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- [00:00]
Libby Emmons
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
Charlie Kirk
We are heading on campus here momentarily at the University of South Florida. Throwing it down with the students. It's going to be a lot of fun. We are excited to continue this cultural movement that we have started at Turning Point usa. More high school chapters, more college chapters. And disagreement is not just welcome, it is invited. We want to have those tough conversations. That's what it's all about. Every day, the American people demand certain accomplishments and victories. Disagreement is what keeps a movement alive, keeps a movement fun. Here in this country. We are a country of flourishing. We're a country of risk taking. We're a country of building. We will achieve American greatness. And we are just getting started.
- [00:58]
Jack Sobeck
Foreign ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Today's Vision, Human Events Daily. We are live in Washington D.C. today is September 11, 2025 Anno Domini. And even though this is Human Events Daily, this is actually functioning as the third hour of the Charlie Kirk Memorial show, which we've been holding the short holding the fort down for Charlie while he's on assignment with God. And we have this incredible live shot. I want to pull up right here for you right now outside of TP USA headquarters where one of these makeshift organic spontaneous vigils has been directed for Charlie. Right outside the headquarters there, where well wishers, people are coming to pray, people are gathering. And that's who Charlie was. He was a gatherer of people, or as the gospel says, fisher of men. What does our Lord say? He says, come with me and I will make you a fisher of men. And that's exactly what he did with Charlie. The Lord made Charlie a fisher of men. And now he has another task for him. We can't understand it and we won't understand it. You don't get answers this side of perdition, because that's not how it works. But what I do know is that God sent Charlie Kirk to America when America needed a Charlie Kirk. And it's been the finest honor of my life to stand shoulder to shoulder with a man like that and to fight for this country, to fight for our Lord, to stand in the breach. And if Charlie was willing to do that, and we need to be willing to do that for him and to continue his work and continue his mission, carry the torch to honor the legacy. Turning Point USA was never about Charlie Kirk. Turning Point Action was never about Charlie Kirk. He was the brains behind the energy, the drive, but it was never about himself. It was about you. It was about the people. It was about students. It was about ideas. It was about values, eternal values, timeless values, classic values, the American values, the American way. And he worked his whole life, dedicated his entire life, and he gave his life, gave his life to achieving that turning point in America. That's what he was always fighting for. And he has done it. He has absolutely done it. I'm told we have another one of Charlie's and my close friends now joining us, Raheem Kassam from the National Pulse. Raheem, we've got about two minutes left in the break, but. Or until the break, but I'll hold you over. You just come back to the United States. I can't imagine that. You can't imagine that you thought you'd be arriving with, with news like this.
- [05:07]
Raheem Kassam
Yeah, Jack. And you know, what I want to say as well, firstly for the audience is, you know, for people like Jack, for people like Tyler, for people like Andrew, who are not just colleagues of Charlie's, but, but really, really close friends. I just want to express, you know, my deepest consoles is to you guys. There's no way to, you know, I've lost a lot of friends in recent years. There's no way to, to comfort and console, especially with an incident as horrific as this. But landing back in the United States and, and, you know, having WI fi on the plane and sort of seeing it all take place and feeling helpless to do anything. And, you know, I knew Charlie and, And just disbelief, right? I, I was texting with a friend of mine, a reporter friend of mine, while it was all happening, while, you know, in that, in that fog of war, moments immediately after. And I just said, you know, can you believe it? And he said, no. And then he replied, yes, because that's where we are. And people like you and I, we talk about this all the time, right? We talk about our safety, we talk about going to these events. People don't realize just how much it comes up, how often it comes up. Now, I hope people won't forget, you know, just how much, you know, somebody like Charlie puts themselves out there for the country, for his family, for his faith every single day, you know, just how much stress and risk and, and, and concern and worry and everything that there is. And, and it's very, very hard to talk about it.
- [06:46]
Jack Sobeck
That's exactly right. And it's been, it's. I think it's been a rough night for America. It's been a rough night for all of us who knew Charlie, who were close to Charlie. Rahim. Tell us, tell us. You know, you always have a. Such a good way of putting things, you know, I've got right here on my desk one of the ubiquitous Turning Point USA MAGA hats that, that Charlie signed. And it's here. And it's a testament to the legacy of this man that he would go on these campuses and draw out thousands of people, students and Rahim. It wasn't always like that on college campus. It certainly wasn't when Charlie started, when either of us got started. Tell us about this incredible effect that he achieved.
