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- [00:00]
Riley Gaines
This is an I heart podcast.
- [00:04]
Dr. Dennis Black
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- [01:13]
Joe Bob
Good evening and welcome to Turning Point Tonight where we are still undeterred, charting the course of America's cultural comeback. We're going to continue on. Yesterday we talked about endlessly about Charlie and we'll probably continue the same today. There's so much to say. We've got a bunch of different emails that you all have sent, messages that we'll read a little bit later on in the show if you have memories or thoughts or well wishes. Tptpusa.com Again, we've never had so many emails in the inbox and that I think just a testament to the difference that Charlie made in everybody's life. So, so we've got friends coming up throughout the show to, to speak about Charlie, first of which is a friend of the show, Turning Point contributor. Among a litany of other things, Riley Gaines joins us. Riley, thanks for taking the time. I wish it was under better circumstances, but I appreciate you being here, man.
- [02:16]
Riley Gaines
I'm excited to talk with you. Joe. Bob, what a really, what a dark past week, really this has been. I think I will speak personally. I think what was pretty unsettling to me, of course, was watching what happened to the beautiful, young, innocent, law abiding Ukrainian refugee who had her life taken from her at the hands of a monster. That, that initially made me really uneasy because I was thinking to myself, watching this situation unfold at the beginning of this week. Like, there was nothing she could have done to prevent that situation. Like she walked onto the bus or the train, whatever it was, she sat down and then what, like a minute and a half later she was, she was dead. So that, like, it kind of shook me to my core. I don't know if it's the fact that obviously this was a young woman. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm due to bring life into this world any day, a young daughter for that matter. So that shook me. But then obviously, watching what has happened to our friend, our mentor, I mean, our boss, Charlie Kirk, like, it was another situation of this was a circumstance where there was nothing that he could have done to really prevent this. And I think that's just the reality of it. When you have so many unhinged people who feel as if they're morally justified, by the way, who are willing, I think at the end of the day to risk their life and they want to kill you, there's not a lot you can do. And so pretty unsettling. Of course, just evil is the only word for it. So I too wish this was under better circumstances, but fantastic way to commemorate the life and the legacy of Charlie Kirk.
- [04:01]
Joe Bob
You know, I'm so curious what, you know, everybody had kind of a different relationship with him depending on, you know, where, you know, you were in the movement, your job at Turning Point, your kind of interaction with him on a day to day basis. You specifically have, I don't want to say the most bizarre trajectory into conservative political commentary, but I, I know for a fact that that wasn't on your, your radar at a certain point in life, especially at school. Can you kind of like talk about Charlie's role or, you know, even mentorship in the process of. Correct me if I'm wrong, you were going to be a dentist, right?
- [04:40]
Riley Gaines
Yeah. So to say that this was something that I imagined myself doing would be certainly an understatement. I mean, the half the conversations that we're having, whether it's me personally, the situation that I found myself in, or again, like, seriously, more than half the things we find ourselves discussing or debating or legislating on as a nation, like these are conversations that, I mean, there was a pretty standard default position to take that would have been considered common sense for virtually all of humanity. And now we're living in this time where issues like men and women's sports or you can't have a secure, you can't have a Nation at all, actually without borders, or the fact that crime is bad or that getting married and having children is a beneficial thing to society. Like these things where there was originally a default position and you would imagine like a relatively unified understanding and consensus of now we're debating them. So never imagined myself all that to say in the position that I am in. I will say I, of course, I've always been a conservative. I've always been a Christian first and foremost. And so having conservative views. And so Charlie was someone who I've, I mean, I, I watched in, in college, especially towards the back end of my collegiate time. And so it was a pretty surreal moment for me to go from a college student impacted by a spirit specific situation, finding my voice and then having someone who I had kind of from a distance, admired for a long time be the person to, to prop me up, to give me a platform, to deploy me to different places on college campuses, high school campuses. I mean this, this is a man who gave me my voice. I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. We wouldn't have, I think some of the impact that we've seen following that national championships without Charlie Kirk. He revolutionized me as a patriot, as an American, as someone who understands the freedoms that we are so blessed with in this nation. So again, his impact on me personally, it's just been profound. He's taught me so much in terms of the political world. Again, this isn't something that I came into overly confident. You know, I wasn't a young Charlie Kirk, so he taught me so much there. He taught me so much in regard to my spiritual relationship, I mean, even personal relationships. This was a person I could go to for advice on anything. And I did like, even leading up to, of course, I mean, even his final moments, like days before texting him. What do you think about this person? Is this a person I should endorse or get behind for Congress or for Senate or for governor? And he would always tell me. And so it's just a weird, it's a weird thought. It's a feeling of disbelief knowing that you can't send that text, you can't make that call anymore. My husband wouldn't have his green card without Charlie. It was really Charlie who ultimately facilitated that conversation. Once Joe Biden was out, Donald Trump was back in to get rid of this mandate that required legal immigrants to have the COVID vaccine. So, I mean, it's changed the trajectory of my marriage even.
