IHIP News: “MAGA Using Charlie Kirk’s Death to Grift Followers?”

Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Episode Date: October 5, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan break down the right-wing response to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The hosts, known for their progressive, comedic tone, explore how figures within the MAGA and evangelical movements are using Kirk’s death for financial and political gain. The discussion includes reactions from MAGA politicians, religious leaders, and online commentators, highlighting the rampant grifting, religious fervor, and calls for retaliation that have surfaced in the aftermath. Welch and Sullivan offer critical, satirical commentary throughout, drawing on personal experience with evangelical culture to contextualize these reactions as increasingly mainstream in red states.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Questioning the Official Narrative

• [01:20]
  • Welch opens by questioning media and law enforcement narratives around Charlie Kirk's murder. She points out the lack of public evidence that Tyler Robinson (the alleged shooter) was a “radicalized lib,” suggesting Robinson's background is actually rooted in MAGA gun culture.
  • Welch criticizes conservative commentators (e.g., Joe Rogan) for claiming the left is celebrating Kirk's death:
    • “I haven't seen one person celebrate it. No, not one person. It's just such a false narrative.”

2. The MAGA “Grift” Begins

• [02:37]
  • The hosts play a clip of Rep. Troy Nehls (mispronounced “Nay has”), who refers to Kirk as the “13th Disciple.”
    • Rep. Troy Nehls: “If Charlie Kirk lived in biblical times, he'd have been the 13th disciple.”
  • Welch and Sullivan express disbelief at the religiosity and performative mourning from MAGA elites, accusing them of using Kirk’s death for political and financial leverage.
    • Welch: “These are the white men that everybody cannot stand, right, universally. ... I guarantee you his Google search history is not what he would be proud of.” [03:07]

3. Turning Tragedy Into Profit

• [03:52]
  • The hosts expose direct grifting using Kirk’s death, highlighting MAGA preacher Shane Vaughn who offers “Charlie Kirk coins” for booking coaching sessions:
    • Shane Vaughn: “When you do that, I'm going to pay your first-year membership, $199. ... And as a free gift, we just got in the Charlie Kirk coin.” [04:09]
  • Welch points out that Kirk’s widow was “sending out fundraising things for Turning Point” shortly after his murder.
  • Criticism is directed at the established expectation within church and MAGA circles to give—and be exploited—financially:
    • “Their churches do this. Their churches take Venmo. ... They're so primed to pay the patriarchy, they’re just so primed to do it.” [04:48]

4. Elevating Kirk to Martyrdom & Sainthood

• [05:41]
  • Audio clips liken Kirk to religious martyrs and advocate for his canonization, despite not being Catholic:
    • “Column I'm going to be working on soon is I'm going to call on the Catholic Church to canonize Charlie Kirk. He wasn't a Catholic ... I think it's time for us to start recognizing people who died for Jesus Christ.”
  • Welch updates with incredulous, blunt response:
    • “What the fuck is wrong with these people?” [06:38]
    • Sullivan echoes: “This is crazy. Crazy town.” [06:40]

5. Surreal Claims of Kirk’s “Heavenly Reward”

• [07:44]
  • MAGA prophet Cat Kerr claims spiritual visions of Kirk being welcomed by God and receiving “1,000 arrows of light” as a divine reward:
    • Cat Kerr: “I saw him standing next to the father ... he had on a quiver ... there were 1,000 arrows of light.” [08:18]
  • Welch contextualizes this as more extreme, mainstream magical thinking within American Christianity:
    • “America has a crazy Christian problem.” [09:39]

6. Calls for Retributive Justice—Public Execution

• [09:47]
  • Joel Weber demands execution of Kirk’s alleged killer on live television:
    • Joel Weber: “I believe that Charlie Kirk's murderer should be put to death and that his execution should be publicly, nationally televised.” [10:13]
  • Welch warns that such thinking is not fringe, but embraced by many in their own state’s mega church and evangelical communities.
  • Sullivan notes Kirk himself previously advocated for kids to watch executions:
    • “Charlie Kirk was the one that was saying as of 12, you should—kids should sit and watch people be executed.” [11:07]