- [07:38]
Raheem Kassam
Yeah, you know, when I, when I first met Charlie, I think it was over at the Old Trump Hotel in D.C. and you know, you try and get a measure of a person as quickly as possible. And I thought to myself, you know, is this just your sort of run of the mill politico trying to carve a niche out for themselves in Washington D.C. perhaps run for a seat somewhere and then, you know, sell out their principles? And. And Charlie couldn't have been the more polar opposite of that. Right. You could sort of tell that immediately. Everything he did was with drive and with passion and with love and with charm and with help and with, and with faith and with heart and with principle and with courage and. And, you know, I pride myself on having words, you know, knowing the best words, but I can't. I can't. There aren't any enough to describe, you know, when you were feeling, when, when I would feel lazy or down and I was doing Charlie's show, you know, in the breaks, he'd just be like, yeah, yeah. So anyway, so we're going to do this. Let's talk about that and let's talk about how we get there. There was none of this waste of time, waste of life, catching at things and ringing your hands over stuff. He was just, he was just such a remarkable doer. He, you know what the irony of ironies. He understood the finitude of the time we all have, and he put every second to use in a way that frankly embarrasses me and probably embarrasses us all. You know, to say he'll be missed is a. Just a, just a heinous understatement. You know, Jack, it's. It. It really, truly is. I don't go in for hyperbole, you know, that I'm a very realistic person, but it really, truly is one of the, One of the worst things that could have that anybody could ever, ever told me would happen has happened.
- [09:23]
Jack Sobeck
It is. And it is. It is absolutely the worst. And yet I suppose I see there's two tracks right now that I see happening I see the vast majority of people are choosing to embrace the love and the light that Charlie Kirk stood for. He was always the one who was always looking to find a positive edge, a way to put a positive spin on no matter what happened. He was endlessly optimistic. And yet. And you. And you have seen this outpouring across the aisle and really across the world. International leaders singing his praises, calling out political violence. And yet in the initial wake of this, we also saw horrific comments about Charlie being made from major cable networks, major figures. And although that has been tamped down on very quickly, we still see this across much of certain parts of social media. Blue Sky, TikTok, where people are cheering, people are celebrating. What.
- [10:36]
Raheem Kassam
Yeah, what.
- [10:37]
Jack Sobeck
What are we.
- [10:39]
Raheem Kassam
I mean, you wrote the book on this, this narrative and this, the way these people behave. And there's no. There's no other way to describe, you know, these are. These are cockroaches of life. These are the scum of the earth. And, And I'm. I, you know, people have been texting me the last, you know, 24 hours, just, you know, be careful when you're out there, when you're doing things. And I just, you know, I'm not going to worry about these cockroaches, quite frankly. I'm going to keep doing what Charlie would have wanted us to do, which is keep working for the. For the right cause. And, and, you know, I'm flying out tomorrow to Indiana with Senator Jim Banks and, And Alex Brucewicz, and we're doing an event out there, and this, you know, you're not going to stop us. You're not going to put fear into us. You're not going to cow us. We're not afraid. I've lived with this for 20 years now. You know, it's, it's, it's, it's. It's. You put your hat into this ring. These are the. These are the stakes. You asked about college campuses, and I didn't. I didn't get to it because I was. I was very publicly grieving. But, you know, nobody had a bigger impact. Nobody had a bigger impact on America's youth. This is what this was about, right? This is about jealousy. This is about envy. You know, Charlie Cook was targeted and assassinated because he wanted to keep deranged men out of his daughter's bathroom. He was targeted because he believed in Jesus Christ. He was targeted because he believed in freedom and free speech and free expression. He was targeted because he believed in the Constitution. He was targeted because he believed in the right to life. He was targeted because he believed in doing the right thing. And we will never stop doing the right thing. You can come for all of us, but this movement is bigger than any single one of us. And Charlie would be the first one to say so. Now we all, you know, there should be monuments going up to Charlie Kirk all across the country over the next few months. That's what I will say. But I think right now we all have to be monuments to Charlie Kirk.