- [08:00]
Joe Bob
Yeah, yeah. It's unbelievable. The the impact I've had many experiences in which. Well, what am I trying to say? I'm trying to say he. He would trust me to do things that I wouldn't necessarily know I'd trust myself to do. For example, on more than a couple occasions, hey, there's something going on with this event. Can you run on stage and go kill 20 minutes? And I remember something like that happening to you too, at Mar a Lago. I think, this last year of like, well, wasn't expecting to speak. Now I'm speaking. But I think that kind of like what it really is, is, you know, you can look at the chaotic part and the kind of. The humor of it, but that really is. Is trust and confidence in the people that he helped bring up around him, which I think is. Is huge. Especially now since, you know, it's up to everybody to take the mantle and carry it. I guess, going forward. How do you expect. And I understand this is kind of difficult to speculate right now, but how do you expect the trajectory of kind of carrying that mantle forward in the conservative movement in a way that Charlie would have wanted you and us and everybody to do?
- [09:11]
Riley Gaines
You know, I think right now, so many of us feel the grief, right? Or maybe the anger, or maybe still that disbelief or the sadness that comes with losing someone who. Who truly is irreplaceable. But all that to say, I don't think the. The coward, the assassin who took Charlie's life. I don't think he thought about the consequences of what that bullet, what that shot, what that fatal shot would do. Because I think in the long run, what this has done, I think it's going to create tens of thousands, if not more Charlie Kirks. Again, he's an irreplaceable human being. The way he consumes knowledge, how articulate, how intelligent, how personable, how genuine. I mean, there's no one else like Charlie Kirk. But if we can have people who are just as dedicated, just as willing to do what they can to implement the same strategies that he used. Again, he went to campuses to mobilize and engage with the youth in a format that encouraged intellectual thought and civil discourse. And if that is something that we can continue on as everyday people, right? It doesn't take someone who is a theologian or a historian or someone who studied political science. Again, that's not me. I'm none of those things. Yet I would still describe myself as someone who is able to have impact. I believe that we will see thousands and thousands and thousands of Charlie Kirk, Charlie Kirkson. So truthfully, Joe Bob, like, I'm not concerned for the future of Turning Point. I feel hopeful and it feels weird saying that again when these days are so dark. But there is a sense of hope going into the future. And I think it's a fitting name, right, the organization that Charlie worked, I mean, I mean his life's work to be called Turning Point, because I believe that's what this week, Wednesday, I believe that's what it will be for this nation.
- [11:10]
Joe Bob
Yeah. You were among a few people to actually sit behind the table with him several times. And at any point did you feel that he was nervous at all, feel that he was scared? What was that like? Because like I said, he didn't invite everybody behind that table and you were one of them that he had again, confidence in to be able to handle the oncoming questions. What was those, what were those experiences like?
- [11:40]
Riley Gaines
You know, I think one of the, the pieces that makes Charlie irreplaceable is that he would oftentimes insert himself into the belly of the beast. I mean, most recently we were together at San Francisco State University, obviously in San Francisco, which this was the same university, if you can remember, Joe Bob, where I mean, a mob of trans rights activists held me hostage for, I mean, for four or five hours, demanding that I had to pay them money if I wanted to make it home safely. Yet Charlie saw that as an opportunity. He wasn't there again to, you know, for, for rage or any sort of engagement, farming or click baiting. He just was there to again have these conversations. These were the conversations that are the places where these conversations needed to be had and to hold a mirror up so everyone, the world could see the harm, the threats, the destructive nature, especially of these liberal institutions and the monsters, the Frankenstein's really that they're creating and then deploying out into the world. These are the people who will become our, our health care providers, government workers, our educators, the list goes on. And so he was shining a light and a mirror on that. But that's, I think again, what made him different and unique and made him a target is he was willing to put themselves, himself in those situations. So there was never any sort of fear, at least outwardly expressed that I saw from Charlie, even when I was fearful. And I'm, I'm reluctant to admit it, but going back to San Francisco, like that was scary for me. Like, it really was like seeing some of those same people, the same officers who were there. Like, you know, I don't like to look at myself as any sort of victim or, or to, you know, have a pity party for myself. But that was a scary moment. It was Charlie who reassured me, you're fine, you're good, you know what you're doing, you know what you're talking about. Of course, Always giving me scripture to accompany it. So I don't believe he was scared. And that, again, gives me comfort knowing that in his final moments, I truthfully believe he went out, of course, doing what he loved to do most. And in a way that, again, I don't think there was any level of fear to it.
