Charlie’s 32nd Birthday

Summary

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The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: Charlie’s 32nd Birthday
Date: October 14, 2025
Host: Charlie Kirk (posthumous tribute—show hosted by Andrew Colvett and Blake Neff)
Guests: Secretary of the Treasury Scott Besant, Counselor to the Secretary Joe LaVorgna, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Senator Mike Lee
Theme: Remembering Charlie Kirk—Legacy, Impact, and the Future of the Conservative Movement

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Overview

This deeply emotional episode was dedicated to honoring Charlie Kirk on what would have been his 32nd birthday. The hosts, team members, and high-profile guests reflected on Charlie's impact as a cultural and political leader, his grassroots activism, faith, and advocacy for young Americans. The episode served as both a somber memorial and a mobilizing manifesto, detailing how Charlie’s legacy is shaping the ongoing conservative movement. Key figures discussed his influence, shared memorable anecdotes, and provided updates on policy initiatives he championed, culminating in the anticipation for Charlie’s posthumous awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Opening Tribute & Legacy of Charlie Kirk

[00:03–02:46]

• The episode opens with Charlie's voice, reiterating his central life tenets: fighting for good, informing youth about the value of purpose over comfort, discouraging conventional paths like traditional college, and encouraging marriage, family, activism, and faith.
• Quote:
   > "If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're going to end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful." —Charlie Kirk [00:03]

2. Reflections from Secretary of the Treasury Scott Besant

[02:46–14:54]

• Besant recounts his last interactions with Charlie and discusses the brutal impact of his assassination, speculating on the possible intentions to destabilize the MAGA and America First movements.
• Emphasizes Charlie's multifaceted persona: family man, Christian, patriot, educator, and self-taught finance expert who championed financial literacy, optimism, and inclusion of young people in the American system.
• Draws a parallel between Charlie and Norman Vincent Peale, describing Charlie as the 'Power of Positive Thinking' voice for his generation.
• Refers to the nation's ongoing cultural schism, praising Charlie's determination to bring faith, education, and patriotism to the fore for future generations.
• Quote:

  "Charlie was the Norman Vincent Peale for your generation." —Scott Besant [06:12]
  "If you wanted to try to end the [America First] movement, the way to do it was to assassinate Charlie." —Scott Besant [02:46]

3. Listener Tributes & Personal Impact

[08:40–10:19, 15:39–16:42, 34:37–35:36, 47:18–49:36, 59:24–59:48, 74:10–74:29, 81:30–81:53]

• The hosts read hundreds of heartfelt emails and messages from listeners describing how Charlie’s teachings brought them back to faith, strengthened families, and inspired civic engagement.
• Quote:

  "Because of you, I went back to church and took our children. Because of you, I am a better wife, a better mother, a better person. Your words made me realize that the only way for me was through Jesus... My job was never to get my children into Harvard. It was to get them into heaven." —Barbara, listener email [47:42]
  "Charlie was a gift on loan from God, a prophet in his time, God-fearing, intelligent, kind." —Jolene, listener email [74:10]

4. The Challenge of Reaching and Revitalizing Main Street

[11:27–14:54, 25:42–27:20]

• Discussion centered on Charlie’s focus on uplifting the “muscular class”—working Americans—and supporting Main Street over Wall Street.
• Besant and the team discuss policy moves supporting small businesses, trades, agricultural lending, and promoting alternatives to college.
• Acknowledgement of the administration’s deregulatory agenda and precision manufacturing initiatives designed to create opportunity and reindustrialize the economy.

5. Charlie’s Economic Philosophy & Policy Influence

[14:54–15:29, 23:13–33:18]

• Charlie’s self-taught expertise in economics, particularly the Austrian School and Milton Friedman, influenced both his thinking and policy advocacy.
• Counselor Joe LaVorgna explains Trump administration’s economic gains, labor market challenges, and policy steps to make homeownership and economic participation accessible to young Americans.
• The cap on government student loans leads to private institutions lowering tuition—cited as an example of private sector adjustment to government action.
• Quote:

  "He was, as Benjamin Franklin was to electricity... he was to economics." —Scott Besant [15:23]

6. Addressing Political Violence & Left-Wing Radicalism

[17:17–20:56, 71:15–74:10]

• Hosts and officials highlight Charlie’s last warning: the need to dismantle radical left organizations fomenting violence.
• Treasury’s ongoing initiatives to follow the financial networks behind domestic unrest, paralleling post-9/11 anti-terror protocols.
• Senator Mike Lee discusses the chilling normalization of celebrating political violence on the left, referencing polls showing substantial support for violence among young progressives.
• Quote:

  "Charlie's death is like a domestic 9/11... we are going to find. It has alerted us to what Charlie knew, that these organizations are working within our borders." —Scott Besant [18:00]

7. Charlie as Catalyst, Educator, and Martyr

[42:56–46:52, 62:23–66:12, 76:33–76:34]

• Guests recall Charlie’s humility, constant self-improvement, courage in facing opposition, and unique appeal to youth through authenticity.
• Lee Zeldin and others marvel at Charlie's broad influence, noting stadium-filling events and his evolution from passionate firebrand to wise mentor.
• Both colleagues and listeners agree that Charlie, while never achieving political office, holds an immortal role as a martyr for his faith and movement.
• Quote:

  "He is a martyr... the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." —Andrew Colvett [76:33]
  "He would have been president... this happened almost in my backyard." —Sen. Mike Lee [62:23]

8. Policy Deep Dives: Housing, AI, College, and EPA’s New Direction

[25:42–33:18, 50:05–54:10]

• Guests discuss policy responses to the issues Charlie cared deeply about: housing affordability, runaway student debt, AI’s impact on jobs, and the need for skills-based (not degree-based) upward mobility.
• Lee Zeldin describes EPA reforms: massive deregulation, right-sizing the agency, and ensuring a pro-growth, pro-environment agenda.
• Quote:

  "It's not a binary choice between protecting the environment and growing the economy. We choose both at the Trump EPA..." —Lee Zeldin [50:43]

9. The Continuing Culture War & Importance of Outreach

[56:13–59:10]

• Zeldin emphasizes confronting the left’s control of cultural language (e.g., "environmental justice," "climate justice") and challenging deceptive NGO activities.
• Urges conservatives to leave their comfort zone and directly engage those who disagree, mirroring Charlie's campus activism.

10. Media, Shutdown, and Final Thoughts

[37:24–38:33, 68:03–80:34]

• Shut down discussions with economic implications, detailed breakdown of government dysfunction and negotiation deadlock.
• Mike Lee critiques inflammatory leftist media (notably the Pat Bagley cartoon incident), linking it to the atmosphere that enables political violence, and cautions about overgrown government.

11. Charlie Kirk’s Final Honors—Presidential Medal of Freedom

[47:04–47:06, 55:20–55:56, 81:53–82:19]

• President Trump—having returned from a breakthrough peace summit—will award Charlie the Medal of Freedom in an unprecedented outpouring, with the Rose Garden venue moved to accommodate massive crowds.
• Reflection on the enormity of Charlie’s legacy and the continuing duty of his team, family, and supporters to carry his message forward.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He was the Norman Vincent Peale for your generation.”
    —Secretary Scott Besant [06:12]

• “He could talk [economics] with the best of them.”
    —Andrew Colvett on Charlie Kirk [15:29]

• “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
    —Charlie Kirk’s journal, as shared by Andrew Colvett [76:34]

• “If you believe the system works, which I do, which he did, you want to bring more people into the system and it's through education.”
    —Scott Besant [04:23]

• “My job was never to get my children into Harvard. It was to get them into heaven.”
    —Listener Barbara [47:59]

• “He inspired 277,000 devices at his memorial. We could have filled three, four stadiums.”
    —Andrew Colvett [42:56]

• “I am sober over three weeks, thank God... I now wear a cross around my neck proudly... I know countless others have changed their lives in similar ways. I can't help but think these are the best birthday gifts you could have ever hoped for.”
    —Listener Jen from Canada [15:39]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Charlie’s Voice: [00:03–00:46]
• Treasury Sec. Besant’s Tribute: [02:46–14:54]
• Listener Email Tributes Start: [08:40]
• Financial Literacy & Youth Policy: [14:54–15:29, 23:13–33:18]
• Combating Radical Political Violence: [17:17–20:56, 71:15–74:10]
• EPA Lee Zeldin’s Direction: [50:05–54:10]
• Senator Mike Lee Tribute: [62:23–66:12]
• Rush Limbaugh Reflections: [74:29–76:22]
• Shutdown & Government Size: [78:42–80:34]
• Preparation for Medal of Freedom: [47:04–47:06, 55:20–55:56, 81:53–82:19]

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Conclusion: The Path Forward

Through moving tributes, concrete policy discussion, and relentless energy from friends, colleagues, and listeners, the episode cast Charlie Kirk as a rare generational leader, teacher, and martyr for faith, family, and the American dream. His mission—to empower youth, revitalize faith, restore American optimism, expose left-wing radicalism, and serve “Main Street” over elites—continues, immortalized in the movement he shaped and now, as the show’s hosts assert, in America’s heart and conscience.