- [12:27]
Jack Sobeck
I. I actually got a message from a. He hasn't said it publicly yet, but so I won't. I won't name names, but someone most people know, and he thinks that perhaps a national park is in order and time it with the 250th celebration of America. Utah, perhaps. Utah or Arizona, you know, wherever is most appropriate. Obviously work with the family on all of this, but I think that's something that would just be an incredible legacy because not everybody knew this about Charlie, but he loved the outdoors. He loved being outside. He loved hiking. It's one of the things that he loved about Arizona. That's why he made it his home. He's not native born son of Arizona, but it's something that he just loved so much. Loved hiking Utah as well, where he met his destiny. And there's something about naming a national park that I think is just. It's so eternal. It's so eternal. And it's certainly something I'd love to see. And obviously, in conjunction with the family and their wishes that I think it would certainly be appropriate. And many of these things are appropriate. But, Rahim, before we go down that road, we still have to deal with the matter at hand, that unfortunately, we do still have a developing news situation where at the same time that all these vigils are taking place, this shooter is still at large. And yet the vigils. Actually, let me say this for a second. These vigils are taking place even though the shooter is still at large, even though they know that there was a killer at large who shot Charlie Kirk. These people are not being cowed. They're not being afraid. They're standing up. They're being bold. They're going out and they're gathering in Charlie's name despite the fact that the shooter is still at large. I'm sorry, Rahim.
- [14:45]
Raheem Kassam
Yeah, no, I agree with you. And to come back on another point, you know, they're building. They're building a ballroom in the White House, and it will need a forever name. And they named the. They named the press briefing room after after James Brady, who was shot in, in Reagan's Secret Service detail, and he went on to advocate for gun control. And I think to bring a semblance of balance, if you're not going to rename the Brady Press Briefing room.
- [15:18]
Jack Sobeck
Then.
- [15:19]
Raheem Kassam
Then have, have the Charlie Kirk Ballroom on, on the White House grounds. I, I think for a man who gave so much to his country. And listen, I was, I was at the Reform Party, Nigel Farage's party last week in, in England. And I just can't tell you the number of people that came up to me, young people who came up to me and said, oh, you know, Raheem, I think it's great. I love Real America's voice and war Room. But what I really love is Charlie Kirk. You know, it's always the sentence, always.
- [15:47]
Jack Sobeck
It's the same way at everything you do.
- [15:50]
Raheem Kassam
But what we really love is Charlie Kirk. And I think that's because, you know, I'll be very honest about it. As a more sober figure, Charlie was always more action oriented. You know, he's always had more energy. He always had more drive. He always had more purpose. He was always giving you things to do and, and finding places for people, you know, often political movements and political friendships and groups and whatever can be quite exclusionary. He was always about bringing people in. I can't tell you the number of times where I picked a particularly unpopular position, even on the political right. And Charlie had my back. And he was always for making sure we could find room for people in the movement and find things for them to do. Never. Hey, sorry, we don't need your help. Or, hey, we're full. It was no, yes, more shoulders to the wheel. You get over here, do this thing. What do you get at? Let's put you to work over here. And again, there was never a wasted moment. It always left me awestruck and frankly, quite envious that he had those energy levels and he had that ability. Because, you know, if we had, if we had, gosh, just, just a few more, you know, there would be. There would be no problem that we couldn't solve, but we had just one. And he was taken from us. So we have to, have to, have to. And I know, you know, I know that the Turning Point people and the people that you have working there and the people. And especially I want to say this, right, and I don't work for Turning Point doesn't mean anything to me to say this. I don't want people to go away thinking, like, oh, Raheem's fundraising off this. No, I want you to support Turning Point, Charlie's group, Charlie's family, and help them grow and help train more, because we need more now. We especially need more now. So if you're looking for something to do in this moment, go and support Charlie's endeavors, his causes, his groups, his people, because that is what. That is. What the right thing to do is in this moment is to lift these people up.
- [17:43]
Jack Sobeck
And it's what Charlie would have wanted. And his. His events, AM Fest, which was his baby America Fest, it's got to be a tribute. It's just got to be, again, barring in consultation with the family, but it's got to be the biggest tribute to Charlie Kirk that this country has ever seen and the biggest event worth everyone. I just want everyone to be there to see that we will not be scared. We will not be cowed. We're not going to put our hands, our heads in the sand. Of course, we have J.D. vance, Air Force Two, now on its way over, pick up Charlie and give him one last ride. And you know, Raheem, it's something you mentioned about, about young people. I'm getting text messages from people who have children who are 11, 12, 13, 14, not even voting age, and people telling me that my. My son cried himself to. To sleep last night. This. This is a generational moment, something that I don't even think that we, you and I, being a little bit of the older cohort here, at least in terms of this, I don't even think we realize the deep affection that this generation had for Charlie. I don't even know who to compare it to. I couldn't even. I can't even think. I've been trying to rack my mind to compare it to someone, but he really was an icon for the youth.