- [13:59]
Joe Bob
Yeah, that's. Yeah. No, it's incredible to be able to walk into those situations and, you know, stare at the belly beast and, and come out on top. But, Riley, thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time. Again, somber moments, but still finding the light in what Charlie was doing and what he would have wanted all of us to do going forward. Thank you so much.
- [14:23]
Riley Gaines
Well, thank you, Joe Bob. Onwards.
- [14:25]
Joe Bob
Thank you. Turning Point tonight. We'll be right back after the break.
- [14:34]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Hey there. I'm Mary Kathryn Hamm.
- [14:36]
Carol Markowitz
And I'm Carol Markowitz. We've been in political media for a.
- [14:39]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Long time, long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
- [14:43]
Carol Markowitz
That's why we started Normaly a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
- [14:49]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
- [14:56]
Carol Markowitz
We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
- [15:00]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass, you're our kind of people. Catch new episodes of normally every Tuesday.
- [15:07]
Carol Markowitz
And Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen soon.
- [15:17]
Joe Bob
Welcome back to Turning Point tonight where we are still charting the course of America's cultural comeback. Remember, you can send us all of your well wishes and thoughts and memories of charlie to tptp USA.com we'll read a handful of those a little bit. We've got so many messages and so many emails over the last couple days. Tptpusa.com Love to hear your, your memories and your fond rememberings of Charlie Kirk. Joining us right now is a guy who, I don't know that there's many people that would have known Charlie better. Tyler Boyer is the COO of Turning Point Action. Him and Charlie effectively made Turning Point into the behemoth that it is now. Tyler, thanks so much for taking the time.
- [16:07]
Tyler Boyer
Hey, thank you, Joe Bob. I appreciate being here.
- [16:10]
Joe Bob
You know I just, I'll leave it broad and open. And I know you've probably done a ton of media. I know you're hosting his show earlier, but, you know, floors yours and kind of get a little bit more granular as we go. But what are your. Just generic opening thoughts?
- [16:26]
Tyler Boyer
No, you know, it's just been. They say, you know, when you have tragedy that strikes like this, it just comes in waves. So I apologize in advance if I get choked up or I start bawling. It's just been kind of one of those things. But Charlie Kirk has been one of my closest friends and allies and confidants for the past decade. Plus, I think I met Charlie officially just about 11 years ago, and he was still just just barely coming out of his teenage years. And young guy who, you know, we were just joking on the show earlier, wore big suits, kind of got pulled around by a lot of. A lot of tea party guys, which is where he and I connected, because I was a young guy, too. Not nearly as young as him. I was in my 20s, so a few years older than he is. But we connected because I was kind of like the only young guy that would show up to Tea party meetings. And he was too. He was that guy. And when I met him, so that's kind of how, you know, I had some big ideas and someone was like, you gotta go meet this. This kid. Charlie is trying to do this thing. And in Illinois. And I was like, Illinois? Like, why like Illinois? And I met him and I was like, whoa, this guy's a lot smarter than I am. He's a lot. He's a lot better at doing all of this stuff than I am. I, I gotta hitch my wagon to him. And that's the short version of the story of, of, of how we got here with Charlie. But I can just say this is. Nothing has. Nothing has changed since the day and moment I met Charlie Kirk, which is that he has been so focused on doing the right things for the movement, putting the movement before himself, selflessly figuring out the problems, the quandaries that exist within the movement, and then coming to solutions. The thing that made us fast friends was that we wanted the same thing, which was that we wanted to do the things that fix the problems that the movement has. Charlie just happened to be the most perfect, God given, you know, individual that has probably ever been predestined to do this work that I've ever seen within the movement. We were just talking on his show today. Yeah, there's three probably most influential outside of Charlie Kirk. At this moment, the three most influential people leading up to Charlie Kirk in the movement were Donald Trump, Andrew Breitbart, and then, of course, Rush Limbaugh. And Charlie is the person that is, you could say, is the embodiment of all three of those different people in different ways. And not to get too deeply into it, that he just picked up the baton with all of those individuals, you know, both while they're alive or since passed or passed early. Andrew Barr, obviously, we know, and President Trump, who's very much alive and doing great work, but he was the embodiment of really all three of those massive figures and then was able to package and deliver that in the best possible way to our youth. And that is something that will be the story, that will be the understanding that people will kind of come to long term once they figure it out. That changed the trajectory of America, that changed the trajectory of young people and how they view politics and how they engage and ultimately the course of who ends up running for office someday and becoming our next presidents and congressmen and senators and governors and everything else.
