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Charlie Kirk’s assassination has rendered him a conservative martyr, with Donald Trump even speculating that he might have aspired to be president one day.
The 31-year-old left behind two young children and a heartbroken wife, Erika, 36, along with a substantial following accrued through years of social media activism and free speech engagements on college campuses.
Kirk established his organization, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), at the age of 18, forming the conservative group with his mentor Bill Montgomery, who passed away from Covid-19 in 2020.
He built the movement into America’s foremost political machine, and is credited with fueling a surge in young Trump voters in the 2024 election.
According to public financial records, TPUSA reported a revenue of $85million in 2024, with almost $18million in net assets on hold that year.
Records indicate Kirk earned a $285,000 annual salary from the organization, excluding private speaking fees and additional income from book sales. Initially, when he started TPUSA, the college dropout reported earning just $27,000.
Following his assassination in Utah on Wednesday, four of his books climbed into The New York Times and Amazon bestseller rankings.
Although the organization lost its leader during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University, top Republicans and his wife, Erika, pledged to uphold his legacy.
Charlie Kirk and his wife Erika look on as the Village People perform on stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19 in Washington, DC.
Kirk leaves behind wife Erika, a former Miss Arizona winner, and two young children
Kirk’s body was flown back to his home in Arizona on Thursday aboard Air Force Two after his friend Vice President JD Vance flew to Utah to support Erika and the family.
In a heartbreaking admission, Erika has told friends that she is too afraid to tell their two young children that ‘daddy won’t be coming home’.
Erika, the host of the Midweek Rise Up podcast and a former Miss Arizona, will now return to the couple’s sprawling $5.6million Scottsdale estate with their two kids.
Trump said he spoke with Erika soon after the assassination. He described her as being ‘devastated’, and said she was leaning on her faith in the horrific aftermath.
On Friday morning, Trump said in an appearance on Fox News that Kirk’s widow plans to continue his political legacy through TPUSA.
‘They want to keep Turning Point going, they think they can do it, he had a very good staff,’ Trump said.
The president also revealed that his own son Barron – one of Kirk’s many millions of young adoring fans – had been deeply affected by the TPUSA founder’s killing.
‘He was very hurt when he saw this. But, I mean, everybody was,’ Trump said.
Kirk’s family will now return to their lavish $5.6million Arizona mansion (pictured)
Charlie Kirk’s assassination has cemented the activist as a conservative martyr, with Donald Trump going as far as to speculate he could have someday become president himself
Kirk, seen moments before he was shot, was assassinated Wednesday on the UVU campus in Orem, Utah as he held a Turning Point USA event
Vigils and tributes for Kirk were held throughout the world in the aftermath of his killing, including remembrance events held in South Africa, London (pictured) and Australia
Unlike traditional thinktanks or PACs, TPUSA dreamed big and Kirk stood at the vanguard, visiting campuses in person to debate students from all political backgrounds.
TPUSA founded chapters throughout college campuses and later across the world, staging high-tech rallies where Kirk would be livestreamed as the star of the show.
By 2024, TPUSA had amassed more than 3,000 university chapters across all 50 states.
Kirk’s influence reached deep into Trump’s inner circle – Don Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric and Lara Trump appeared at TPUSA summits – and the annual Phoenix convention became a ‘who’s who’ of the MAGA-verse.
During the recent presidential campaign, Kirk worked hand-in-glove with the Trump family on their social media strategy for what became the greatest political comeback in history.
Vigils and tributes for Kirk were held throughout the world in the aftermath of his killing, including remembrance events in South Africa, London and Australia.
Grieving fans were seen leaving flowers and openly weeping at the vigils, cementing Kirk’s legacy as a beloved and historic figure in the conservative movement.
Doug Deason, a Republican donor in Dallas, said that he had talked with others about keeping Kirk’s organization running, and said that ‘every one of us said, “Yes, I’m in.”‘
Assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk rose to prominence through his organization Turning Point USA, which he co-founded with his mentor Bill Montgomery (seen together)
Kirk, pictured in 2010, began his political efforts as a teenager and set up a group called SOS Liberty, where he began creating YouTube videos espousing conservative values
Deason, who serves on Turning Point’s advisory council and introduced Kirk to Trump in 2016, said ‘like many conservatives, I believe in the cause’.
‘I believe in what he was doing, that we’ve got to go into campuses,’ he told CNN.
‘We’ve got to override these radical professors, and frankly, the media, teach the elements of free speech so we can have dialogues and debate, without violence,’ he said.
Beyond just his advocacy organization, Kirk has been cited as an inspiration for many Republicans across the nation, a legacy set to only strengthen after his death.
Joe Mitchell, a congressional candidate in Iowa, said he met Kirk six years ago. The TPUSA founder gave him the motivation for founding his own young conservative group.
‘When I announced, I was 100 per cent committed to this race and driven to win,’ Mitchell said.
‘But I’m even more driven now after what happened, because we have to have people in our generation that can speak up.’
