Podcast Summary: Real America’s Voice – Bolling! (September 11, 2025)

Episode Theme:
This somber episode of Real America’s Voice, hosted by Eric, centers on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. The show explores the immediate reaction to the tragedy, its broader political and cultural implications, and features eyewitness testimony from Brandon Russin—a listener and attendee present at the scene. The hosts and guests reflect on the perceived cultural and political divides fueling such violence and openly criticize left-leaning political leaders and media for their responses.

Main Discussion Points & Structure

1. The Assassination of Charlie Kirk (00:45–15:59)

Breaking the News & Initial Reactions

• Eric reports the shooting:
  "Everybody needs to pray for Charlie Kirk right now. He is a voice of reason out there that has been gunned down for daring to be an American, to tell the truth, to believe in free speech, and to believe in this country." (00:45)

• Confirms Kirk’s death:
  "John Solomon’s reporting on Just The News... He’s passed. Yes. Is this what I’m hearing? Yes... Yes." (01:08)

• Praise and mourning:

  • Emphasis on Kirk’s love for family and country (Mike Benz, 00:59).
  • Guest and host lead prayers for the Kirk family.

• Framing the event:

  • Eric repeatedly calls Kirk a "casualty of the political war going on in this country."
  • "He didn’t hate people. He didn’t even hate liberals. He just hated intolerance... a painful irony that he may have died at the hands of some intolerant person." (Eric, 01:43)

The Media’s Response & Accusations

• Host outrage at TMZ and left-leaning media:

  • Discussion of celebratory reactions: "You can hear cheers and clapping and joy in the background... Just as Harvey Levin announces that President Trump confirmed Charlie Kirk was dead." (Eric, 03:03)
  • Host disputes TMZ’s claim it wasn’t about Kirk, calling Harvey Levin a "pathetic liar."
  • Claims the left “celebrated that murder.”

• Criticism of Democratic Party and mainstream media:

  • Eric: "Democrats have now made it bluntly clear who exactly they are. They’re the party of violence. They’re the party of murder. They’re the party of evil." (04:27)
  • Calls out MSNBC’s Matt Dowd and Katie Tur for insensitive rhetoric and misdirected blame (07:08–08:34).
  • "Scrap the whole operation" regarding MSNBC (08:29).

• FBI manhunt:
  "The FBI is now offering up $100,000, up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual or individuals responsible..." (02:19)

2. Political Framing and Escalation of Rhetoric (09:40–15:59)

Blame and Broader Accusations

• Continued blaming of Democrats:

  • Eric and guests argue that media and Democratic politicians are “inciting violence” against conservatives.
  • Accuse Democrats of “fomenting” violence and deflecting blame onto MAGA and Trump (09:40).
  • Recounts of moments in Congress where Democrats allegedly protested prayers for Kirk, amplifying the divide (10:00–10:50).

• Cultural analysis:

  • Eric reflects on only two moments that "shook" him as an American—9/11 and Kirk's murder, drawing a stark parallel (14:13).
  • Calls Kirk’s assassination a “line in the sand" and an era-defining moment.

3. Eyewitness Interview: Brandon Russin (16:45–27:13)

Key Testimony
Eric interviews Brandon Russin, a former Utah Valley University student and attendee, who stood 15 feet in front of Charlie Kirk at the time of the shooting.

The Scene and the Shooting

• Setting the scene:

  • "I was directly in front of Charlie's tent, approximately 15ft in front of him when the shot occurred." (Brandon Russin, 16:45)
  • Describes the crowd as large and the day as "beautiful, gorgeous." He admits being momentarily concerned about the venue's openness but felt reassured by Utah’s conservative environment.

• The moment of the shot:

  • "I replayed it in my head all day and all night. I couldn't sleep. I can't eat. It is a haunting image that will haunt me for the rest of my life." (18:15)
  • Describes Kirk slumping over instantly as fatal, and the crowd dropping for cover. "I knew that Charlie had been shot... it looked like that shot would be fatal." (18:15)
  • Russin immediately texts his wife to say goodbye, fearing more shots might follow.