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Transcript

[A]

My name is Charlie Kirk. I run the largest pro American student organization in the country, fighting for the future of our republic. My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth. If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're going to end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful. College is a scam, everybody. You got to stop sending your kids to college. You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible. Go start a Turning Point USA College chapter. Go start a Turning Point USA High School chapter. Go find out how your church can get involved. Sign up and become an activist. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade. Most important decision I ever made in my life. And I encourage you to do the same. Here I am, Lord.

[B]

Use me.

[A]

Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. The Charlie Kirk show is proudly sponsored by Preserve Gold, the the leading gold and silver experts, and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends and viewers.

[C]

All right, welcome to the Charlie Kirk Show. I'm Andrew Colvett, executive producer of this fine show, joined as always by producer Blake Neff. And I'm honored to say we are also joined by Secretary Scott Besant. Thank you so much for joining us, Mr. Secretary. It is an honor to be with you, to have you join us in this beautiful room that we are in. The Cash Room.

[D]

Yep. Well, gentlemen, welcome to the U.S. treasury. And welcome to the Cash Room.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, this is a beautiful, beautiful space that we're in. It's historic. Apparently, they used to hold the actual cash of the US Government.

[D]

We did. When we had it. Yeah, when we had more cash than debt. Right.

[C]

But Blake was commenting that we are now 37 trillion in debt. So it's empty now, but it's a beautiful room to do a show in. Nevertheless.

[D]

Good and excited to have you here.

[C]

It's an honor, sir. I just want to start, you know, at the basics. You have not had a chance, at least on this show, to reflect on the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. This is, of course, would have been his 32nd birthday. We are in D.C. in order because the President promised Erica that he was going to award Charlie the Presidential Medal of freedom on his 32nd birthday. He literally moved world events in order to race back to D.C. in order to make good on that promise to Erica. So the floor is yours, Mr. Secretary. Just expound on what Charlie meant to you, your interactions with him, and what the last month has meant to you in this country.

[D]

Andrew. I was actually Walking out of the Vice President's office when news of what happened to Charlie hit. And then the news that he had passed came after that. And what really hit me was if someone wanted to try to end the MAGA movement, the America first and the Turning Point USA ethos, obviously 10 years out, Charlie was going to be carrying the torch. And if you wanted to try to end the movement, the way to do it was to assassinate Charlie. And clearly this is what was on that person's mind. We'll see if there was a larger network involved with this. I have no reason to believe there was. I have no reason to believe there wasn't. And to me, everyone knows Charlie was a family man, he was a Christian, he was a patriot. But the Charlie I knew too, was also an educator. And what I admired on the show was the love that he had for all of his listeners, for everyone involved in Turning Point for his country. But what he did on the show, and that's how I got to know him. And one of the reasons I'm sitting here today is that Charlie was such an aggressive and forceful advocate for me to become Secretary of the treasury because of the time we'd spent together. And his financial breadth and depth was incredible. He was an autodidact, he was self taught in finance. And he passed that knowledge on because he saw, as I saw, that what had happened to this generation, this, the group of young people. And it's been a tough time. There's the financial crisis in 2008, there was Covid, but he was optimistic and always talked about the future. How do we get ahead, how do we stay ahead? And Charlie, like myself, believes in the system. And if you believe the system works, which I do, which he did, you want to bring more people into the system and it's through education. That's why I say he was such a great educator.

[C]

I think that's really well said. He, his, if you boil down his mission, his mission was about his faith. His mission was about his country and his family. But his mission was, in a general sense about bringing disaffected young people into the American dream. He wanted them to buy into America, the idea of what this country is. And you guys talked about that. You actually had, I believe it was April Alexander, you could fact check me on that. But it was Financial Literacy Month and you honored him and the show and we brought in a bunch of TPUSA chapters from around the country. And you talked about finance, I mean that. But so you have shown your commitment to the same things that Charlie was committed to bringing in the next generation and living the American dream as you have. And maybe just speak about that and the importance of bringing this next generation into the system, into believing they can make it in America, that they don't have to be disaffected young people anymore.

[D]

Well, in a way, too, Charlie, when I, when I was younger, there was someone called Norman Vincent Peale. And for those of you who don't know, President Trump went to Marble Collegiate Church in New York, and the minister was Norman Vincent Peale, and he wrote a famous book called the Power of Positive Thinking. And in a way, Charlie was the Norman Vincent Peale for your generation. And it's easy to be cynical. It's easy to get down. The world is a tough place. It's moving fast, but it always has. And to look forward, what can you do to increase your resiliency? What can you do to increase your literacy? What can you do to make your odds better of success? And that, that, that was the movement he was creating, as you said, just to be part of the system, to get people, you know, on board with believing in the country. Because we are celebrating the 250th year of the country, and we got to get ready for the next 250. And it's going to. It's going to be the same and it's going to be different, but it's going to be driven by young people, and we have to energize our base to believe in the country. Because, you know, what you see now, and I'm just astounded. It's almost like they're two Americas. You look out and they're the people who are full of hate and venom. And they're at these protests, like, just the protest yesterday. Yesterday, I believe, was the greatest day thus far this century, with the hostages coming home, the beginning of the peace process, which no one said could be done, and President Trump did it. But there were people out there with that venom and vile behavior. And then every Saturday, you look and there are these collegiate football games and military flyovers and people waving the flag, and it's almost like it. We're in a contest for America. And Charlie was determined that good was going to win, that we were going to see the light. And it was going to be through faith and education and belief and family and country. And everything that got us here for the first 250 years is what's going to take us for the next 250 years.

[B]

I'm really glad you mentioned just the love, Charlie. Had for ordinary Americans that he really wanted to uplift them. We're getting a lot of all the happy birthday wishes are just pouring in and we're getting in. You know, everyone's saying, charlie, good afternoon. I'm starting my lunch and it's time for me to watch the show. And already tears are in my eyes. We have Happy birthday, Charlie. Something about the show today has me crying again. What a beautiful soul. We lost, but heaven gained. That's from Heather. And just so many people had this close. Even if they never met Charlie, they felt a personal connection to him, and he felt a personal connection to them as well.

[E]

He.

[B]

He loved this country. He really wanted to better this country, sustain this country even. You know, as, as Erica said at, at the memorial, he cared so much about even trying to help people like, like the man who killed him, allegedly.

[C]

Yeah. And, you know, this is, this is a very true thing about Charlie that he was reaching out to help the types of people that ended up ending his life. And, and I really don't have the heart today to dwell on that too much because it's too devastating to think about. But, you know, you said something and Charlie and you shared a vision for Main street in this country. It's a vision the president here's. It's a vision that is not. You said Wall Street's going to do just fine. They're going to do fine. But we got to get Main street back on track. And they have not had their turn for a while. And I believe that really impacts the next generation. Specifically.

[F]

This is Lane Schoenberger, chief investment officer and founding partner of Y Refi. It has been an honor and a privilege to partner with Turning Point and for Charlie to endorse us, his endorsement means the world to us. And we look forward to continuing our partnership with Turningpoint for years to come. Now here, Charlie, in his own words, tell you about why Refi.

[A]

I'm going to tell you guys about why refi.com, that is yrefy.com why refi is incredible. Private student loan debt in America totals about $300 billion. Why refi is refinancing distress or defaulted private student loans. You can finally take control of your student loan situation with a plan that works for your monthly budget. Go to yrefi.com that is whyrefi.com do you have a co borrower? Why Refi can get them released from the loan. You can even skip a payment up to 12 times without penalty. It may not be available in all 50 states. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com let's face it, if you have distress or default of student loans, it can be overwhelming because of private student loan debt. So many people feel stuck. Go to yrefi.com that is yre f y.com Private student loan debt relief yrefi.com.

[C]

Charlie was a champion of the grassroots. We never lost track of that at Turning Point. We will never lose track of that at Turning Point or on this show, you like to say the muscular class, the guys who shower before and after work. Tell us about what this administration is doing to reach regular working Americans with the economic promise and prosperity that only America can offer.

