-date=2023-07-12 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

=Views on relationships and "sexual anarchy"=

In October 2021, Kirk said on his podcast that Democrats wanted Americans to live where "there is no cultural identity, where you live in sexual anarchy, where private property is a thing of the past, and the ruling class controls everything." Following social media backlash, he released a statement on the website of the Claremont Institute doubling down on and expanding his remarks.{{Cite news |last=O'Dell |first=Liam |date=October 9, 2021 |title=Charlie Kirk roasted for saying Democrats want Americans to live in 'sexual anarchy' |url=https://www.indy100.com/news/charlie-kirk-sexual-anarchy-democrats-b1935376 |access-date=November 6, 2021 |work=Indy100}}{{Cite news |last=Rumpf |first=Sarah |date=October 8, 2021 |title=Charlie Kirk Warns That Democrats Want You to 'Live in Sexual Anarchy' and Twitter Wants to Know Why He Can't Comb His Hair |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/charlie-kirk-warns-that-democrats-want-you-to-live-in-sexual-anarchy-and-twitter-wants-to-know-why-he-cant-comb-his-hair/ |access-date=November 6, 2021 |work=Mediaite}}{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Charlie |date=October 14, 2021 |title=On Sexual Anarchy |url=https://americanmind.org/salvo/on-sexual-anarchy/ |access-date=21 October 2021 |website=americanmind.org |publisher=Claremont Institute}}

According to Media Matters, at the TPUSA Young Women's Leadership Summit 2022 Conference, Kirk said that the "biblical model" for women to pursue in romantic relationships is a partner who is "a protector and a leader, and deep down, a vast majority of you agree" and that "if you want to go meet conservative men that have their act together, that aren't like, woke beta men, like, start a Turning Point USA chapter, you'll meet a lot of them."{{Cite web |last=Peltz |first=Madeline |date=June 5, 2022 |title=Turning Point USA conference for young women leaders suggests their role is to get married and have babies |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/turning-point-usa-conference-young-women-leaders-suggests-their-role-get-married-and |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en}}

Kirk has advocated for parents to never let their daughters receive prescriptions for birth control medication for any reason. He claimed that the medication makes women angry and bitter, which he alleged suited the political leanings of the Democratic Party.{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-04-03 |title=Pro-Trump Activist Says Birth Control 'Screws Up Female Brains' |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/charlie-kirk-pro-trump-activist-says-birth-control-screws-up-female-brains-women-above-are-not-date-able-article-108986508 |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=TimesNow |language=en}}

= 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine =

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kirk characterized the conflict as a "border dispute" and spread false claims from Russian state media that Ukraine was firing mortar shells at a Russian separatist enclave in Ukraine.{{Cite news |last1=Frenkel |first1=Sheera |last2=Thompson |first2=Stuart A. |date=2022-03-23 |title=How Russia and Right-Wing Americans Converged on War in Ukraine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/technology/russia-american-far-right-ukraine.html |access-date=2022-03-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

At the February 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference, Kirk said that "The southern border matters a lot more than the Ukrainian border" and that "In fact, I want every Republican leader who comes up on stage the next couple days to call what's happening on the southern border an invasion because two million people waltzed into our country last year."{{Cite magazine |last=Wade |first=Peter |date=2022-02-24 |title=Charlie Kirk Barely Out-Duels Ted Cruz for Worst CPAC Ukraine Take |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/charlie-kirk-barely-out-duels-ted-cruz-for-worst-cpac-ukraine-take-1312189/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

= LGBT issues =

According to a 2024 NBC News report, Kirk was relatively secular regarding LGBT issues in 2018, but shifted towards more socially conservative stances.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-12 |title=Charlie Kirk once pushed a 'secular worldview.' Now he's fighting to make America Christian again. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/charlie-kirk-turning-point-donald-trump-christian-nationalism-rcna156565 |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Kirk has argued there is an "LGBTQ agenda", and opposes gay marriage.{{Cite web |last1=Ronen |first1=Tomer |last2=Patra |first2=Sreejita |date=5 September 2024 |title=Charlie Kirk floats controversy on Library Mall |url=https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/09/charlie-kirk-challenges-students-to-prove-me-wrong-in-provocative-uw-madison-visit |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=The Daily Cardinal |language=en}}