7. Eliminationist Rhetoric from Christian Nationalists

• [11:16]
  • Christian nationalist Doug Wilson uses Kirk’s murder as a rallying cry for cultural war and purging the left:
    • Doug Wilson: “Charlie Kirk's murder will be wasted if they don’t exterminate the left.” [11:29]
  • Welch contextualizes Wilson (citing his notoriety and ties to MAGA figures like Pete Hegseth), warning that these views are prevalent, not extremist outliers:
    • “These people are serious and super ambitious and super hateful, and they salivate, salivate over the cruelty.” [11:46]

8. Mainstreaming Christian Nationalism

• [12:46]
  • Welch and Sullivan discuss how such ideologies are becoming the norm in red states, especially among mega-churches and private Christian schools.
    • Welch: “All of these clips are mainstream American evangelicalism.” [12:46]
    • Sullivan: “I know personally that a lot of this hits hard with family members, right? That they would be all in. And it sounds crazy ... but I know it’s a fact.” [13:04]
  • The hosts critique the Democratic Party’s reluctance to address the weaponization of religion:
    • Welch: “Democrats largely avoid talking about religion ... this was the base of Charlie Kirk and all that Bible thumper stuff.” [13:16]

9. The Prosperity Gospel & Entitlement Culture

• [13:16]
  • Welch uses Oklahoma-based mega-churches as examples of how these beliefs flourish via prosperity theology and financial extraction:
    • “Life Church ... Their number one thing is growing. It’s the prosperity gospel. And they take Venmo ... all of this is real. They want their kids to know this.” [13:16]
  • Sullivan highlights Christian nationalist penchant for punishment and self-righteousness:
    • “They want to punish other people. They like it because they feel entitled to it, and they think they're better than other people.” [14:34]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jennifer Welch criticizing the rhetoric:
  “These are the white men that everybody cannot stand, right universally. ... they grandstand ... I guarantee you his Google search history is not what he would be proud of.” [03:07]
• On canonizing Charlie Kirk:
  “I’m going to call on the Catholic Church to canonize Charlie Kirk. He wasn’t a Catholic ... I think it’s time for us to start recognizing people who died for Jesus Christ.” [05:56]
• Hosts’ blunt reaction:
  Welch: “What the fuck is wrong with these people?” [06:38]
  Sullivan: “This is crazy. Crazy town.” [06:40]
• Cat Kerr’s otherworldly vision:
  “He had on a quiver ... there were 1,000 arrows of light.” [08:18]
• Joel Weber advocating public execution:
  “I believe that Charlie Kirk's murderer should be put to death and that his execution should be publicly, nationally televised.” [10:53]
• Welch on mainstreaming extremism:
  “All of these clips are mainstream American evangelicalism.” [12:46]
• Sullivan on entitlement:
  “They want to punish other people. They like it because they feel entitled to it and they think they're better than other people.” [14:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:20] Welch critiques the narrative around Kirk’s murder
• [02:37] Rep. Nehls compares Kirk to a disciple
• [03:52] Preacher Shane Vaughn hawks ‘Charlie Kirk coins’
• [05:41] Calls for Kirk’s sainthood/canonization
• [07:54] Prophet Cat Kerr’s vision of Kirk in heaven
• [09:47] Joel Weber calls for public execution
• [11:29] Doug Wilson urges “extermination” of the left
• [12:46] Discussion on mainstreaming Christian nationalism in the U.S.

Conclusion

Welch and Sullivan conclude the episode by warning that these radical, grift-driven, and punitive Christian nationalist attitudes are not fringe but represent a growing mainstream in much of America. They urge listeners to recognize the seriousness of these trends, especially as they become further ingrained in political and religious culture.