[D]

Andrew, as you know, it's Main street that got President Trump here. Wall street was never foreign until he won. He always, whenever we have a lot of the business leaders in the office, he'll poke at him a little, well, you're here now, but you weren't with me in 2022 during, during those dark days. But the people were with President Trump. That's what the first time I went to see the president about two years ago, told him I wanted to be part of the campaign. You are like a superstock. You go up on bad news because the people are with you. And going, going back to when we were talking about Charlie that the five hours of tribute to him a few weeks ago, I wasn't able to make it, but I watched it all on TV and there was some incredible points made, eulogies, feelings, passion. But one thing that really stuck with me was what Stephen Miller said. They have made you immortal. They have made you immortal. So, you know, with the award today, Charlie, as I said, President Trump is a movement. Charlie was a younger version of the movement and would have carried it on. But the movement now is going to be immortal. And I think that this generation should be inspired. Whenever anyone asks me what they should do, I said, look, the President is setting the table for all kinds of opportunities. We are bringing back precision manufacturing, so there are going to be factory jobs. We are reaching out to Main street through small banks and small banks are the lenders to small business. So young people want to start businesses. I may not look like it in these clothes, but I'm also a very large farmer. So small banks are the largest source of agricultural lending. So for your listeners in rural areas, we've seen people moving away from farms. I think farming is great business. I got into it about 10 years ago. So there are opportunities and it's going to require both financial literacy and skills based training. We have an incredible shortage in the trades in nursing that we probably overemphasize college degrees. And I'm sure there's this whole generation who got out who, they've got a lot of student loan debt and degrees that don't work for them. But I think through President Trump's initiatives, we are going to see a, both a Main street comeback, a working class comeback, and the opportunity to accumulate the real assets over the long term.

[C]

Well, I certainly hope you're right and people don't realize this about Charlie, but he was an autodidact. He was a self taught man when it came to economics and he was really into the Austrian school, the Milton Friedman. I mean he, he learned, that was actually his start was learning the macroeconomic basics and then, and then advanced learnings as well. But he, he was rooted in fundamental economic ideas and I was, I was.

[D]

In all of his knowledge. He was like as Benjamin Franklin was to electricity. He taught himself, he was to economics.

[C]

And he could, he could talk it with the best of them. And you saw that firsthand. So we're here remembering our friend and brother and, and you are as well in the audience. Blake, you've got an email for us.

[B]

Yeah, we've been getting so many just wall of them during that break. But we want to read this one we got earlier today from Jennifer. She wrote, happy birthday, Charlie. Here is my gift. Dear Charlie, my life has changed since yours was taken from you. And now every day is bittersweet. I have gone back to church after decades away and brought my children with me. I'm praying for my husband. I am sober over three weeks, thank God. I now wear a cross around my neck proudly. I found it amongst my old gold jewelry that I was going to have melted down into a cross as I'd never had one and I truly have no idea where it came from. It's small rose gold with a Celtic feel like me. And I think it was a divine gift. Regardless of how that may sound to some, I know countless others have changed their lives in similar ways. And I can't help but think that these are the best birthday gifts you could have ever hoped for. I pray for your family feels all your love today and every day going forward. God bless Jen from Canada, your new sister in Christ.

[C]

Amen.

[B]

And we're getting so many, so many emails like this.

[C]

Freedom. CharlieKirk.com Keep sending them. If we don't read them on air, we're going to read them personally. And they mean a lot to us, the team as well, so please rest assured about that. I want to play a clip here that's really important because you're working on a very important piece of this. I wish we had more time for this. So let's just get right into it. 1 3. And let me tell you something, I'm not sure with anybody, but the last message that Charlie Kirk gave to me before he joined his creator in heaven.

[E]

Was he said that we have to.

[C]

Dismantle and take on the radical left organizations in this country that are fomenting violence. That was the last message that he sent me before that assassin stole him from all of us. So that is a powerful clip. Stephen Milius said something similar when JD hosted the show on the Monday after he was assassinated. And Treasury, I come to find out, coming to D.C. that treasury has taken an active role in an aspect of this dismantling of the financial networks that are supporting some of these radical left violent groups. Share with what you can. I know it's an ongoing process.

[D]

So it's an ongoing process. And I will tell you that after 9 11, treasury became the driving force behind tracking down the networks of terrorist organizations, how they were financed. How could this have happened on US soil with these international terrorist organizations? Where did the money come from? Who were the ultimate funders? And that was on the international side. And Andrew, I will tell you that Charlie's death is like a domestic 911 that we are going to find. It has alerted us to what Charlie knew, that these organizations are working within our borders. And look, we, we believe people have a right to free speech. We have. They have a right to organize, they have a right to protest, but they have to do it peacefully. They cannot embrace violence. And we have seen it, We've seen it since the terrible day two years ago, the anti Semitism and the bias that came out after October 7, 2023. And many of these organizations have been financed by non profits. And it's going to stop. And we are going to, as they always say, follow through, follow the money. When you see these groups where all the signs match, they have hundreds of the same umbrellas that they're using after they cause the mayhem. They have the same lasers that they're using to blind our police force. You know, how are they constructed? Because this takes a lot of money, it takes a lot of organization. And we are going to do that. We have started to compile lists, put together networks, and there's a long record here and we don't know how much of the support's coming in from overseas. We don't know how much being supported by US nonprofits, C3s that give money to C4s. But this is mission critical for us. Now, just as after 9, 11 and Osama bin Laden, the ultimate culprit was captured, we are operationalizing this here at treasury and we are going to track down who is responsible for this. So Charlie's death has set this off and we are determined, we are determined not only to honor him, but to keep our country safe and to ensure freedom of speech on both sides. That we can't, as conservatives, we can't be afraid to go out and speak. You know, I know people are canceling speeches. They're having to bring down the size of the rallies. President Trump was millimeters away from death and he was not deterred, and we're not going to be deterred.

[C]

God bless you for that. I wish I had more time, but that was a powerful message. Thank you, Secretary Scott Besson.

[G]

Thank you so much.

[D]

Pleasure.

[C]

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[A]

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[F]

Sure. Thank you very much for having me. The data are as, are as good as they could be. I mean, they're actually very good thanks to President Trump. So in the second quarter's first full quarter in office, we grew 3.8%. If you take the federal side out, we actually grew four and a half percent. So the real GDP excluding the federal government grew at four and a half percent. And in the third quarter, the latest estimate from the Atlanta Fed, which a lot of people look at, is at 3, 8, with also a very similar profile of the growth being led by the private sector, consumers and also capital spending capex, that's investment in things like AI and other technologies. So that's really what's driving the economy. The labor market is not great. We learned after the fact that the Biden job machine really didn't work very well, that we had about 2 million downward revisions over two years. That's a huge number.

[D]

Yeah.

[F]

So the economy is doing well thanks to President Trump. We need to get the labor market turning higher. Unfortunately, the shutdown is hurting, hurting a lot actually. And that's a factor that we're concerned about. But the long term outlook under President Trump is excellent.

[B]

So Charlie was very. One of the things he would talk about repeatedly over the last few months. He talked about the future of young people in America because there's a lot of extremism among young people. We've seen polls, even after Charlie's death that shows shockingly high share of, especially those on the left among those under 40, support overt political violence. And he would talk about this choice between MAGA and mangionism. Luigi Mangioni, the guy who shot the healthcare CEO, and he would basically say you need to give young people a stake in the economy, a sense that they have ownership of things or they'll become really politically radical. One of his big passions was you need to have young people be owning homes. We've seen, I think in the 1980s, the average first time home buyer was about 29 years old. That's grown to 38. It's gone up almost four or five years just since COVID I believe. And he was very concerned with that, that what can we do to make it so young people are buying into the system rather than feeling hopeless and atomized. And I was wondering if you have any thoughts on what the Trump administration can do along that dimension to especially uplift the youngest Americans who are otherwise at risk of getting really radicalized.

[F]

Charlie's exactly right. And the Treasury Secretary recently highlighted the fact that we have a housing affordability crisis to Charlie's points that he was making so eloquently. One of the things you can do certainly is get inflation down because under the prior administration, inflation ran at a near 5% annual rate. That's the highest since the inflationary 70s. We have high inflation, you have high interest rates. Under President Trump, he's been able to get inflation rate down substantially. That's allowed blue collar wages to expand it to grow quite significantly and also a lot interest rates to decline. So you look right now at US interest rates, the 10 year yield, the benchmark borrowing rate for mortgages and for corporate borrowers is around 4%. So that's very positive. And that will eventually pull mortgage rates down because inflation is declining. And all the investment that I talked about about that President Trump is getting going in the economy that will increase the economy's ability to produce goods and services, which will further lower inflation so mortgage rates can't come down further. The administration is also working on things to try to expedite the permitting process, trying to lower some of the costs. Things like that will help, no question, because as you said, young people need to have a skin in the game, need to have a stake in the outcome and feel like they're not disillusioned. So Charlie was exactly right about that. It will take time to undo the policies we had under the prior administration. But we are optimistic that as the cost of living goes down and as worker wages rise, you'll get more young people being able to go into the home, you know, the home market and be able to buy, get affordability hire. And things will turn. It'll take some time, but things will turn.