- [20:31]
Joe Bob
Yeah, yeah. Massively influential. And influential in a way that I think a lot of other people in the space are not. I don't know if you. So you're. You're at Turning Point Action. I don't know if you remember this. We shared an Uber ride home from the airport. We'd flown back from Chicago with Charlie, and you were telling me in the car about Turning Point Action. And I'd come out of the politics world, so I understood what PACs were and how their maneuverability worked within the movement. And I was kind of like, okay, like, that's all right. Sound sounds good. Not that I had no disbelief in it, but I was like, good. A couple of years later, fast forward. It is this massive organization with huge influence that no other commentator has. People know Charlie is the commentator, the guy in front of the camera, that sort of stuff. The power in the action side does not exist across any other commentator.
- [21:32]
Charlie Kirk
How.
- [21:34]
Joe Bob
What kind of foresight did he have to do? Both? Right, because you've got the political side, you got the media side. He was over both of them equally. How did that come about and how did he manage that?
- [21:46]
Tyler Boyer
Yeah, I mean, so kind of the history of this is that, you know, building Turning Point USA was a lot of work. And, you know, I served as COO of Turning Point USA for, you know, the, you know, and within leadership for about six or seven years, and we built all the individual programs that needed to exist Charlie's brain power, you know, his goal, his mission, and what Turning Point started on was do the work to become the big funnel to bring in as many individuals to the conservative movement on college campuses. And then that expanded to high school and that expanded now to our TVSA faith side. And we built all those individual blexit and all our individual programs that we have for outreach. But as we went along the way, and again, Charlie, to his credit, was never one that wanted to back down from a fight, you know, and individuals like myself, and we have so many, I mean, the hundreds and hundreds of staff that we have, the great leaders that we have around us at Turning Point USA to this day, who have been, many of them have been there for almost a decade. That's how long we've had most of the staff. I mean, we're talking young people working here for basically their half their life at this point. But these, these were fights that we started realizing we had to take on and build, grow. And once we realized the political space, the 501C4 space, which for other people, that's PACs and politics and everything else, there just wasn't enough being done. And the brand, the turning point that had been developed had become big enough and usable to actually go do the work, you start realizing, wow, this is a God thing. God wants you to do those things. And Joe Bob, this is the story of Turning Point that everybody has to hear over and over. I, I was by Charlie's side since, you know, essentially 2014 when I met him, and ever since have, have been there. Every single thing that has happened along the way within the Charlie Kirk story, within the Turning Point story has been a God thing. It's been everywhere along the way. And Charlie would be the first to tell you that. And that's what makes me miss my friend the most, is knowing how loved by God Charlie Kirk is. And that's the pressure for all of us, yourself included, is we've got to live up to that. That's the measuring stick, is that every bit of work that has been done to this point must continue with gasoline poured on, must get bigger, it must get. We must be better. We must be more focused on the things that Charlie had worked towards, that he had taught us, that he had taught so many others to do. And I, I truly and completely believe that we will do that, we will accomplish that goal.
- [24:58]
Joe Bob
Tyler, I don't want to put you on the spot. And this question comes, I'm genuinely curious. It's not really like a speculative, just for fun. I think everybody saw the brightest possible future. What are the chances he would have been JD's running mate in 28?