Kirk has argued against gender affirming care for transgender people, saying "We must ban trans-affirming care — the entire country. Donald Trump needs to run on this issue", according to Media Matters.{{Cite web |author=Media Matters Staff |date=2024-04-01 |title=Charlie Kirk: "We must ban trans-affirming care — the entire country. Donald Trump needs to run on this issue." |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-we-must-ban-trans-affirming-care-entire-country-donald-trump-needs-run |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en}}

Conflict with the Republican National Committee

In December 2022, Kirk warned the Republican National Committee that they needed to listen to their grassroots voters or face the consequences of ignoring them. Kirk stated that "If ignored, we will have the most stunted and muted Republican Party in the history of the conservative movement, the likes of which we haven't seen in generations."

Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty

In November 2019, Kirk and Jerry Falwell Jr. co-founded the "Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty", a right-wing think-tank funded, owned and housed by Liberty University.{{Cite web |last=Seltzer |first=Rick |title='Pray for Our President': A Liberty University think tank pushed the boundaries on political advertising and messaging this year. |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/30/liberty-universitys-falkirk-think-tank-pushed-boundaries-political-messaging |access-date=10 December 2020 |website=Inside Higher Education}}{{Cite web |last=Parke |first=Caleb |date=December 2, 2019 |title=Kirk, Falwell Jr. launch Liberty University think tank to fight attacks on Judeo-Christian values |url=https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/falkirk-liberty-university-jesus-constitution-christian-think-tank |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=Fox News}}{{Cite news |last=Graham |first=Ruth |date=March 26, 2021 |title=Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Leaves Liberty University Think Tank |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/us/charlie-kirk-liberty-falwell-falkirk.html |access-date=April 2, 2021 |work=The New York Times}} Fellows included Antonio Okafor, director of outreach for Gun Owners of America; Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Trump; and Jenna Ellis, a senior legal counselor for Trump.{{Cite web |last=Troutman |first=Hattie |date=January 20, 2020 |title=What is the Falkirk Center? Liberty University joins Charlie Kirk to create a new kind of think tank to promote faith and liberty on college campuses |url=https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2020/01/what-is-the-falkirk-center-liberty-university-joins-charlie-kirk-to-create-a-new-kind-of-think-tank-to-promote-faith-and-liberty-on-college-campuses/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105010309/https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2020/01/what-is-the-falkirk-center-liberty-university-joins-charlie-kirk-to-create-a-new-kind-of-think-tank-to-promote-faith-and-liberty-on-college-campuses/ |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |access-date=31 October 2020 |website=liberty.edu |publisher=Liberty University Champion}} In 2020, the Falkirk Center spent at least $50,000 on political Facebook advertisements promoting Trump and Republican candidates.{{Cite news |last=Severns |first=Maggie |date=December 14, 2020 |title=In final years at Liberty, Falwell spent millions on pro-Trump causes |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/14/jerry-falwell-trump-liberty-university-444661 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=POLITICO |language=en}}

Students and alumni raised objections about the organization's aggressive political tone, which they considered to be inconsistent with the university's mission. Falwell resigned as president of Liberty University in August 2020, and the university did not renew Kirk's one-year contract in late 2020. In 2021, the university renamed the organization "Standing for Freedom Center".