[G]

Yeah.

[B]

Another important part will be another thing Charlie talked about a lot, the college scam, sort of deflating the scam elements of higher education to. Did you see this yesterday with the, I believe it was Santa Clara School of Law?

[C]

No.

[B]

So this is something that's unfolding Right now, one of the things the Trump administration recently did is it capped the annual amount of student loans. You could take in the PLUS loans to $50,000 a year. This is the super student loan. A lot of people getting graduate degrees get it and they capped it at $50,000 a year. So Santa Clara School of Law, last year their tuition was $62,000. This year they announced a scholarship that every single person who goes to the school will get such that their tuition is now $50,000.

[C]

That's a practical example.

[F]

That's it with the government. I mean, Alice Rivlin, probably not well known among many folk. Old person like me knows who she is. She was head of the Congressional Budget Office under, I believe under Clinton and was a vice chair of the Fed. She's certainly not a rightist in any way shape form. But you talked about how government with education causes all sorts of big problems and how they basically create artificial demand. To your point about what the Trump administration is doing, trying to get government out of the market. So that's very important, lowering costs. So things like this are very important. Let the private sector do its job and let the government get out of the way so that costs can fall to make education cheaper for everyone. This also comes back to your point on housing. So trying to get the government out of the way, senseless regulation that doesn't allow building and things to go forward in a more productive way so that costs can be, you know, can be lower.

[C]

How concerned are we about artificial intelligence? You talked about this dichotomy between you had 4.5% real growth in the, in the private sector. But you are, there are struggles in the labor market. Obviously that's what I think of first when I think about young people getting skin in the game, getting on that, that first rung of the ladder to start building wealth and building a career. Is AI something that you are looking at actively? How concerned are you about it eroding, especially those entry level jobs you think financial markets, right. Financial analysts on Wall street, that's, that's the first jobs that are getting cut. So, so how worried are we about that first rung on the ladder of career building as, as the first jobs that are going to get cut because we're seeing some negative trend employment.

[F]

Look, all new technologies are very disruptive, but the history, the US Economic history is such that they ultimately get the economy growing and expanding and thriving in a much better place. So I'm not worried about AI necessarily replacing jobs, although there might be some areas where there is Some, you know, some effect we have. We need a lot of jobs and a lot of high tech areas, certainly in a lot of high skill areas, trades, tradesmen, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, all those things to build. We need a lot of that labor. We're so short of the fact that the administration has secured the border and gotten rid of significant amounts of illegal workers which are artificially depressing worker wages is also very important. But like when you want to build and the President wants to re industrialize the manufacturing base, create high value, high value added high paying jobs, those aren't AI jobs, those are jobs that you're building. You're operating a factory, you're getting capital coming in. That's where the US Economy will thrive. And President Trump as a builder knows how to create things. The secretary has been excellent in helping articulate and seeing that vision through. And you're going to, we've got all these new industries, look at the equity market, look at the boom we're seeing across these hyperscalers. I mean there's so many wonderful opportunities. I have to think that the outlook and the ability to do business and to transact in a meaningful way and not be impeded by government regulation and high taxes, those are all things that are going to create jobs for all sorts of people, all sorts of Americans. So it makes me really optimistic. It's not to say there weren't certain areas, there will be some dislocations. But President Trump knows how to create jobs and we'll get it done.

[C]

You know, I, we were had the opportunity to speak with the Vice President yesterday, just briefly and you know, it struck me that he is extraordinarily bullish. Glass half full you could say on AI and its ultimate impact that, you know, we've seen this with the railroad, we've seen this with the automobile, we've seen this with the, the dot com boom. So these new technologies come in, they are disruptive but ultimately they lead to, you know, greater productivity which leads to additional job opportunities. And hopefully we, we are able to backfill some of that with trade schools that are in higher trades. Right. You think of trade schools, you think of, you know, carpenter, H Vac, that kind of thing. But there's trade schools for these high tech, maybe it's going to be trade schools for programming or robotics or automation.

[F]

That's right. My father, he's retired mostly, but he ran the largest trade school, vocational trade school in Connecticut. So yeah, there's tremendous amounts of opportunities that are there. And look in the bill that was just passed. One big beautiful bill. There's full expensing for capex. There's going to be full expensing for factories. So all the things you talk about in terms of building that the President wants to create, those tax incentives are there, which makes the forward really, really bullish.

[C]

Vice President, I'm glad you brought that up because Charlie would talk about that a lot. He would. He. He really wanted that. He became a big, big believer in the one big beautiful bill because he saw that the capex that was going to drive a ton of investment in the short term because, you know, private business owners. He was thinking about it from a personal standpoint, going like, well, if we can write all this off right now, let's do it.

[F]

Let's do it. And it's still to come.

[C]

Yeah. And we haven't seen the impact of that, right?

[F]

Not even. Nope, not yet. We will see it next year. It will really be a wonderful boom. It's gonna be a big.

[C]

And that's gonna be like, you know, restaurants and small businesses, factories, manufacturing, warehouses. Right.

[F]

We had the small business sentiment data today, and numbers still look really solid thanks to President Trump.

[C]

That's great. Okay, well, it's good news. Good news. We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries, and today I want to point you to their podcast. It's called Culture and Christianity. The Alan Jackson Podcast. What makes it unique is Pastor Alan's biblical perspective. He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today. Gender confusion, abortion, immigration, Doge Trump in the White House, issues in the church. He doesn't just discuss the problems in every episode. He gives practical things we can do to make a difference. His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies. They've been great friends. And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

[A]

Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world. Today. The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging. You could find it on YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes. Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture. You can find out more about Pastor Alan and the [e-mail] Charlie.

[C]

So, Blake, the floor is yours. It's obviously his. It would have been his 32nd birthday, and a lot of you are sending in your birthday wishes.

[B]

Yeah, you know, it's just. It's just so many. We've Got Nicole here.

[G]

Good morning.

[B]

What a glorious day we've been blessed with Joby. I am remembering Charlie today on what would have been his 32nd birthday. We attended a vigil for Charlie last night in Central New York. 350 people came to praise Jesus, give testimonies and speak about how Charlie impacted their lives. He's a beloved young man who has done immeasurable work for this country. Thank you, Joby or Joanna.

[C]

Harry's is nice.

[B]

Harry's.

[C]

Let's see.

[B]

Do you want to read that one?

[C]

I'm so very sad. But today, Charlie Kirk receives the highest honor any American can receive, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He truly earned it and deserves it. I still wish he was here with us all. Charlie was a warrior for the kingdom of God. He is a martyr. He is in heaven. I pray for him and his entire family every night. God bless you all at Turning Point usa. Sincerely. Sincerely, Harry. Just one after the other. I mean, and some of these are longer. Tim says, I'm still angry. I knew Charlie was special. I believe that the celebrities who are moving out of America may have been funding antifa and other socialists. Justice for Charlie, we're going to find out. That's what's so great about what treasury is doing as well. So I'm going to play a clip for you here, Joe. And I have to confess, our audience is probably like, I was barely aware of the shutdown. I mean, I obviously, I follow the news. I knew it was happening. But you know, outside of the D.C. area, it wasn't. But when I came here, all of a sudden it was like, oh, I can feel the shutdown. Right? You really feel it when you're in dc. Let's go ahead and play a cut that's going viral right now of Speaker Mike Johnson listing some of the crazy things that they want to pass in order to reopen the government. The Democrats 149 in their legislation, their counter proposal on the CR to keep the lights open. This is what they want to do. They want to spend 24.6 million of your hard earned dollars as a taxpayer for climate resilience in Honduras. They want to spend 13.4 million for civic engagement in Zimbabwe. They want to send 3.9 million for LGBTQI plus democracy grants in the western Balkans. They want to spend 2.9 million of your dollars for desert locust risk reduction in the Horn of Africa and 2 million for, quote, organizing for feminist democratic principles in Africa. So, Joe, you're the counselor to the Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant. You know this stuff better than anybody. You're also, like a famed economist. I want people to understand that you're not. You're not just the spokesman. You are yourself a really renowned economist. Our people don't care about the shutdown. They care about Charlie's birthday, things like that. But. But the question is, should they?