- [25:18]
Tyler Boyer
We were just talking about this yesterday. We flew back on Air Force Two with Vice President Vance and, you know, he came back and talked to us for a few minutes and I just, you know, we were talking about this as a, as a team. I think there was a really, a really good chance that Charlie's name would have been inserted into this 2028 race whether he wanted it to or not. You know, Charlie was a humble guy and he would, he would say frequently, really likes his job, and he's stay put. He's more useful doing what he's doing, and he's not wrong about that. Everything that Charlie was able to do as a mouthpiece for the conservative movement, it's far more useful than being in the bondage of Congress or elected office. It's like being imprisoned and it's not a fun place. But Charlie was willing to do what was needed. And I can guarantee this is that, number one, jd, Vice President Vance is one of Charlie's closest friends. They texted almost every single day. JD has been a friend to turning point since day one and vice versa. We have been, we were one of the first people to endorse him in his, in his Senate race. That was a decision that was hard because there was a lot of people running, but it wasn't hard. When we met jd, I think they would have made a tremendous pair. And I think if Charlie would have been asked by the Vice President to do so, he probably would have done it. But I think the most important thing to know is that I think Charlie would have done whatever he prayed about and he felt the best about, you know, in his own personal communication with, with his heavenly father. I think he, his relationship with God was one of the strongest that you could, you could find amongst any public figure. I think, I think he was worried first and foremost about his relationship with God, and then number two, his relationship with Erica. And so I think he would have said Erica would make a better Vice president than he would, and he's not wrong about that. Erica is a wonderful, inspiring representation of everything that we do and everything that we are looking for as a, as a young woman, as a young mother, and so our heart breaks for her. But he would have done, I think, whatever, number one, God wanted him to do. And number two, Erica wanted to do. And then number three, probably if JD. Yeah. With the JDs, than what he asked.
- [28:00]
Joe Bob
Yeah, I. Geez, I probably consider and reminisce with you for. For hours, but I appreciate you taking the time. Tyler, I know this has been a. A rough week for everybody, but I. What you said earlier that pouring gasoline on the fire and continuing to push full steam ahead is, is unbelievably encouraging to myself and I'm sure all of the. The viewers out there. So. Tyler Boyer, CEO of Turning Point Action, thank you so much for joining us.
- [28:28]
Tyler Boyer
Thank you, Joe Bob, Appreciate it.
- [28:31]
Joe Bob
Turning Point tonight. We'll be right back after the break.
- [28:38]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Hey there. I'm Mary Kathryn Hamm.
- [28:39]
Carol Markowitz
And I'm Carol Markowitz. We've been in political media for a long time.
- [28:44]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
- [28:47]
Carol Markowitz
That's why we started Normalely a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
- [28:53]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
- [29:00]
Carol Markowitz
We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
- [29:04]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass, you're our kind of people. Catch new episodes of normally every Tuesday.
- [29:11]
Carol Markowitz
And Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
- [29:21]
Joe Bob
Welcome back to Turning Point tonight where we are charting the course and will continue to chart the course of America's cultural comeback. You know, there's a lot to be said on the political side of things, and to be quite honest, and I hope you've noticed, we haven't really dug into that all that much. There will be a time and a place to discuss that at great length, the political implications of what has transpired regarding this horrible and heinous awful tragedy in the assassination of my friend and your friend Charlie Kirk. But that being said, there is one element that I think I would like to discuss sooner than later. And the reason for that is because we need to set a baseline precedent as to what it is that we are discussing when that discussion comes along. I've gotten so many emails, texts, phone calls, social media messages from everybody I know who knew that I was close with Charlie. And I'll even say this, many of you know I live in California. And living in California comes with by default, several people who are friends of mine who are on opposite sides of the aisle. And by the way, too, nobody encouraged civic civil discourse more than Charlie. And he understood. I had a lot of, a lot of lib friends. Even those lib friends texted me, called me, sent me messages genuinely saying, I'm sorry that this happened. And genuinely trying to be consoling, and I genuinely appreciated that. But one of the things that I noticed in going through and talking to some of these friends who again, are on the opposite side of the political aisle than me, is that they were unaware of something that I, and you are all too aware of, and that is the demonic, depraved behavior of the folks online celebrating this heinous and awful, horrible attack. I'm sure you've seen the videos. We're not going to play them here because I don't frankly want to rage, bait anybody. But there are videos circulating online that show people celebrating, show people that are happy, that are dancing because Charlie Kirk was murdered in cold blood in broad daylight. Now, we can all agree that is horrendous. There's no place for that in civil civic discourse. And the more sane people on the left side of the aisle, people that lean left and clearly are not radicals, would also agree. They would also agree that that is horrible and it should be condemned. As a matter of fact, to their credit, there are some news outlets