For many Americans, the assassination of Charlie Kirk proved to be a shocking wake-up call. Taking place just a day before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it was a tragic reminder of the fact that evil never lurks far below the surface, and that freedom often exacts a tremendous price when one confronts those who seek to destroy it.
Charlie Kirk was in many respects a true 21st-century freedom fighter. His inspiring life was taken at just 31, when many of his contemporaries are still embarking upon their careers.
He founded Turning Point USA in 2012, an organization that campaigns at universities and high schools for conservative ideas and principles. Today it has over 2,000 student groups across the country.
Turning Point advocates for “limited government, free markets and freedom.” It is a powerful, grassroots-driven voice standing up to woke, left-wing ideology in America’s educational institutions, and provides a valuable platform for free expression in an environment where conservatives often face hostility and intimidation.
As a former graduate student at Yale, I know how important it is to have organizations like this to stand up for conservatives who reject the liberal ideology that permeates such institutions. Turning Point USA did not exist when I was studying for my Ivy League Ph.D., but I’m grateful that today’s students can join movements like this and not be isolated on university campuses.
Conservatives who openly display their beliefs are a minority at most of America’s universities. Yet Charlie gave them a voice. I predict that his organization will produce many future American leaders, including senators, congressmen, Cabinet members and even presidents.
Charlie was determined to save America and reverse the decline of the world’s superpower. This is why he backed President Trump, and played a key role in galvanizing support among young Americans for Mr. Trump’s bid to return to the White House. In fact, he was one of the individuals who did the most to bring about Mr. Trump’s historic win in last year’s presidential election.
His message, like that of Mr. Trump, was that America’s best days lay ahead, and that there could be a better, more prosperous and glorious future ahead for the American people.
Charlie’s message to younger Americans was that they should feel proud of their country, reject the poisonous ideology of wokeism and identity politics, and embrace a future based upon individual liberty, hard work, robust patriotism, and the belief that everyone should be judged by their character, not their skin color.
Listening to his speeches, I was struck by his relentlessly positive tone, as well as his willingness to engage his political opponents in open debate and discussion. While many on the Left seek to shut down debate, Charlie championed it.
While firmly adhering to his conservative beliefs and deeply held Christian faith, he was always willing to talk to those he disagreed with in a respectful and polite and always well-informed fashion, and to challenge them to examine their own ideology and to listen to different views.
There is much to be said for this approach in a deeply divided society today. All too often, political discussion is highly confrontational. Free speech is frequently shut down, especially in institutions of higher learning, where open debate is needed most.
>>> A Tribute to Charlie Kirk (1993–2025)
I don’t believe that Charlie ever met my former boss Margaret Thatcher, but he admired both Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and I am certain that she would have approved his conviction politics, and the tremendous optimism of his message. The Iron Lady always believed in hope and aspiration, which is why she ousted the miserable socialist Labor government in 1979, and went on to win two more general elections.
She held the view that the U.S. was the beacon of the free world, and that restoring American greatness, as Reagan did in the 1980s, was vital for the future of the West. Kirk was a leading part of a young generation of patriotic Americans who are committed to making America great once again. Lady Thatcher on her numerous visits to Washington, some of which I hosted myself, always made a point of telling young American conservatives that their mission was to save America and the free world.
We’re fortunate to have a president right now who is prepared to do what it takes to restore American greatness, defend this nation’s borders, and rebuild its self-confidence and pride after the debacle of the Biden years.
Charlie Kirk is gone, but his spirit of optimism lives on. Americans can honor his legacy with an even stronger commitment to the defense of free speech, a renewed determination to defend freedom in the face of evil, and a vow to champion American exceptionalism.
This piece originally appeared in The Washington Times