The Aftermath & Suspicious Behavior

• Description of a suspicious individual:
  "I don't know if you've seen the video... of a guy who was in the middle of that standing crowd close to the tent. He was the only one still standing up, and he was pumping his fists in the air and shouting and yelling." (21:27)

  • Suggests the man might have been celebrating Kirk’s death, and possibly knew the shooter or was looking toward the shooter's vantage point.

• Atmosphere among protesters:
  "Some of the liberal protesters there, some of the students there just laughing and jeering... celebrating the death of this beloved man." (25:39)

• Personal impact:
  Russin says talking about it has been grounding and traumatic: "I think I can now tell myself this is not a nightmare. This is reality. And all I can do now is move forward." (26:24)

4. Broader Impact & Movement Analysis (27:13–32:19)

Mike Benz Reflects on Kirk’s Legacy

• Kirk as an institution builder:
  "Charlie was a force of nature. I would not be here without Charlie. I don’t think we as a movement, as a cause would be here without Charlie. He was a child prodigy in this, with a very unique set of gifts that you almost never see..." (Mike Benz, 27:42)

• Turning Point USA’s Success:

  • "There was a feeling... about the way they wanted the direction of this country to go in. But what really makes a cause or a movement durable is the construction of institutions. And there were no MAGA institutions until this kid, this 18-year-old kid, Charlie, shows up and he builds not just any institution..." (27:42)
  • "He had to always find a way to bridge them together in order to keep them unified as a cohesive, unified force." (30:22)

• Impact of the loss:
  "We just lost our best one to a cold blooded, gruesome grizzly. Broad day, broad daylight execution." (31:22)

• Call for law enforcement:
  "What has to happen at this point has to be an extraordinary message sent from our FBI and law enforcement. An example has to be made." (31:54)

5. Investigation and Theories (32:19–41:27)

Uncertainty and Conspiracies

• Host/Guest speculate about possible multiple shooters:
  “For this guy to pull off a one shot. Where is he? He gets away. It scares me. It makes me feel like there’s more than one person behind this.” (Eric, 32:19)

• Emerging reports on shooter’s identity:

  • Host references news (Wall Street Journal, Drudge, New York Post) that a shell casing was found engraved with “transgender and anti-fascist ideology.”
  • Mike Benz urges caution:
    "I just want to make sure that I... want a higher degree of certainty before I commit that." (37:40)

• Debate over transgender community and gun rights:

  • Eric expresses a personal opinion advocating investigation into links between the trans community and recent political violence:
    “We need to investigate because there’s probably some sort of link there, in my opinion. Not rev’s, not Mike’s, just Eric’s.” (38:58)
  • Mike Benz: “I want to see those engraved casings posted by the FBI... I want to get it firsthand from Cash Patel and Dan Bongino so that we know that this is actually the truth...” (39:45)

The Narrative of Rhetoric Leading to Violence

• Discussion of progressive rhetoric:
  "As an American, in my life, there have been only two moments where a public event left me shaken... First September 11, 2001... and the second, September 10, 2025..." (Eric, 14:13)

  • Host and Benz argue that Democratic rhetoric—especially comparisons of Trump to Hitler and painting MAGA as Nazis—foments violence against conservatives.

• Discussion of SPLC “target map”:

  • "The SPLC drew a target map with a... basically a bullet site on Charlie's Turning Point USA." (Mike Benz, 42:02)
  • Discussion of normalization of the idea that preventing a “future Hitler” justifies violence.

• Kirk’s future potential:
  “There’s no way Charlie Kirk would not have been a President of the United States at some point in the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years. He was, he was chosen for that... He was the bridge between every element of the MAGA movement, and they shot that bridge in the crux of his neck in broad daylight.” (Mike Benz, 42:54)

6. Reactions from Politicians and the Media (45:03–50:36)

Criticism of Democratic Leadership and Liberal Media

• Jamie Raskin and AOC:

  • Raskin’s response described as “smirk and a shrug.”
  • AOC criticized for focusing on gun control rather than the tragedy.