[F]

Here's why it matters. CEA Council economic advisors estimated that we could be losing $15 billion per week lost output because of this shutdown. That's a lot of money. It adds up, obviously, cumulatively, over time, significant. But because we're. And because we're not getting any economic data, the Federal Reserve, which the President has accurately said rates are too high. The Fed has begun cutting interest rates. If we had data that I think might be weaker, because, as I said earlier, the Biden jobs market was not very good, and we got handed in a market that was losing a lot of downward momentum. Maybe the Fed should cut rates more. So not having the data because of the shutdown is a problem because you may be not making the best policy decisions because we don't have any information. And of course, there is an economic hit, and there's also a human toll. This doesn't have to happen. As I'm sure you know, there were 13 clean budget, clean continuing resolutions Democrats passed over the past four years. If you go back and look historically, I counted no less than fifth clean. The Republicans passed when they were the minority party in power without there being a shutdown.

[C]

So, yeah, in the same speech, by the way, Speaker Mike Johnson said that he. They went and counted all of the CRS that Chuck Schumer supported, and it was 29 out of 30 over his tenure. And the one he hasn't is this one. So. You know, Blake, I don't know if you have any final thoughts. We're coming up against a break on the hour, but maybe we just leave it with. Go ahead.

[B]

Honestly, I would. I'd like to leave it with. I don't know if we have it ready to throw up, but someone ordered.

[C]

Yeah, this is great.

[B]

Charlie's, you know, Starbucks order, the Mint Majesty tea with two honey packets. And the barista took that order and then wrote on the cup, don't lose your voice.

[C]

There it is.

[B]

And it's also baristas in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I am from. So I'm gonna shout out my hometown for having good baristas.

[C]

That's amazing. Well, Joe, thank you so much. Joe Lavorgna, counselor to the Treasury Secretary. Please carry on the mission. Keep thinking about Gen Z as you're doing this and Charlie of course.

[F]

Thank you so much.

[C]

Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us. Balance in Nature would like to take a moment to honor the life and legacy of our friend, Charlie Kirk. Charlie dedicated his life to inspiring each of us to live with a greater purpose. He wholeheartedly believed in meaningful conversations and the power of building stronger communities together. He taught us to be engaged and responsible citizens, leaving us with values that will continue to echo through generations. Charlie was not only a leader, he was a friend to everyone at Balance of Nature. In his memory. Balance of Nature is committing to a culture that chooses compassion to live with purpose and to ensure that dignity has the final word. Hear about it from Charlie in his own words.

[A]

Every single ingredient is a fruit or veggie plucked from the soil. No binders, no additives or artificial colors, no fillers, just whole fruits and veggies. Gluten free and vegan friendly, these harvested ingredients are freeze dried into a fine powder using an advanced vacuum cold process to better preserve nutritional value. Go to balanceinnature.com, use discount code charlie to order online at balanceinnature.com, use discount code charlie. You get 35% off plus a free bottle of fiber and sp spice.

[C]

Honored to be having another cabinet level guest on the Charlie Kirk Show. While we're here, Administrator of the epa, Lee Zelden. Welcome gentlemen.

[G]

It's good to be with you both.

[C]

Yeah, well, it's honored. We're honored to have you. You probably. And I, you know, I don't want to offend anybody else, but Charlie maybe said more nice things about Yuli than you know, just as far as your ability to be an effective administrator of the epa, but like an effective operator, just solid. He's so behind you. It's just from top to bottom, I never ever heard him say anything but just wonderful things about you. So it really is fitting that you're here on his, what would have been his 32nd birthday.

[G]

That feeling couldn't possibly be more mutual. The respect, admiration that I and so many others have had for him. And I shared a thought with both of you when we were together last night about what's happened over the course of last month. Coming across these parents who had no idea how much their sons and daughters were greatly looking up to Charlie and paying attention, tuning into this podcast every day, listening to all those videos over TikTok and learning so much from him and get inspired by Charlie and what's happened over the last month. Not only have these Parents had this epiphany as to what was going on with their sons and daughters. But now those parents have been watching all these videos, like, wow. And I gotta say, as somebody who was in touch with Charlie a ton, I appreciated him. But, like, when you. When you saw the response following his death, not just from across this country, but around the world, I didn't spend any time thinking about this, you know, a possibility that we might lose Charlie so soon and that you'd have that kind of a. A turnout on his passing. And I remember driving into the stadium and seeing so many people who were walking the other way because the stadium was full, the overflow was full. And I mean, it's. It was a hot day inside of Phoenix. These are older, older people. But you could have filled up another stadium.

[C]

We could have filled up, I think three, maybe four, actually. Yeah. With all the people that were there. It was funny because our tech partners. Apparently, this is very standard at a stadium like this, where they monitor how many devices are in and around the stadium. It's not some, like, conspiracy or whatever, but they. The, you know, the State Farm arena, or stadium, rather, it. You know, it's. Host Super Bowls and things like, they're. They're very. They have a great team, actually. And they. They confirmed with US it was 277,000 devices. So, I mean, you figure you got 70,000 people in that stadium. I mean, you could have filled that up three, maybe more times. And so it was an amazing, amazing outpouring of support. And as you said, you know, you. I mean, we were up close to it. And I. I kept telling Charlie every six months, I'd be like, I have to recalibrate just how famous you've become. I couldn't, because I was so close to it. And then I would see him and I would take him out and these moments would happen. I'd be like, you're getting mobbed like you're a beetle, you know? Yeah.

[G]

I remember shortly after, I came into Congress and Charlie was doing an event in D.C. and we're talking about almost a decade ago, and I walked into this venue in D.C. and there were thousands of young men and women with so much energy, and it was just so genuine. It was so. It was so pure. For people who are talking about Charlie as if this was, you know, some explosion over the course of, you know, the last few months or the last couple of years, I mean, you could go back a decade earlier. This guy who. 32, 32nd birthday today, I'm talking about, like, early to mid-20s, he was pulling thousands of people out at an event.

[C]

Talk about this, because a lot of people that have known him a little bit longer, like yourself, saw the evolution of Charlie. You know, he was a little bit more rough around the edges at the beginning. Still the same passion and, like, warmth and vibrancy that was always a constant. But you know what I mean, he got more mature, he got softer with younger people. He became a big brother figure. What did you see from your vantage point?

[G]

Well, he was a very good learner. A lot of people might not realize just how much he was always trying to grow himself and become smarter, to become wiser, to study.

[E]

He.

[G]

When he was having this event at a school where he was challenging people to come up to talk about topics where they disagree, he wasn't just trying to bring out the best of that person who was stepping up to the mic. He was hoping that that person stepping up to the mic was to bring out the best of him, of Charlie, and he would learn from that, and he would get better and stronger for it. So if you had to point to one thing that would have happened over the course of that decade that we were just talking about is that he was absorbing so much knowledge. He was just becoming so much wiser. And so many of us in life, we just get through the day, and we have a job, we have a family, we have a routine, and we don't really take a moment to just take it in, to reflect, to be able to pray, to grow. And Charlie was doing that in his entire day, all day, every day, he was absorbing everything. And that's such a great trait. And what will happen is by the time you're in your early 30s, you're going to be wiser than most people who are senior citizens who have just kind of dragged themselves through life, never becoming smarter and absorbing everything you come in contact with.

[C]

I so agree with that. And we are on October 14th. Obviously, Charlie's gonna get the Medal of Freedom from President Trump today. It has been moved. Blake, is it. It's been moved to the.

[B]

It's been moved outdoors to the Rose.

[C]

Garden, which I guess the weather is crowd, I believe. Yeah. President Trump said there's so many people that want to be a part of it that we are gonna now do it outside, which is great. And since it's his 32nd birthday, a lot of people are sending in birthday.

[B]

Wishes, and so many of them, they're writing them to Charlie, and, of course, Charlie can still read them. I liked this one, Barbara. Dear Charlie, thank you for never giving up on our country and on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember watching you on Fox and Friends for your very first interview there. I have been following you since. I have always been a Christian, but I didn't realize that I was faithful but not walking in my faith until you were taken from.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

Because of you, I went back to church and took our children. Because of you, I am a better wife, a better mother, a better person. Your words made me realize that the only way for me was through Jesus. Thank you for helping me to realize that. My job was never to get my children into Harvard. It was to get them into heaven.

[C]

Whoa.

[B]

That was a great one, Barbara.

[C]

That is a good line.

[G]

And by the way, it's not too often that somebody's first cable news interview is memorable, is inspiring. Like, the first time you do an interview, you might be somewhat intimidated by the setting you're trying not to mess up. You know, I remember the first time I was on Fox and Friends. I probably am the only one who remembers the first time that I was on Fox and Friends.

[C]

And meanwhile, you have so many mother and your wife.

[G]

No, actually, I'm probably the only one who remembers that hit. But you know that there are so many people out there who remember the first time that Charlie was on Fox and Friends. Like how that never happens.