- [19:27]
Raheem Kassam
Yeah. I mean, just undoubtedly, undoubtedly the number, the sheer number and the fact that it resonates with all across the world. We've had, you know, unfortunately, failed attempts to honor him. In the European Parliament, they. They wouldn't allow for it because they're scumbags. But in the British Parliament today, with Nigel Farage, tributes pouring in from obviously all around the world, from Brazil and from El Salvador and from Korea and you name it, there isn't a single place really on God's green earth that has been untouched. And it's. It's wild when you think about it, because, number one, he was so young, and number two, that, you know, the political left, his. His philosophical enemies put so much work into trying to tamp down on his activity and to demonize him and to discredit him and to mock and humiliate him. And it was just, Jack, it was just a couple of weeks ago when he was on south park, you know, and, and we were all sort of saying, you know, wow, I mean, that's the big, the biggest of the big leagues that you could possibly get.
- [20:32]
Jack Sobeck
Yeah. And I'm just gonna say this, by the way, that I, I know that I've seen this news that they have pulled the episode, but I'm just gonna say it. Haven't talked to him. Charlie liked the episode. He liked what they did. He liked the way they portrayed him. He, he had a good laugh about it, that that's how he was. I, I don't know. I mean, I, I can understand it's their decision, but I just, I just know that that's the way Charlie responded to it because we talked about it and he thought it was funny. Raheem, we've got to let you go because we do have to take a break and we have some folks coming up. Where can people go to follow you? And obviously, you've got a lot of reporting coming out.
- [21:09]
Raheem Kassam
Yeah, look, as I say, Jack, today I really don't want anybody following me or, or anything like that. I want you all to take this moment in the break to go to Turning Point and say a prayer, especially for Charlie's family, especially for the people around him, and donate to that group so they can rebuild from what is, you know, a horrific loss. And Jack, you as well, you know my number. Anything you guys need in this time, I'm here for you.
- [21:37]
Jack Sobeck
God bless. Raheem. Thank you so much. We'll be right back. Jack Besovic, Charlie Kirk Memorial Show. You are.
- [22:17]
Charlie Kirk
Welcome to America Fest, everybody. Thank you, everybody. The real thank you is the Turning Point team that worked their tail off this last year. That's who you should be applauding.
- [22:44]
Raheem Kassam
By the way.
- [22:45]
Charlie Kirk
I like this touch. Look at all these students that we have at Turning Point. You look at this. I like that they helped win the election. Everybody. Young people, move by 30 points this election cycle. I'll tell you what, the kids are all right. Welcome, everybody. It feels good.
- [23:09]
Jack Sobeck
Foreign we're back live. We're here. You're looking at a live shot of Turning Point headquarters where the memorial for Charlie Kirk, one of the many memorials, is now up. And we have this live shut up of people. And they, they just haven't stopped coming all day. They haven't stopped coming all day. I've Been watching this shot for three hours now. I think some of these people haven't left for that entire time. I wanted to bring on our next guest, special guest also, he's in Washington, D.C. along with myself, the Associate Deputy Attorney General, Ed Martin. Ed, how are you?
- [23:56]
Ed Martin
Well, Jack, I'm okay. It's always good to see you. You're an old friend. It gives me some comfort. But I know your heart is broken and mine is, and it's. I'm in one of those moments for your listeners that are younger, that maybe didn't live through 9, 11 or other things. You just almost. There's an unreal feel to it, right? It doesn't feel. It feels like you shake your head and wake up and it was a dream. And that. That part of it is just, you know, it's terrible. So it's always good to see you. It's always good to talk to and be with listeners and especially Charlie's great audience. It's always special, but it's a. It's a haunting day. It's really tough.
- [24:35]
Jack Sobeck
You know, Ed, I was just thinking about when we were putting the call out to see who we get together for this memorial show, and every single person we reached out to said yes. And then other people heard about it and wanted to get on and be a part of it. And then when your name came up and I said, it just clicked. And I said, wait a minute. And something I haven't thought about in years, but it was at an event with Ed Martin, an Eagle Forum event, I don't even know how many years ago now that I met Charlie, and out there in St. Louis, and I remember being there, and our first son had just been born. He was only a couple of months old, and Tanya was there. And I remember you coming to me and saying, hey, Jack, I know you have a car here. Would you mind picking somebody up at the airport? And I said. I said, who is it, Ed? You know, you know, and he wanted to use me as a gopher. And I said, who is it? And he. And he said, well, it's this guy, Charlie Kirk. He's coming in. And he was still flying commercial and still just kind of riding coach, you know. And he says. And I said, oh, yeah, yeah, I think I follow that guy on Twitter. Let me go pick him up. And that's where I met Charlie.
