The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 is a national wound that cannot be papered over by platitudes; a leading voice for young conservatives was gunned down while exercising his right to speak to students. This attack was not a random act — it was an attempt to silence a movement that has been rebuilding patriotism on campus, and Americans of conscience must call it what it is: political violence.
Authorities say the suspect was identified and arrested following a manhunt, and prosecutors have moved forward with serious charges while the FBI offered a reward for tips and assistance in the investigation. Families deserve answers, and our justice system must act swiftly and transparently to ensure those responsible are punished to the full extent of the law.
We must also be blunt about responsibility: the poisonous rhetoric that increasingly dominates campuses and parts of the left gives oxygen to people who see political opponents not as fellow citizens but as enemies to be erased. Elected officials and media figures who spend years normalizing dehumanizing language owe the country an honest reckoning about the consequences of their words.
In the wake of tragedy, a predictable parade of conspiracy theorists and grifters has surfaced, weaponizing pain to sell clicks, books, and subscriptions while smearing Charlie’s family and Turning Point USA. Conservative voices like Brandon Tatum — speaking with Dave Rubin — have pushed back hard against those false narratives, insisting we honor Charlie by seeking truth, not cheap fame through lies.
There are even public allegations swirling about withheld footage and unexplained threads in the investigation; these claims deserve careful, sober scrutiny rather than opportunistic amplification by those who profit from chaos. Conservatives must be the first to demand rigorous, transparent investigations and to expose any charlatans trying to monetize grief or push anti-Israel, antisemitic, or unserious conspiracies.
Now is the time for principled unity, not internecine squabbling. If we let infighting and accusations-of-everything tear the movement apart, the left wins by default and the very institutions Charlie fought to reform will continue to devour themselves while the real culprits — violent radicals and failing policies in our cities — take root.
Finally, our duty as conservatives is twofold: demand justice through the rule of law, and honor Charlie Kirk’s work by recommitting to the fight for free speech, resilient communities, and a culture that prizes life and liberty. Support Erica and the Turning Point teams as they carry forward his legacy, and reject the profiteers and provocateurs who would turn this tragedy into a carnival for clicks.