[C]

Yeah, well, and he got to host ultimately, he got to host Fox and Friends weekend with Rachel Campos. Campos Duffy. Sean Duffy's wife and Fox News host and Charlie Hurt. And that is actually one of the clips that has gone viral where his daughter Gigi was running up to go see him. And there's.

[B]

There's just so many we've been getting. We're reading a small handful of them, but I'd say we probably had maybe 200 or so since this started, since.

[C]

The start of the show.

[B]

Just most of them, it's just, you know, the standard, you know, happy birthday, Charlie. You will always live on in our hearts. Keep up the good work. Tpusa my thoughts to Erica and her children. That's from James. We have just. Just so many. You know, I have to click open to them and all of that, but I took the day off today, and I'm sporting my best Charlie ever T shirt with glowing pride. I just left a Catholic mass where I lit a prayer candle for Charlie and his family. That's from Lisa. Thank you, Lisa.

[C]

I just love that, the outpouring of support for Charlie. I mean, he knew that you loved him. I can tell you that. He knew he did know and he loved this audience and he had a direct connection with you guys. And, and part of the way that that happened was through these emails. But, but even I think he would be blown away at, at all of this. And so God bless you guys and thanks for honoring Charlie on his 32nd birthday. You are the 17th administrator of the EPA.

[G]

That's right.

[D]

Is that right?

[C]

I saw that in your, your X, I guess, bio. Tell us about the epa, because Charlie was not a huge fan of the epa. Was it the Elimination of Productivity Agency or what? It was like the. Something like job elimination. You know, that sort of vibe with Charlie. But you have taken it. And Charlie really loved what you were doing with the EPA because yours is. You have this growth mindset. Yeah, we want clean water, want clean air. We want the cleanest water and the cleanest air. But there's a way that you can use this agency and leverage the tools at your disposal to really be pro growth. And so tell us about how you're approaching that.

[G]

So one of the biggest differences between conservatives and liberals is that we believe it's not a binary choice between protecting the environment and growing the economy. We choose both at the Trump epa, and that's a difference. And we come in, we inherited so many bad decisions that were made during the Biden administration. We have basically half of the president's deregulation agenda.

[C]

Wow.

[G]

And we're talking about trillions of dollars of deregulation in one year. We will do more deregulation at the Trump EPA than entire federal governments have done across all federal agencies, across entire presidencies. Just one of the proposed deregulations alone. The proposed rescission of the 2009 Obama endangerment finding, if finalized, is the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States. But while we're doing that, I'll tell you the best announcements that we put out on the 100th day of President Trump's term in office. Our top 100 environmental accomplishments from those first 100 days. On the 200th day of President Trump's term in office. Our next top 100 environmental accomplishments from those next 100 days. And we're getting people back in the office or. Right. Sizing the agency. We're going through reorganization. When I came in, there was a little over 16,000 employees. We're going down to just over 12,000. And that reduction, we will actually get more done.

[C]

Of course you will.

[E]

With.

[G]

With just over 12,000 than the Biden EPA did with just over 16,000 it's about priorities.

[C]

Well, it's also you get rid of the whiners. You get rid of the people that are holding you back and that are actually on agenda and want to, want to contribute to what you're doing. And you call it the Great America American Comeback Initiative. So what is that to you? Is that so?

[G]

President Trump often talks about pillar one, clean air, land and water for all Americans. It's a five pillar agenda. Number two is unleashing energy dominance. Three is advancing cooperative federalism and permitting reform. Pillar four is about making America the AI capital, the world. And pillar five is protecting bringing back American auto jobs. These are all part of the Trump mandate. President Trump campaigned on delivering on all these promises and that's what powering the great American.

[C]

So important people don't understand the EPA enough, but you can either cause a lot of damage or you can be a good friend.

[G]

Yes.

[C]

To productive people.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Because like we don't have that, that thought in our minds instantly when we think about the epa. Charlie certainly didn't, but he trusted you to do it and he knew that you were the right man for the job. Did Charlie and you interact at all during the transition? Was he encouraging you to do this?

[G]

Oh, yeah, no doubt he was engaged during the transition process and he had a lot of ideas. We were very much in contact over the campaign and, and the different ways to be able to make sure that President Trump was elected and he had a Republican Congress to work with him to implement that agenda. But when the election came and went, Charlie didn't just disengage. He became more engaged to make sure that the right people were coming into government, that they were focused on the priorities of this president. They weren't going to. What we don't want to do is repeat any mistake of the past where the wrong people come in. They're trying to sabotage the president.

[C]

Charlie, 72 hours after the election, flew to Florida. That was Charlie's dedication. This is the Charlie Kirk Show. We are all about saving babies with preborn. There are 24,836 kindergarteners starting school this month who would not be alive if it hadn't been for what Preborn did in 2019. When a woman considering abortion sees her baby on that ultrasound and hears that baby's heartbeat, it doubles the chance that she will choose life. $140 gives five mothers a free ultrasound and saves babies. $280 can save 10 babies and just $28 a month can save a baby a month for less than a dollar a day. A $15,000 gift will provide an ultrasound machine that will save babies lives for years and years to come. Charl love preborn Charlie loved it so much. He believed in it so much. He was a donor. So I'll give the final word to Charlie Kirk.

[A]

Whether you want to save one baby or five or hundreds, that opportunity is just a phone call or click away. Call 833-850-2229 or click on the preborn banner at charliekirk.com.

[C]

On Charlie Kirk's 32nd birthday. We are at the Cash Room, the historic cash room at the Treasury Department. We are, we're reading your emails. You're sending in hundreds and hundreds of happy birthday emails to Charlie. We're trying to read some of them on the air. And so please send them freedom. Charliekirk.com we are joined by EPA Administrator the 17th, which is, you know, that's noteworthy. Of the Lee Zeldin, I want to ask you a different question, actually. There's a lot of news about, you know, what's happening with the Virginia gubernatorial race and the New Jersey gubernatorial race. You've got, you ran in a blue state. What, what is that like? Are you, I mean, I hope maybe with the Charlie effect and some of the things that you guys are doing in the Trump administration, they're going to have some wind at their back. I mean, what are you seeing in these? Do they have a chance? What, what is your advice to them down the stretch?

[G]

So I have to be careful about how I answer this. Understanding, setting and the position of theory.

[C]

If there was a, I think it's.

[G]

So important for conservatives to get out of our comfort zone and not just speak to the people who agree with us all the time, but to go to places where maybe no one in that community has voted for us in the past or agrees with us and engage with them directly. And, you know, something that obviously Charlie confronted head on, especially when he was on these college campuses and I've been experiencing this at the epa, is that there are terms, words used in the environmental space that the left is used for organizing that get particular definitions that might sound good on paper but in reality is not what you think you're getting. The terms like environmental justice, climate justice, climate change, they get a definition and you might think that you are supportive of the concept, but actually the congressional Democrats who are pushing those terms aren't doing exactly what that definition says, environmental justice, they'll say, hey, there's a community that's been left behind and need help. Okay? Like we all agree if there's a community that's been left behind and needs help, let's all help them. But actually what they're using the term environmental justice for is to get tens of billions of dollars appropriated for their left wing activist NGO friends. They're well connected former Biden and Obama officials and Democratic donors so that they can just eat at the taxpayer till and just waste away money with a reduced agency oversight. In the name of climate justice, the Biden EPA gives $50 million to a group called Climate Justice Alliance. They say the climate justice runs through a free Palestine. There are a lot of Americans who would say that we shouldn't be spending $50 million on, on an activist NGO like that, American tax dollars or in climate change. You have people who they'll build support with their definition, but then they'll try to get these policies across to have more control over the lives of more of the citizenry. They will try to bankrupt people who can least afford it. And I just think it's really important that we as conservatives are reminded to take advantage of all these opportunities to get out of our comfort zone. Talk to people who maybe haven't supported us or understood us in the past. Maybe meet them where they are and talk to them about these important issues because they're getting fed what I would say are lies that are deceptive on purpose and it results in abuse of power and people getting taken for granted.

[C]

I think that's really well said. Confront them where they're at. People have not heard these ideas. Do not always assume people have heard your POV because a lot of times you'll discover that they haven't. I don't know, Blake, if you've got anything top of mind or any emails we want to share, but someone's holding.

[B]

A pool party during the battle of freedom.

[C]

Well, that's cool, that's great. Well, that's very.

[B]

Enjoy watching it. They were in sunset.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Just so many things, you know, we have Donna. Thank you Charlie, for always speaking truth and being a light in the world. Your absence is just as strong as your presence. We love you and miss you, but we know God is pleased that you are with him now. Thank you, Donna.

[C]

That's what amazing.

[B]

So many like these.