- [25:54]
Ed Martin
Yeah. Well, a couple things on that one is, as you know, we all knew, met Charlie Kirk, and then in many ways that we all acknowledge, he sort of outshined us all Outgrew us all. I mean, one of the really funny things is when you have somebody who's so capable and talented and, you know, 25 years younger than me, and I learned from him, and, like, so he was extraordinary. I will give a little hat tip. Phyllis Schlafly, who founded Eagle Forum and was my mentor, she was really good at bringing people together. And one of the things that happened with Charlie is we could get together, and you and others, that was an extraordinary time. And we all grew together, and we kind of grew up, but that was awesome. And Phyllis was great at that. But that's the thing I've been thinking a lot about, Jack, is we got to watch Charlie grow over these years. And it was something that was so inspiring. Meaning when he was 18 and started turning Point, and for maybe till he was, like, I don't know, 23 or 4, he was like a young buck, and he was, like. He was energetic and he was doing lots of things, and he had a sort of feel of him that was, like, contagious. You know, everyone wanted to kind of get near him, but you were like, this guy's almost like a college kid. And then he grew, and then he was a builder of an organization, and then suddenly he was this mature leader. I think his wife played a role, and then having kids played a role. And by the time. I mean, I can't even say it. By the time he's gone, he was this extraordinary presence as a builder, as a charismatic person, but as a father, as a Christian, and as a communicator, and to see that he, like, lived his life, we all saw it, and most of us don't succeed like he did. We kind of go in fits and starts. You know, you have some things that go well and some things that don't. He had this kind of gradual success that has been extraordinary to see. And as he got bigger and better, more successful, what he somehow did was he really honed in on other people. I was at the White House today, and I had someone tell me who was not a big name or anything, not somebody you know or anybody you know. And she said, he was so good at making you feel special. And I have had a privilege of knowing John Paul II and Mother Teresa and, you know, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and all these. One of the gifts that people have that are truly special is that they make the other person feel valuable, valued. And when you heard Charlie in some of the clips talking about everyone's made in the image of likeness of God, if you really believe that, then sunsets and mountains are extraordinary, a part of God's creation. But any person. And you see this on Charlie with these crazy lefties that would talk to him, he just loved it. He loved people. He loved those people, and that shined through him. And it's extraordinary to realize. And I'm rambling because I can't stand it, Jack, but it's a wonderful. It's a wonderful thing to have had Charlie Kirk in our lives. And it's a tribute to America that Charlie Kirk has created. I mean, it's an extraordinary gift.
- [29:16]
Jack Sobeck
Amen. Ed Martin, God bless to you. God bless to everyone at the White House and everyone for everything that they're doing for Charlie's memory and for the family. Thank you, Ed, for joining us.
- [29:30]
Ed Martin
God bless you, folks.
- [29:33]
Jack Sobeck
Right back, Jack Kasobic, Derek Sovik. We are back live here. The Charlie Kirk Memorial show. You're looking at live shot there at Turning Point USA headquarters. And we've been bringing on all of the, all the posse here on the show today and finally tracked down the elusive Blake Neff. Blake is joining us now here on the program. And Blake actually was not only there in Salt Lake City, but was there on the campus yesterday when all this happened. Blake, first of all, man, how are you?
- [30:36]
Blake Neff
I mean, given the totality of everything that's going on, I'm doing about as well as I can. It's awful. I'm very numb about everything. But you know what, you know what Charlie would want us to do? He would want us to suit up, soldier on, and that's what, that's what we all intend to do.
- [30:56]
Jack Sobeck
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's. That's talking to just everybody last night, and you and I spoke briefly and, you know, going around the horn, it's, it's the one thing that nobody has any question of is what Charlie would want us to do. He would just say, keep going. He would keep going. Just keep going. That's. Here you go. Here's the baton. It's yours now. Keep going. Just. And that's, and that's. That's who he was. He didn't, you know, even people talk about his, his Saturday off, and he didn't even really take the day off. He's always. He's out hiking. He's out, you know, working on something else.