that have fired people based on the awful things that they've said on their show. Msnbc, the day that it happened. Fired doesn't even matter. I'm not gonna even tell you his name because he no longer matters because he could not keep his horrible and heinous thoughts to himself. So, to their credit, MSNBC fired that individual. But back to what I was starting to realize with the friends that I have, the genuine good, long friends that I've had who simply lean a different direction than me politically. What I gathered anecdotally is that they seem to be completely and entirely unaware of the growing percentage of the people that they would vote with who would celebrate something like this. They are completely unaware of people who post on social media in celebratory fashion, dancing and singing and rejoicing of Charlie Kirk's death. They are unaware that those people exist. Now, I don't know if it's apathy or it's the way the algorithms work. I don't know what the cause for that is, but they don't know. And so we have to tell them. And again, this is not an attempt to. To put people into a rage and put people into a frenzy, but we have to tell them because I think they would agree. I have enough faith in humanity to think that the people that I disagree with politically on so many different issues would agree that this is all awful. I have to believe that. Which leads me into how it is that we're discussing this and where the baseline for our discussion needs to be, the baseline for where we need to discuss this from, needs to be from a position of fair rhetoric. What I mean to say by that is President Trump, during his statement that he made immediately after the assassination was that we have a problem in this country and a threat to this country by the radical left. And he used that language specifically and precisely why? Because it's accurate. The radical left, not the left. He didn't say the left. He didn't say your everyday Joe Schmo Democrat. He said the radical left is a threat to the society and the country that we all love. The people who are on the radical left who celebrated the assassination of a guy who just wanted to talk is a problem. Now, a bunch of the mainstream media did not like that. He pointed that out and said, well, when are conservatives going to not point the finger at the other side? As if that's what he was doing? But it clearly was not. He sliced it thin enough to make sure it was the radicals and not just the left. If we were to do a comparison, I would offer you this. We all remember when President Biden got up there, gave a political speech from an office that he wasn't supposed to give a political speech from, but we will leave that to its side right now. When he said that an existential threat to the country was maga Republicans now notice the difference. President Trump didn't say the left, he said the radical left. President Biden, on the other hand, said MAGA Republicans. In other words, effectively every single person who voted for Donald Trump and effectively half the country. So if you're going to issue a statement saying that a group of people is a threat, to be honest with you, I hope the President does that. I hope the President has enough guts, whoever the President is, to recognize a true and legitimate threat and inform the American people about it. The problem is, when you over broadly use language that includes half the country, saying MAGA Republicans are a threat is not the same as saying the radical left is a threat. One is a poignanted, precise group of people that we can all agree are a problem, that the other is half the country. So when Rolling Stone and the New York Times and all of these other media outlets go on saying, well, this is just as bad on the same side, we need to reject it, because, no, it is not. President Trump had just said the Democrats as a whole or the left as a whole are an existential threat to the country, I probably would have disagreed with him, that I probably would have called for more precise language, but he didn't. He was precise in what he said, and what he said was true. The only way that we are going to eradicate the progressive extremism that is damaging the country, the type of extremism that celebrates the assassination of a guy who just wants to talk, is if we have to have buy in from the people who need to actually amputate them from political public discourse. And that's the left. We need the left to buy in to getting rid of the radical left, rhetorically speaking. But we're never going to do that if we equate those two statements, the radical left and MAGA Republicans, as the same, which is exactly what a lot of the mainstream media is trying to do. We need to have stronger delineations between our language. The political rhetoric, yes, is hot, but needs to be precise. Because when things are precise and Charlie, probably one of the most impactful things he told me, kind of an offhanded statement. We were backstage in Chicago and we were walking down a hall. He asked if I was coming up with any new material. I said, yes. He said, good, be precise. And that is stuck with me because it's so important that we describe what is accurately or else we will get baited into a he said, she said, they said situation in which nobody wins. That is the baseline in which we need to start these conversations as they go forward. But for now, we will continue to remember the American hero that was Charlie Kirk. We'll be right back.
- [39:12]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Hey there. I'm Mary Kathryn Ham.
- [39:14]
Carol Markowitz
And I'm Carol Markowitz. We've been in political media for a long time.
- [39:18]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
- [39:21]
Carol Markowitz
That's why we started Normalely a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
- [39:27]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
- [39:34]
Carol Markowitz
We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
- [39:38]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass, you're our kind of people. Catch new episodes of normally every Tuesday.