[G]

I'm thinking of this, this visual of, of Charlie in 2020. It was on the south lawn of the White House where the RNC was getting hosted and, and he was right in front of me for the President's acceptance. This smile. And you all have seen this smile so often. I mean, you Saw it firsthand in 2024 when they call Pennsylvania that, you know, this epic footage, this hard work paying off, man, that smile, it was. It was someone who is just showing you so much joy and passion for the cause, for this country, for the future and hope, man, we can never forget or lose sight of that smile on his face.

[C]

That's our sacred duty here at the Charlie Kirk Show Turning Point. It's why we're here today, why we're honored to have you. I know that you and Charlie were close friends, and you guys confided a lot in each other, and so your loss is our loss. And I know. We'll see you this afternoon.

[G]

Yes, sir. We'll be there.

[C]

Thank you for making the time.

[G]

It's great to be with you guys.

[C]

Awesome. We're doing a little guest swap. I see Senator Mike Lee is just getting into the room. You know, everybody's furloughed in the imperial capital, so getting people in and out has actually been somewhat entertaining today. But we. Let's go ahead and see if there's any more emails here, Blake, as he.

[B]

Gets four, because he's about to get here. Let's throw at 155. We have a Charlie tweet from all the way back in 2013. I love Mike Lee.

[C]

155. Throw that up.

[B]

And he said in 2016 that Mike Lee was his favorite senator.

[C]

154. Throw up. 154. Mike Lee is my favorite senator. Sent on March 10, 2016. So I hope you didn't do anything in between those times to ruin your status atop the the Senator list. But welcome to the show, Senator.

[E]

Thank you. I'm elated. I hadn't seen those particular tweets. I'm so honored by that.

[C]

Great.

[E]

Love, Charlie. What a good man.

[C]

I didn't even know that he tweeted those things out, to be honest.

[B]

For everything.

[C]

Yeah, there is a Charlie tweet for everything.

[E]

I knew I was his favorite, to be sure, but I didn't realize he had told the rest of the world that.

[C]

Well, so let's just start there, Senator, you know, you were a regular, and you hopefully will continue to be a regular on this show. But, you know, you and Charlie had a close relationship. You. You stayed in constant communication. You know, Charlie was based in Arizona. You're just in Utah, one state away. Explain what this whole last month and change has meant to you. It's his 32nd birthday today. The floor is yours, Senator.

[E]

First of all, happy birthday, Charlie. And thanks to all of you who are keeping his legacy moving forward like the last month has been tough. Not only did they take away a dear friend of mine, a dear friend of the American people, but they took away a leader, a husband, a father, somebody who had immense potential and destiny. I'm absolutely convinced he would have been president of the United States probably within, you know, a decade or so, which at Charlie's age, still would have made him an exceptionally young president. But this happened almost in my backyard. I mean, UVU is just a couple miles from where I live, and it's not the kind of place where that's supposed to happen. I remember just a few weeks earlier, Charlie called me one day right after he had scheduled that particular visit and said, mike, I want you there. Be with me. Come do the event with me. And I was really excited about it. I said, tell me the date. Pulled up my calendar and realized the Senate would be in session. I said, I will be there if I possibly can. There is a chance, though, that there will be votes that have to be cast that day that I can't miss. That turned out to be the case. And a few hours before the event, the night before, I texted him and said, there's no chance I'm going to be able to get back for this. He texted me that day just as he was about to get to the event, telling me how excited he was for it. So looks a huge loss, but it's up to the rest of us, those of us who knew him and had such admiration for him, to keep his message moving forward, to make sure that his words echo throughout the ages.

[F]

This is Lane Schoenberger, chief investment officer and founding partner of Y Refi. It has been an honor and a privilege to partner with Turning Point and for Charlie to endorse us. His endorsement means the world to us. And we look forward to continuing our partnership with Turningpoint for years to come. Now hear Charlie, in his own words tell you about why Refi.

[A]

I'm going to tell you guys about yrefi.com that is yrefy.com why refi is incredible. Private student loan debt in America totals about $300 billion. Why refi is refinancing distress or defaulted private student loans. You can finally take control of your student loan situation with a plan that works for your monthly budget. Go to yrefi.com that is whyrefi.com do you have a co borrower? Why Refi can get them released from the loan. You can skip a payment up to 12 times without penalty. It may not be available in all 50 states. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com let's face it, if you have distress or default to student loans, it can be overwhelming because of privacy. Loan debt. So many people feel stuck. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com Private student loan debt relief. Why refi.com.

[C]

But today we're kind of honoring what President Trump raced back from the Middle east to do, which is to honor Charlie with the highest civilian honor that our country can bestow on somebody, the Medal of Freedom and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, you know, you see what Charlie meant to the President. And, you know, we got a chance to spend a little time last night and so many friends. I mean, Charlie, we talked about this earlier. Charlie was a man of the people. He was always about the grassroots, always about the muscular class, sort of reviled the elite in a sense. You know, he was a kind of a populist in that way. But you go around this town right now and it's like the who's who. And they all loved Charlie and his friendships and his network extended to so many of the most powerful people in the world right now. And you're seeing that on full display with the President of the United States after brokering a peace deal in Israel, Gaza, flying back, racing back for this. I guess just reflect on the enormity of that and how that. What that says about the impact Charlie's had.

[E]

Well, it's a huge thing, and it's one of countless data points that we can identify since September 10th of where the entire world has reacted. You've got foreign heads of state recording tributes to him. You've got the President of the United States flying to Arizona the following week for that beautiful memorial service where the president himself and many members of his senior team also spoke. He's brought together all kinds of people, and I think that's one of the reasons why I'm optimistic that his legacy will be a lasting one, in part because he's got such a great team of people who knew him really, really well. And, you know, because you remember, because you were there for a lot of these speeches, and you're going to be able to recall with an accurate degree of detail which Charlie Kirk message fits the moment.

[C]

Yeah, I think we all have this, like, Charlie GPT running in our head.

[B]

People want us to make a literal Charlie.

[C]

I know.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

We're getting contacted by, you know, all these AI groups, and we're like, that's there's a right way to do it and the wrong way to do it.

[D]

Okay.

[E]

I hope you'll consider it though. You consider the amount of words that Charlie uttered as part of the public record over the last decade or so, that's a very large volume.

[B]

Yeah, I think what we do genuinely want is we want the ability to see everything he did say in the past. You know, with all those hundreds, thousands of hours. I think people would be a little creeped out if we started, you know, having a robot hologram. What Charlie would say, yeah, no, no.

[E]

I wasn't even think of the hologram yet. But that would be a lot of fun. You probably want to watermark it to make clear a little longer before I'm not there yet.

[C]

But I do appreciate your glass half full on the AI robotics kind of stuff.

[E]

In the meantime, Blake's got it in his head. He can. He can do it anytime.

[C]

So I want to play or I want to show this image. Senator Lee, you and me kind of teamed up to make this, this story go pretty viral in your home state. So this was published. Go ahead and throw up. Image 99. We mentioned it yesterday on the show, but I just find this shocking. This is Bagley cartoon. The whole head gang wanted for failure to honor their oaths to protect and defend the constitution from dictatorial whims of a malignant clown. And it has you, Burgess Owens, I mean the. The Republican elected electeds from Utah. Right.

[B]

The thing to really emphasize there is the way he's put the red bandanas around them. So it's like they all have this.

[C]

Burst of red coming out of right around the neck. Obviously Charlie was assassinated with a gunshot to his neck area. And I saw this and I could not believe my eyes. And then I found out that this Pat Bagley character is a far left lunatic and they celebrate him at the Salt Lake Drizzle. One of the longest running employed cartoonists left in America or something like that. But he's not even in America. He moved to Portugal. So anyways, I sent. I tweeted about this, sent it to you and you. I don't know if you'd seen it already or whatever. I think maybe you had seen the edited version because they took down the Hole in the Head gang.

[E]

That's right.

[C]

So I mean, how did this strike you? What are you thinking? What's the status of this? Like, can we fire this guy? Can we. I mean, there's. It's just one of those things, like in a human level, I want accountability. I'm not saying you can't have free speech, but this is like October 7th. It's not even a month out after Charlie's murder.

[E]

Right. Look, we ourselves, of course, can't do anything about it in terms of what his future looks like there. That's not up to us, not up to any government. Their speech is protected by the First Amendment and I'll fight to the death to make sure that they've got that. That doesn't mean that it's a good idea. Just because you can legally and because you're protected doesn't mean that certain things are a good idea. And publishing something like this, which I, I regard as just the next iteration in a long series of inflammatory statements and inflammatory images like this one, they don't contribute to a good environment. Calling people fascists, Nazis, this kind of imagery, something that they've been doing for a long time. In fact, they did that just a couple days before Charlie Kirk spoke at uvu. They referred to me and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs basically as Nazis, saying that we were bringing about the Vichy regime of the United States, or words of that effect. A couple days later, a member of their editorial board was asked about it and he said, oh, those guys are totally fascist. And you know, look, they're constitutionally protected and they're right to say that, but it does create a certain atmosphere. Now this, a few weeks after that assassination occurs with the red bandanas around the neck with the hole in the head comment, that's really, really pushing it.