- [31:30]
Blake Neff
It was the most, like, aggressive day off possible. It is like, this is. Yes, the family day. All in on this. Like, it is not, this is not a passive day off. It's not it was. It was part of the totality of who was Charlie Kirk, that he was 100% on the mission at all times. And sometimes that mission was saving America, and sometimes that mission was Charlie Kirk's family. And he was 100% for both of those things all the way to the end.
- [32:00]
Jack Sobeck
So, I mean, Blake, look, you were there yesterday. Obviously, there's some. I'm sure there's some sensitive stuff that I don't. I don't want to get into till the appropriate time. But, you know, what was it? I mean, you go there, you've been to, you know, how many of Charlie's campus events at, you know, what was it like? Did you sense that something was off before the gunshot rang out? Kind of paint the picture for us.
- [32:25]
Blake Neff
You know, I don't want to. I don't want to lean too much into it, but after it happened, I talked to some other members of the team, and several of us did say we. We experienced some sort of unsettling feeling. I think, for me, it was that it was in this amphitheater, which really emphasized, like, the size of the crowd, but also it emphasized, you know, the buildings in the background. And actually, for the first few minutes, you know, before Charlie walked out, I remember I was scanning. I was just looking around idly, like, oh, where would someone be if something happened? And I didn't think too much of it. I stopped, you know, by the time Charlie came out. But I immediately thought back to that as soon as it happened. When it did, I was about. I would say I was about 10ft to Charlie's left when it happened. And it was just. It's, you know, one of those moments that'll crystallize in your mind forever. You know, you hear that, the pop. And it's not completely clear immediately what it is, but then I looked to my right, and I saw immediately what it was. And I'll never forget it.
- [33:30]
Jack Sobeck
No. And was there a thought? I mean, obviously, Charlie's got great security that I know got to him immediately. These guys are incredibly well trained. I know Dan. I know everybody. I know the whole team, and I'm sure they got him the medical attention immediately that he needed. Got him where he, you know, to hire medical facilities at the hospital. And, you know, but just. So when that happened, you know, is it. Did it. Did it seem surreal in the sense that it seemed like Butler. Did it seem like everyone sort of, you know, you know, scatters? Or was it just. Just. Just kind of as confusing as it sounds?
- [34:13]
Blake Neff
It was definitely confusing. But it was also, you know, it was. How to describe it? It was clear what had happened. There was. There was only one shot. We all immediately saw what had happened. You're correct. The security got him immediately. Got him into the car immediately, got him out immediately. They could not have done their job on that front any better. And then at that point, it was, you know, what do we do? And I know on my end, I think the first thing I did was I sent a message to. I opened Telegram, and I went to our Turning Point thing, and I said, lockdown. Turning Point. I imagine they'd already seen it at 2, but I just said, lock it down. Something happened. Do it right asap. And then, I'll be honest, I called my mom because I didn't know if there would be anyone else out there, if anything else would happen. So I just called my mom and said, immediately. I can't say more, but, Mom, Charlie got shot. I love you. I have to go. And then from there, I met up with some other members of the team. We got to the hospital within, I'd say, about 25 minutes or so, and the rest of the day unfolded from there.
- [35:27]
Jack Sobeck
You know, Blake, you. You know, as a producer for Charlie, you worked so closely with him every single day, and directly on, you know, so much of the content that we all got to experience and enjoy as. As the beneficiaries of this work. I mean, what's. What's running through your mind now in terms of not having Charlie?
- [35:57]
Blake Neff
It really does. It's painful to say, but he is. He is irreplaceable. And people would ask about this, and I would say, charlie is not. He's not just a show host. And that was what stood out about him. It's that he could be in everything. He was a guy in media. He was an, you know, an organization builder. He could do get out the vote. He could do grassroots outreach. He could do, you know, he cared about all of the policy stuff. So he could go into the White House and talk to them about appointments, about policy, about what the Senate should be doing. He went. He was in every part of it because he cared about all of it so much. You know, the world of politics is so. It's full of a lot of people who are in it for, you know, they care a bit about, you know, the issues, but they also care about themselves, about getting famous, about getting rich, about resolving some grievance. But Charlie, every single day, he was going all out for the things he cared about the most, which was, how does he make America better. And also that he was a man of, you know, deep Christian faith and he wanted to advance, Advance Christianity. He wanted a spiritual revival in America. And what, truthfully, what I kept thinking of after the news broke was just before this tour happened, Charlie did a quick visit to Korea and Japan. He gave some speeches there. And so the last kind of normal, you know, the last speech he gave was in Japan. And this is to an audience of conservative Japanese people. They're anti immigration, they're anti, they're like, they're not, they're Japanese nationalists. There's very few Christians in Japan. And I was telling Charlie about that, you know, this is not your normal audience where it's going to be a lot of Christians. And he said, you know what, Blake, I would still like to provide some witness to Christian faith for these people. Where could we put that in? And we did. And he, he put it in there. He, you know, he was saying, you guys have to save your country and you're going to need to believe in something transcendent, something eternal. And for me, that is my faith in Jesus Christ. And so the last speech Charlie gave, he was, he was witnessing to Christianity to an audience overwhelmingly of non Christians. And then the last question he answered before, you know, the one he was answering when the shooting happened, he was talking about his Christian faith with. It was, you know, Mormonism versus Protestantism. But he was witnessing to the gospel there. And I know that if Charlie, you know, if Charlie had to go the way he did, he would have wanted it to be while he was witnessing to Christ in that way.