Awards, achievements and honors

Kirk was listed on the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Law & Policy.{{Cite web |last=Howard |first=Caroline |date=November 14, 2017 |title=30 Under 30 Class Of 2018: The Young Stars, Visionaries And Creative Disruptors |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2017/11/14/30-under-30-class-of-2018-the-young-stars-visionaries-and-creative-disruptors/ |access-date=April 5, 2021 |website=Forbes}}{{Cite web |editor1-first=Jeremy |editor1-last=Bogaisky |editor2-first=Christopher |editor2-last=Denhart |editor3-first=Derek |editor3-last=Draplin |editor4-first=Avik |editor4-last=Roy |title=30 under 30 Law and Policy |url=https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2018/law-policy/#249ed69b361b |access-date=April 5, 2021 |website=Forbes}}

In May 2019, Kirk was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities (D.Hum.) from Liberty University.{{Cite web |last=Liberty University News Service |title=Vice President Mike Pence challenges 2019 grads to 'go forth for Liberty' |url=http://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=332894 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207063406/http://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=332894 |archive-date=December 7, 2019 |access-date=July 20, 2019 |website=liberty.edu}}

Kirk was appointed by President Donald Trump to a commission promoting "patriotic education".{{Cite web |last=Solender |first=Andrew |title=Trump Gives Conservative Youth Activist Charlie Kirk 'Patriotic Education' Post During Last-Minute Hiring Blitz |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/12/18/trump-gives-conservative-youth-activist-charlie-kirk-patriotic-education-post-during-last-minute-hiring-blitz/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

Books

Kirk co-wrote, with Brent Hamachek, the 2016 book Time for a Turning Point: Setting a Course Toward Free Markets and Limited Government for Future Generations (Simon & Schuster).{{Cite book |last1=Kirk |first1=Charlie |title=Time for a turning point : setting a course towards free markets and limited government for future generations |last2=Hamachek |first2=Brent |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-68261-247-7 |publication-place=New York |oclc=952648187}}

Kirk wrote the 2018 book Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can WIN the Battle on Campus and Why It Matters. Donald Trump Jr. wrote the foreword for the book.{{Cite web |title=Donald Trump Jr. - The foreword is the best part, obviously... because I wrote it. The rest is really good too. Check out Campus Battlefield by my buddy Charlie Kirk |url=https://www.facebook.com/295644160460352/photos/a.319839844707450/2180475725310510/ |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=facebook.com |language=en}} In a review for The Weekly Standard, Adam Rubenstein described the book as a "hot mess", "nothing more than a marketing pitch for TPUSA" and said the "thin" book was "stuffed with reprintings of his tweets and quotes from others."{{Cite news |first=Adam |last=Rubenstein |date=October 10, 2018 |title=Charlie Kirk's Campus Battlefield Is a Hot Mess |url=https://www.weeklystandard.com/adam-rubenstein/charlie-kirks-book-campus-battlefield-is-a-joke |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010183846/https://www.weeklystandard.com/adam-rubenstein/charlie-kirks-book-campus-battlefield-is-a-joke |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |access-date=October 10, 2018 |work=The Weekly Standard |language=en}}

In 2020, Kirk's book The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas That Will Win the Future was published.{{Cite news |last=Debenedetti |first=Gabriel |date=April 17, 2020 |title=Three Views of Donald Trump |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/books/review/jonathan-karl-front-row-at-the-trump-show.html |access-date=29 June 2021 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |last=Donoghue |first=Steve |date=March 7, 2020 |title=The MAGA Doctrine by Charlie Kirk |url=https://openlettersreview.com/posts/the-maga-doctrine-by-charlie-kirk |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=Open Letters Review}}

In 2022, Kirk's fourth book, The College Scam: How America's Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America's Youth was published.{{Cite news |last=Ruelas |first=Richard |title=Charlie Kirk, Turning Point founder, to headline fundraiser for Arizona State University center |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2022/11/11/charlie-kirk-turning-point-fundraise-arizona-state-university-center/10664156002/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |work=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}

In 2024, Kirk's book, Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West, was released.Kirk, Charlie. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qbdw0AEACAAJ Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West]. Google Books, Jun 18, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.