[B]

So we want to. We have a clip we want to play. This is from when you came on our show last March. Yeah, last March. This one of these topics came up. Let's play clip 156.

[A]

Senator, what do you make of this rise of left wing terrorism targeted at Tesla and Elon Musk? My fear, Senator, and I hope I'm wrong. And let's say stay in prayer that I'm wrong, that someone is going to get shot the same way that Steve Scalise got shot and God forbid, killed.

[D]

This is what domestic terrorism does. This is what domestic terrorism looks like. They very much want people to be in fear. That's why they do it.

[C]

They understand that people understand that there.

[E]

Is a risk of bodily harm or.

[C]

Even death in these kinds of circumstances.

[D]

And that's designed to induce fear.

[C]

One of the worst things about what happened to Charlie is just how prophetic he was about raising the alarm about the rise of left wing terrorism and magionism. I mean, I find this chilling to even hear him say those words. Senator Lee, what does that, how does that strike you given what's happened?

[E]

First of all, I remember that, that interview. Now play the clip. And I remember just finding his words chilling when he made that comment, realizing he's probably right. This is the sort of thing that happens. So I'm glad you played that for us. But one of the most troubling things that has happened since Charlie's death has been that the extent to which there are people all over America, people in responsible positions, leftists who openly celebrated, openly applauded what happened, wishing on, on death for more conservatives. I did not expect to see this. Look, you think back other times when other prominent national figures, whether office holders or otherwise, have been assassinated. Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, just to name a few. You did have, sure, a couple of crazies here or there would say something stupid, but they were immediately dismissed as not being responsible members of society. This time around, people were openly celebrating it and they were not rejected by their own. And that hearkens back to this poll, the NPR PBS Marist poll that came out about two weeks ago. I believe it was August 1st, saying that 55% of leftists in America believe that it's morally acceptable to murder the current president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. That is just chilling.

[C]

It's chilling. And by the way, there was a economist YouGov poll conducted a few days after the assassination that found 30% of 18 to 39 year old self described progressives or liberals said that political violence was justified to achieve political ends. Blake, do we have any emails you want to throw?

[B]

There's just so many and so many of them are short, but they're all appreciated. I just have this one from Jolene here. Charlie was a gift on loan from God, a prophet in his time, God fearing, intelligent, kind. He impacted so, so many. He will be missed. That was the line about Rush, right? A gift on loan from God.

[C]

Yeah, on loan from God. And Charlie loved, loved Rush. Got to hang out with Rush, become really close with Rush. People don't realize this, I've said it on the show before, but if you missed it, Rush ended up becoming a seven figure donor to Turning Point. And the one, the one rule was that Charlie was not able to ever say anything about it. And then after Rush passed, his widow Katherine allowed Charlie and I think he maybe said it once or whatever, he didn't make much out of it just to honor Rush's wishes. But Charlie and Rush were Very close. And Rush believed in Charlie and actually mentioned on his radio broadcast after meeting Charlie, and I believe it was in, like, 2017 or originally when. When he met Charlie, or maybe 16, he said he related the. The interaction to how people would talk about President Bill Clinton and how you could just. Even. Even back in his college days, you could. You could see that this guy could be president. And Rush said that on air about Charlie.

[E]

Like, those two have a lot in common. Those two had prescience, particularly as to political and civic matters that very few can match. And it's impossible for me to think about the rise of Charlie's career and his rise to prominence generally without thinking that in so many ways he was a protege of Rush. I'm quite certain. In fact, I think I recall Charlie saying that he was an avid Rush listener long before Charlie Kirk's name became prominent. And I'm also confident that those voices around Charlie, even before he started listening to Rush, were themselves influenced by Rush Limbaugh. So it's good to have Charlie carrying on that legacy and others carrying that forward even after Charlie's gone.

[B]

Yeah, a lot of people have been saying that, you know, they thought he was going to be president one day. And I guess what we can say is he's. He's something greater than a president, actually, which is. He's a martyr.

[D]

Wow.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, in his legacy, you know, Charlie. It's funny because on my first interview that I did after Charlie's assassination, it was actually with Laura Ingram. It was about an hour before Erica gave her first address. And I said that line, I said, you know, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And I actually had never heard Charlie say that. It's just one of those things I had never heard him say. But then Erica, you know, she. Charlie was an avid journal maker taker, so he left a ton of journal entries, and she never looked at them. It was. Obviously, that would have been weird. And. But. But when he died, she looked at some of those journals and she found a page and she showed it to me. She took a picture of it, sent me a picture of it, and it said, in Charlie's chicken scratch, Charlie did not have great penmanship. That was one thing. But it said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And my heart about dropped out of my chest because, you know, just again, the little Charlie was incredibly in tune, I think, with the Holy Spirit. He was in tune with God. And, you know, he just. He could. He had a sense for where Things were going and where things. You know, I think there's these little, these little Easter eggs, these God winks all over his life when you, when you have eyes to see it and. All right, so Senator Mike Lee, I was telling this to Joe Lavorna in the first hour that we are in a government shutdown and yet you're still here. There's some other employees here. But it is funny because a lot of the employees that we would normally interact with to get into buildings or get at security checks or whatever, they're furloughed. So where are we at? Should we care? You know, this was the kind of story inside the Beltway story that Charlie would usually not care that much about. But Joe's point was that you will start feeling this in a wider and wider concentric circles outside of the imperial capital. What's the status? Are we going to turn the lights back on anytime soon?

[E]

Look, they'll come back on, undoubtedly at some point. Nobody knows exactly when. We're in uncharted territory here because the Democrats controlling not one of the three political levers. There are two political branches of government, the executive and legislative. Legislative has two pieces, the Senate and the House. Between those three pieces, the Democrats don't control the House or the Senate or the White House. For them to issue the kinds of demands that they issued in connection with leading up to culminating in this shutdown is absurd. They're not in control of any of the three branches and yet they are not even willing to accept Biden era spending levels. Now, look, that was. I bristled in response to how generous an offer that was on our part. I understand why we did it, but it was probably an overly generous offer. They still wouldn't accept that they're so accustomed to getting their wave, the mainstream news media covering for them and Republicans getting attacked every time something like this happens, regardless of who did what, that they think that they're immune from the laws of physics and mathematics. But it's not going to end well for them. Not this time. Not with this president. He's not messing around. And so look, when we look at shutdowns, we ought to think of how many things have gone wrong along the way. A lot of people will point to the fact that we're supposed to pass 12 separate spending bills, each in a different category of government. So you can't get to an all or nothing moment like this and the whole thing shuts down. That's true even long before we get to that. Something else has broken down by the time we can get into this posture where the federal government gets so big, so expensive, with such a long arm reaching into so many aspects of your lives, that the mere threat of not having the whole thing funded all at once can cause widespread panic. A government that can do that to you is a government that's gotten too big, too expensive.

[C]

Well, I love that. I feel like that's the best place where we can leave this conversation because Charlie's first big popular slogan that ever went viral was Big Gov sucks. And it still sucks. And Charlie wanted a limited government that was strong enough to affect the people's, you know, will that they voted for, but that was, you know, small enough that it didn't impede our freedoms. And so, I mean, I think, you know, Charlie would say, hold the line, Senator, and, you know, fight for us, don't give in. And I think that's the fighting spirit in some ways that has fully saturated, it seems, the highest levers of power. At least within the admin. We've got some legislators that need some work. You are not one of them. But this offense, offense, fight, fight, fight. This, this pushing forward a, a muscular Republican party and conservative movement that Charlie so desperately wanted. You're seeing that on display here.

[B]

Yeah, it just, it's amazing to see the out, the flood of love, the flood of support today. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy heavenly birthday is a very common one that a lot of them say. And, you know, we, Charlie, adored all of you and it's great to see that they all adored Charlie. And I just, I guess I encourage everyone to tune in at 4. We'll have the Medal of Freedom.

[C]

We are going to have a birthday celebration for Charlie Kirk unlike he would have ever imagined. It's bittersweet. It's going to be emotional. I hope all of you will join us. It's now going to be in the Rose Garden. President Trump has moved it, so we will see you there at 4 o', clock, along with Senator Mike Lee and so many of them, other of our friends and Charlie's dear friends. Thank you for joining us on Charlie's 32nd birthday.

[G]

For more on many of these stories and news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.