- [39:45]
Carol Markowitz
And Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
- [39:55]
Joe Bob
Welcome back to Turning Point tonight, where together we are charting the course of America's cold cultural comeback. Thank you so much for sticking with us. And I, you know, there's not enough time to say all the things that we, I think all would like to say about Charlie and the guy he was and the organization he led and the movement he continued to spur on until the very end. It's you wouldn't be able to to, to fit all of the things that everybody wanted to say into a year's worth of programming, let let alone a couple hours. As we've mentioned numerous times on the show today and yesterday, we'd love to see your emails and sending those to tptp USA.com I will be honest with you. I we pulled out a bunch or starred a bunch and have read through dozens and dozens and dozens and they're just too many, quite honestly, to go through one. Obviously read everyone's, but even pull certain ones out, it's too, it's too big of a feat to accomplish. So I'm just going to go through and read some of the ones that I've starred, some of the ones that look good and sound good. Sandrill starts off Dear Joe Bob, my heart hurts. I'm profoundly sorrowful at the assassination of a wonderful man. Charlie Kirkham, proudly are profoundly blessed because he gave me hope, inspiration and joy. And she goes on and similar phrasing and it's just that I think right there too is the inspiration and joy that Charlie brought to so many people around this country and honestly, around the world. They were talking about this Andrew, Blake, Jack and Tyler who are filling in on Charlie's show today, that he was in Seoul, South Korea, and people recognized him there. He's in Japan, people recognized him there. The guy inspired people again, not only in one generation, not only in one country, but the entire world, which was unbelievable. Karen says love for Charlie watching the show tonight. Grateful for airing what what it is that that we're airing. There's one that I did want to find here specifically. It gets lost in the fray a little bit. I will update it as as it is. It'll, it'll come up here at some point, but I can get, I can characterize it. Someone said Charlie inspired them to to plan a trip to Israel and oh, here he goes. Kevin. Kevin said Charlie inspired me to visit Israel, planning the trip as we speak, praying for his family. My wife and I three years ago today. We were sitting on the couch yesterday last night and she had pulled up some memories on her phone and it was both of us riding camels through Israel. And the reason I bring that up is one, it is a fantastic place if you have the time and resources. I couldn't recommend it enough. Seeing all of the different geographical locations of biblical events that you've heard about for your entire life is surreal and unreal and I'M glad Charlie inspired you to do that. But two, Charlie was the reason why we went, we went as a part of Turning Point. Charlie orchestrated all of it. And there's a group of people that we were with, and we texted them last night and said, you know, this time exactly three years ago, we were riding camels through Israel, thanks to Charlie. Courtesy of Charlie Kirk. And, you know, that was an unbelievable experience for myself. I'm glad he has inspired you to do the same, and I wish you the best on that trip. Donna says, proud of y'. All. And there are so many like this. I, I, I can't. Again, we can't get to all of them. There's, there's too many like this. Prayers and blessings on your confidence to carry on, which I, I can't tell you how much I appreciate that because, you know, to be completely frank and completely candid, there are moments you go, holy cow, like, what is it that we're doing? And then, you know, you're, you're met with one. The message that Charlie would have said was, you got to keep, keep moving, keep going. And I believe that wholeheartedly. But to say that that comes naturally and easily would not be the truth. So I very much appreciate that. Roz says, thank you for continuing. Chris says he didn't ever meet Charlie. And this is again, another. Sorry, Chris, I'm not sure if you're a man or woman. It's K R I s so sorry. Sorry if I misgendered you. Charlie would have liked that joke. Says, I didn't ever meet Charlie, but Charlie felt like family. I watched him every day on rav. We'll miss him so much. And that, again, is another sentiment of, you know, he felt like family to so many people, especially considering how often he would engage with folks through audience, in real life, in public, at events and, and all of the places that he did that. RS says, Charlie Kirk has always been influential to me, and then asks how he can be more involved in the conservative movement. And there's been a number of emails that said that. And I think the best thing to do is to continue having the conversations that Charlie would have wanted you to have. I think not. I think I know he understood that not everybody was going to be on stage talking to as many people as, you know, he would. And so he would be encouraging of people to, to get out in their community and engage with folks and be in the, in the space of the people that you did have influence over. Charlie would, would so often say, you know, have Those conversations with your family, have those conversations with your neighbors, make sure that you're speaking truth into the people that you do have the influence over. And so to answer the question that that is how you stay involved in the conservative movement more specifically. I don't know if this is private information, but it's just, it's fascinating, but turning point as an organization is having a very, very difficult time keeping up with the amount of people that want to get involved here. I won't get into too many specifics of it, but the outpouring of love and also want to be involved is. To say massive would be an understatement. It is. It's currently a big technical problem for just the servers can't handle it. There's so much, so many people coming in. So if you wish for that to be the way you get involved, in addition to having conversations with your friends and family, I'd encourage you to do that. And don't be, don't be dissuaded by the website maybe not working because that, again, has been a problem. It's one of the best problems to have. By the way, if you're gonna have a problem, you. You want to have a problem like that. But that is, you know, another way to, to get involved, you know, and continue the fight. Bill says, calling for the Holy Spirit. He thanks us for what we're doing every single night and greatly, greatly, greatly appreciate that. Karen says this is out of the show last night watching the show, grateful for airing everyone's thoughts about Charlie and I hope you thought the same tonight. Again, very, very influential people not only in the movement, but in, in Charlie's life and obviously vice versa. Yeah, I just talking to Tyler was, was really impactful to that. He's known Charlie the entirety of his career in conservative politics and that I hope is good to see that, you know, this is not. Nothing has changed in the last 15 years of, of Charlie's passion. Going, going forward. We will see if we can get to a couple more of these a little bit later. I know again, we can't read all of them, but I think we understand that there are just a ton of people who have been emailing again. TPTP USA.com we'll try to get through a couple more of them. I can't imagine a time where we won't be reading memories of Charlie, but it is, it is very moving. And again, I know I'm saying something obvious, but it is unbelievable. The outpouring of support and love for a guy who meant so much to so many. Yeah. And with that, we will be right back after the break.
