Charlie Kirk’s Murder: Bari Weiss, Ben Shapiro, and More

Yesterday afternoon, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking onstage at Utah Valley University during one of his signature events: a debate for college students. The gruesome video made its rounds on social media.

At just 31, Charlie was one of the most important figures on the contemporary American right, the founder of the incredibly influential organization Turning Point USA, bringing conservative ideas to high schools and universities, a husband, and the father of two young children.

Charlie spent much of his time on college campuses, hosting conversations at his “Prove Me Wrong” table. He didn’t take the easy route of talking to only those who agreed with him, but went out of his way to engage with young people across the political spectrum, especially leftists and liberals—he was willing to talk to anyone. People lined up to challenge him, often fiercely disagreeing. That was the point. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and civil disagreement. His mission was to engage young Americans in the political process.

Charlie’s murder is a tragedy, not only for his family but for the country. We have been covering the terrible upsurge in political violence for the last few years that threatens to tear our country apart—and Charlie’s assassination is perhaps the most shocking example yet. Whoever assassinated Kirk was also attacking democracy itself, using political violence as a response to ideas they didn’t agree with. As Ben Shapiro wrote yesterday, we must now grapple with the reality that “an American would truly harm someone simply for speaking freely in the United States of America​​.”

This afternoon Bari Weiss is sitting down with Ben to talk about his friend Charlie, and about this chilling moment we now find ourselves in.

Join us today at 2 p.m. ET for this conversation with Ben Shapiro, Konstantin Kisin, Katherine Boyle, Peter Savodnik, Eli Lake, Maya Sulkin, and more to discuss the current climate, who’s to blame, and what can be done to stop it.