Media

As of December 7, 2021, The Charlie Kirk Show podcast was ranked as the 21st most popular podcast on Apple Podcasts.{{Cite web |last=Winn |first=Ross |date=May 21, 2018 |title=Top 100 US Podcasts (Apple Podcasts Top Charts) |url=https://www.podcastinsights.com/top-us-podcasts/ |access-date=15 November 2021 |website=podcastinsights.com |publisher=Podcast Insights}} Kirk's "Turning Point Live" is a three-hour streaming talk show aimed at Generation Z. Turning Point USA's monthly online average has grown to 111,000 unique visitors in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Thomas |date=November 17, 2021 |title=How a right-wing provocateur is using race to reach Gen Z |url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-entertainment-business-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-5b57b4178fec39f30f3caad77b93c087 |access-date=18 November 2021 |website=Associated Press }} A February 2023 Brookings Institution study found Kirk's podcast contained the second-highest proportion of false, misleading and unsubstantiated statements among 36,603 episodes produced by 79 prominent political podcasters.{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Stuart A. |date=February 9, 2023 |title=Steve Bannon's Podcast Is Top Misinformation Spreader, Study Says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/technology/podcasts-steve-bannon-war-room-misinformation.html |work=The New York TImes}}

In 2022, journalist Bari Weiss released a report of internal Twitter documents dubbed "The Twitter Files", which alleged that Twitter was censoring conservative personalities on the social media platform. Weiss posted screenshots of Twitter tools that moderators could use to limit the reach of posts and accounts. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Kirk's Twitter account was flagged under "do not amplify", which meant algorithms would not highlight tweets coming from those accounts.{{Cite magazine |last=Dickinson |first=Tim |date=2022-12-09 |title=Latest 'Twitter Files' Allege Blacklisting of Conservatives |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/twitter-files-part-two-blacklisting-conservatives-1234644373/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=2022-12-14 |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Hewitt |first=Hugh |title=I defended Twitter to other conservatives. I was wrong. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/13/twitter-files-shadow-banning-conservatives-bari-weiss/ |date=2022-12-13 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=2022-12-14 |department=Opinion |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

Kirk has also made an appearance on Gavin Newsom's podcast, This is Gavin Newsom.

Personal life

File:Erika Frantzve, Miss Arizona USA.jpg in 2012]]

Kirk is an evangelical Christian.{{Cite news |last=Crump |first=James |date=19 October 2020 |title=Charlie Kirk's Twitter account locked for spreading misinformation about mail-in votes |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/charlie-kirk-twitter-mail-in-ballot-misinformation-turning-point-usa-trump-b1157145.html |access-date=2020-11-13 |work=The Independent}} In May 2021, Kirk married Erika Frantzve (born 1988), a podcaster and businesswoman who won the Miss Arizona USA pageant competition in 2012.{{Cite web |date=July 27, 2021 |title=Who Is Charlie Kirk Married To? Inside Conservative Activist's Wedding Details and Wife |url=https://hollywoodmask.com/entertainment/charlie-kirk-married.html |access-date=March 19, 2022 |publisher=HollywoodMask}}{{Cite web |last=Munoz |first=Marisol |title=Erika Frantzve: more than just a pretty face |url=https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/features/afm-vip/3783-erika-frantzve-more-than-just-a-pretty-face.html |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=AZFoothills.com |language=en-US}} The couple's first child, a daughter, was born in August 2022.{{Cite Instagram |postid=Ch2W1Fcpnv7 |user=charliekirk1776 |title=Welcome to the world baby girl. We love you so much.❤️ Erika did so so well, praise God! 🙏 |first=Charlie |last=Kirk |date=2022-08-29 |access-date=2022-11-28 |language=en}} The couple's second child, a son, was born in May 2024.{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Charlie |date=May 20, 2024 |title=Glory be to God for the birth of our Son! Erika did so amazing, I am so proud of her! |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1019326026217318&id=100044197895731&set=a.419182956231631 |access-date=2024-08-27 |website=www.facebook.com}}{{clear}}

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{Cite news |last=Thalen |first=Mikael |date=2021-01-10 |title=Charlie Kirk deletes tweet saying he sent '80+ buses full of patriots' to D.C. |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/charlie-kirk-delete-tweet-buses-capitol/ |access-date=2021-01-16 |work=Daily Dot |quote=The deleted tweet, uncovered by the Daily Dot on Saturday, was posted just two days before Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.}}

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