- [38:36]
Jack Sobeck
There's no question, there's no question. That's, that's obviously anyone who spent five minutes with Charlie would know that, that it's, it's not politics that is his driving force. It's that because he would, he'd find a way to switch it to, to that or once he got to know that you were into it, he would send you, you know, hey, Jack, here's this, this five hour course that I'm doing on the book of Genesis. You got it? You gotta listen all five hours and let's talk about it. You know, and that's just, that's what he, that's what he was like. That's, that's just what he was like. And, and constantly on fire for the Lord. And I, I've said it. I, I do consider him a Christian martyr. I really do.
- [39:18]
Blake Neff
Yeah, I, I think that's entirely fair or not. No, it's just true. It's True. Charlie. Charlie died a martyr for the two things he cared about most. He cared about the Christian religion, and he cared about, you know, the freedoms, the Constitution of the United States. He's a martyr to Christianity, and he's a martyr to the freedom of speech that he so earnestly believed in. The power of, you know, going out, engaging with people. And it wasn't that he had to own every single lib. It was that, you know, he would always say one of the lines he would do when he was arguing with someone on campus is, you know, we don't have agreement, but we have clarity. And he was always looking for that. He believes that when you debate, you learn more about the other person, you understand what motivates them. And that's a deeply humanizing thing about another person. And I think it's so powerfully symbolic of what we are against that it was while he was doing that that some people got would strike him down like that.
- [40:19]
Jack Sobeck
I know you've got some logistics to run to. We're headed up to. To break here, but I'll see you soon, man. I just want to let you know I'll be there. I'll see you soon. Jack Sobeck, we're here. Human Events Daily. Charlie Kirk Memorial Show, Washington D.C. and when I look at the tributes coming out, by the way, I. I have to something I haven't mentioned the sports tributes. Charlie was an incredible sports fan, and Yankee Stadium put him up something completely outside of politics. But it didn't matter because Charlie was bigger than politics. He was an icon and just visited Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs recently Dream of his. Since he was young. Since it was. He was young, but since he was a little boy. And you're starting to see even now, athletes, some people are sending me tweets and messages that are coming in where there were so many people in the sports world, in the corporate world, in the tech world who were great fans of Charlie. And yet, because of the circumstances of the situation our country is in, they previously were not able to publicly voice that support because of what we've been living through in this country. And that's the saddest part of all, because everything that Charlie Kirk did to get us out of the situation we were in is what led them to do this. They couldn't debate him, so they shot him. I want to bring Libby Emmons on now. Editor in chief of the Post, millennial and a good friend of Charlie, as well as the editor of Human Events. Libby, how you holding up?
- [42:40]
Libby Emmons
I'm Finding this to be a difficult time. I'm sure that it's much more difficult for the people who are close to Charlie. Unforgettable presence. And certainly this is a loss the world will not soon forget. I think it's really interesting in telling what you're talking about with the sports figures who have come out and given their sadness and shared that grief with the world now that Charlie has passed. And you said something very interesting, which is that a lot of people did not feel that they were able to do that previously. And I think that that attitude, that attitude that we can, that we are cowed, that we will not speak out the truth, that we hide what we really feel and really think that we will let our, you know, blue haired cousins or our, you know, HR departments or anybody else tell us what we can and cannot say, what we can and cannot think. That comes to an end. That comes to an end now because there is absolutely no good reason, when you look back on it, when you look back over the past 10 years or so, there's absolutely no good reason that we shouldn't all have been speaking up and speaking the truth and being honest and direct and forthwith birthright this entire time. There's no reason for it. There was no reason for it then and there's no reason for it now. And if there's anything that we move forward with in terms of something to, to take from this, it is to speak out, it is to be honest, it is to be direct and forthright with a smile on your face. It is to share the word of God in your actions and in your deeds. And to do that unflinchingly, just unflinchingly. No more bowing, no more keeping silent because you're afraid of your friends. Absolutely. That comes to an end right now. If we all just speak up together, if we all have that courage, then they can't take us. Then there's nothing that can be done to silence us. Because we would be too loud. As loud as a turning point event, frankly. Because those things get really loud.