• Man on the Street (Don Lemon):

  • Don Lemon asks a passerby about Kirk’s death, who immediately pivots to “we definitely need to have gun control.” (47:52–48:06)

Reflection on Kirk’s Prescient Warning

• Audio from Charlie Kirk (June 2024):

  • Kirk warned of potential assassinations of political leaders. "We have been warning about this for months now." (48:53)
  • Kirk's “Next man up” philosophy: “You take one out, a hundred more appear... It only actually makes us stronger.” (49:37)

• Determination to continue Kirk’s movement.
  "They took Charlie Kirk out, but they didn't take out TPUSA... We will hold the torch. We will continue to follow that." (Eric, 50:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |------------|-------|---------| | 00:45 | “Everybody needs to pray for Charlie Kirk right now.” | Eric | | 01:43 | “He didn’t even hate liberals. He just hated intolerance. And it is a painful irony that he may have died at the hands of some intolerant person.” | Eric | | 03:03 | "You can hear cheers and clapping and joy in the background... Just as Harvey Levin announces..." | Eric | | 04:27 | “Democrats have now made it bluntly clear who exactly they are. They’re the party of violence. They’re the party of murder. They’re the party of evil.” | Eric | | 10:00 | "You can hear them protesting. No. In the background as Speaker Johnson tries to maintain order." | Eric | | 14:13 | “There have been only two moments where a public event left me shaken... 1st of September 11, 2001... the second, September 10, 2025...” | Eric | | 18:15 | “It is a haunting image that will haunt me for the rest of my life.” | Brandon Russin | | 21:27 | “He was the only one still standing up, and he was pumping his fists in the air and shouting and yelling.” | Brandon Russin | | 27:42 | “Charlie was a force of nature. I would not be here without Charlie... He was a child prodigy in this…” | Mike Benz | | 31:22 | “We just lost our best one to a cold blooded, gruesome grizzly. Broad day, broad daylight execution.” | Mike Benz | | 39:00 | “I believe that whatever's going on in the trans community, we need to investigate because there's probably some sort of link there, in my opinion. Not revs, not Mike's, just Eric's.” | Eric | | 42:54 | “There's no way Charlie Kirk would not have been a President of the United States at some point... He was the bridge between every element of the MAGA movement and they shot that bridge...” | Mike Benz | | 48:53 | “Assassinations of major political leaders are nothing new... We have been warning about this for months now.” | Charlie Kirk (archival audio) | | 49:37 | “You take one out, a hundred more appear. You take one out, a thousand more appear. You take one out, 10,000 more appear... It only actually makes us stronger.” | Charlie Kirk (archival audio) |

Critical Segment Timestamps

• 00:45–05:00: Breaking news, immediate reactions, prayer for Kirk, first accusations
• 10:00–13:00: Media reactions, Democratic response, framing Kirk’s death as political violence
• 16:45–27:13: Eyewitness (Brandon Russin) detailed account of the assassination and aftermath
• 27:42–32:19: Mike Benz on Kirk’s legacy and Turning Point USA’s importance
• 32:19–34:47: Shooter speculation, shell casing “trans ideology” reports, skepticism
• 39:00–41:27: Discussion of rhetoric, progressive/far-left online reaction
• 45:03–47:58: Politicians’ responses, gun control debate, Don Lemon segment
• 48:53–50:00: Archival: Charlie Kirk foreshadows assassination, the “Next Man Up” legacy

Tone & Language

• Passionate, indignant, defiant: Hosts and guests express outrage, sadness, and a sense of betrayal.
• Highly political, sharply critical: Direct attacks on liberals, media, and Democratic politicians, often in stark or absolute terms.
• Emotionally charged: Moments of mourning, anger, and resolute calls to action.

Summary

This episode documents the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination through the lens of Real America’s Voice. The discussion is raw and emotional, focusing on mourning, the perceived escalation of political violence, blaming the left and liberal media, and the determination to continue Kirk’s legacy. Eyewitness testimony, attempts to identify a suspect, and arch commentary about broader cultural divides characterize the episode throughout.