- [49:36]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Hey there. I'm Mary Kathryn Ham.
- [49:37]
Carol Markowitz
And I'm Carol Markowitz. We've been in political media for a.
- [49:40]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
Long time, long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
- [49:45]
Carol Markowitz
That's why we started Normaly a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
- [49:51]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
- [49:57]
Carol Markowitz
We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
- [50:01]
Mary Kathryn Hamm
So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass, you're our kind of people. Catch new episodes of normally every Tuesday.
- [50:09]
Carol Markowitz
And Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
- [50:19]
Joe Bob
Welcome back to Turning Point. Tonight, we've got a fantastic video for you that Turning Point put out. And with that, we'll leave you for this week. We will see you next week. Thank you for sticking with us for this rust couple days. God bless America.
- [50:40]
Charlie Kirk
We're active in about 15 campuses and we're growing very, very quickly. And keep in mind, this is not just a flash in the pan movement. We're going to become an institution to give them the power and the confidence to stand up and let their voice be heard. I started this organization when I was 18 years old. I decided not to go to college. I didn't get in my dream school, which was United States Military Academy at West Point. I had this idea to get galvanize and motivate the future youth of this country around a core set of ideas, not just political parties or politicians. And the ideas are really America's the greatest country in the history of the world. Constitution is the greatest political document ever written. And free enterprise is the most assured way to lift people out of poverty and create prosperity for all. Those are the three big ideas. And I think that's something that can win. We as Christians are called to go into the public arena to correct error with truth. So I go to college campuses and there's a lot of error. We're all sinners. We all live in error. I'm far more interested in what God wants of me than what I want from God.
- [51:41]
Erica Kirk
I have to say this without getting emotional, but I'm very proud of my husband and I know many of you are too. You have worked, work so hard and I know a lot of you have seen obviously his videos on Tick Tock and all the stuff he does on campus. But no one gets to see him from my angle except for myself and our children and the sacrifices that he made this year. He's amazing.
- [52:19]
Charlie Kirk
I'm very blessed and I would not have been able to do any of it without Erica. And that's the real truth. I'll tell you what, you are here as a grassroots response to the top down revolution happening in this country. I want our Turning Point USA students to receive a round of applause. These are the freedom fighters of America.
- [52:42]
Tyler Boyer
Media said the Turning Point could never run a ground game. They weren't experienced, they didn't know. Charlie right.
- [52:48]
Charlie Kirk
This is the greatest generational realignment since Woodstock. This generation is the most conservative generation that we have seen in well over 50 years and the numbers show it. What young people especially are screaming at is they say give me a structure that I, I can live my life by. And especially with young men more challenging of them more saying, you know what? Honestly, I'm not going to talk down to you. Stop being a boy and become a man. You want to learn what that means? Come to church and I'll tell you what it means to become a man. Because we have the greatest story ever told. What can I do to save the country? You answer that question every single day because you are doing the work to save this beautiful republic. You are doing doing something that is bigger than you.
- [53:36]
Tyler Boyer
If everything completely goes away, how do.
- [53:40]
Joe Bob
You want to be remembered?
- [53:42]
Charlie Kirk
I want to be remembered for courage, for my faith. That would be the most important thing. Most important thing is my faith in my life.
- [53:52]
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- [54:44]
Riley Gaines
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