- [44:46]
Jack Sobeck
Well, that's right. Yeah, I, I know that Charlie would tell us exactly that if you were here today. He would say, keep going, be loud, take up space, get out there, show them what you're made of. And don't back down. Because Charlie never backed down.
- [45:08]
Libby Emmons
Yeah, no, and this is something I was talking to the human.
- [45:10]
Jack Sobeck
Never stopped. Just never stopped.
- [45:15]
Libby Emmons
Yeah, I was talking to the Human Events columnist and we yesterday had basically started putting together a tribute, something that we, I think collectively hoped would be a giant get well card that we could send with a big teddy bear and balloons. And that, of course, changed as the. As the day went on. But everybody had something to say. Everybody was touched by Charlie, Whether they had met him or not or just been to an event or had seen his clips and seen what he was capable of and seen what he had done. Everyone had something to say. And there was. When I talked to our columnist chat and I said, we're gonna need a column on Charlie, and everyone wanted to write it. Literally everyone wanted to write it. And so we gathered, Kenny, Cody and I, the opinion editor, we gathered together everybody's thoughts and put that together. And you can read that on humanevents.com it's something that I think is definitely worth taking the time to look at. And, you know, I certainly hope that it's something that Charlie would like himself, ideally, you know, that's who it's for.
- [46:28]
Jack Sobeck
Well, and Charlie's just always been such a supporter of the Post Millennial of human Events, really integral a story that we haven't really even told to, you know, taking those platforms to the next level. Just so much that he did behind the scenes to encourage new media, building institutions, taking things to the next level, Even stuff that he didn't need his name on, didn't want his name on, didn't. Because he wasn't about that. He didn't need his name on everything. He just wanted people to be doing well. And I think that that was sort of, I mean, just one of his many, many incredible talents that he want. He truly lived for others and not himself.
- [47:19]
Libby Emmons
Yeah, I think that's right. And that story of Charlie's hand in the Post Millennial and human events and bringing those two properties together and then boosting them and boosting them. I'm forever grateful to Charlie for that and, you know, for making it so that we can have this platform and that all of my staff, who are wonderful people, are able to speak out and are able to write the truth. I think that's so important. And literally everyone on staff at Post Millennial had something positive to say. All of the editors and writers came together and shared their thoughts, and these were all personal memories. You know, I mean, this isn't just like, Charlie Kirk is a great figure, and I've seen him from afar. This was. Charlie Kirk is someone who touched my life personally, and I was very moved by what everyone had to say for that. And thinking back on the times that I was on Charlie's show a couple of times I shared the stage with him once or twice, and every single time, I was honored to be part of the thing that he was doing, quite frankly, because it always felt like. Like something that was urgent and integral and really important for the future of this country. That he loved, that I love, that we all love so much. And when I think back on, you know, those times, he always was so generous with himself, with his intelligence. He was always direct and just so. Just so open and, you know, willing to share.
- [48:55]
Jack Sobeck
Always willing to share the spotlight, too. Always willing to share.
- [48:59]
Libby Emmons
Yeah.
- [49:00]
Jack Sobeck
Libby Emmons, thank you so much for being here today, for sharing your voice. I know it's a tough day to do this.
- [49:07]
Libby Emmons
Thank you so much, Jack. I appreciate it.
- [49:11]
Jack Sobeck
All right, folks, this is not the end of the story. We're going to be rapping for now, but this isn't the way the story ends. The story keeps going. The fight keeps going. We stay on mission. We lock in for Charlie, and we will respond to the people who did this. There was a debt. He robbed the world of Charlie. He robbed his family. You rob his children, and the debt will be paid. It's as simple as that. I wanted to end on this and to say, God bless you, Charlie. I will tell your children who you were. You fought the fight. You died with your boots on. And I know now you are in the presence of the king. Until we meet again, brother.
- [50:34]
Libby Emmons
This is an I heart podcast.