Charlie Kirk's America

Summary

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Today, Explained – "Charlie Kirk's America"

Date: September 11, 2025
Hosts: Noel King, Andrew Prokop
Guest: Kyle Spencer, journalist and author of Raising Them Right

Episode Overview

This episode responds to the shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Hosts Noel King and Andrew Prokop examine the immediate aftermath: the manhunt for his killer, polarized political reactions, and what Kirk's life, career, and legacy mean for American politics—especially among young conservatives. Journalist Kyle Spencer joins to offer insight into Kirk's rise from high school activist to influential movement builder.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Killing of Charlie Kirk

• The episode opens with Noel King summarizing the ongoing manhunt for Kirk's killer, sharing information from law enforcement about the shooting at a Utah college campus and subsequent investigation.
• Authorities describe the suspect's movements and note the recovery of the weapon, a "high-powered bolt action rifle."
• A photo of a person of interest has been released, though no suspect is yet named.
  [00:02–00:45]

2. Immediate Political Reactions

• Shock and Mourning:

  • “I think the mainstream reaction was shock and horror... a really shocking turn of events. The video footage was extremely graphic and went viral.” — Andrew Prokop, [03:24]
  • “This is horrific. This is awful.” — Kyle Spencer, [04:25]
  • “It must be the shared notion of humanity that binds us all.” — Andrew Prokop, [04:14]

• Polarization and Anger:

  • Conservative voices frame this as the result of radical leftist rhetoric; calls arise on the right to “do something about it”:
    • “They are at war with us. What are we going to do about it?” — Kyle Spencer, [04:57]
    • “Democrats own what happened today.” — Noel King, reflecting rhetoric seen online, [05:01]
  • On social media, some on the left make light of or cheer the assassination, fueling further right-wing outrage. “The right is pointing to all of those comments and saying, oh, see, the left wants to murder us all and we need to do something about it.” — Andrew Prokop, [06:12]

• Rapid Polarization:

  • “Were you surprised at how quickly this became polarizing?” — Noel King, [06:29]
  • “No, not at all… He has helped this nation ask questions… and unfortunately, somebody decided to do something very terrible.” — Andrew Prokop, [06:55]

3. Charlie Kirk's Political Influence & Persona

• Connection to Trump & MAGA Movement:

  • Kirk was close to the Trump family and especially Donald Trump Jr., helping to mobilize young conservatives and giving the movement a relatable youthful face.
    • “He branded the GOP and MAGA to young audiences. That was originally his gift to Trump.” — Kyle Spencer, [19:55]

• Cultivation of a Youth Following:

  • Kyle Spencer recounts Kirk’s rise from a high school student feeling alienated amid liberal classmates to founder of Turning Point USA, capitalizing on Tea Party support and new media strategies.
    • “He slowly began to create a following... That was the beginning of Turning Point USA...” — Kyle Spencer, [16:11]
    • “He proved to be very, very gifted and skilled at finding both people who supported his cause and... who wanted to financially donate.” — Kyle Spencer, [16:55]

• Notable Rhetoric & Controversial Views:

  • Kirk became increasingly outspoken on culture war issues—diversity, reproductive rights, Second Amendment, and traditional gender roles.
    • On DEI: “DEI is basically saying we are going to build a college and organization based on hyper racialization, not on the pursuit of excellence.” — Charlie Kirk (audio clip), [18:17]
    • On reproductive rights: “Birth control like really screws up female brains, by the way... It creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women.” — Charlie Kirk (audio clip), [18:33]
    • On guns: “I think it’s worth to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second Amendment to protect our other God given rights. That is a prudent deal.” — Charlie Kirk (audio clip), [18:48]
    • On LGBTQ+ and race:
      • “You don’t become a woman just because you dress like a woman... If I wear a disguise… do I become that thing?” — Charlie Kirk (audio clip), [22:22]
      • “You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.” — Charlie Kirk (audio clip), [22:46]
    • On marriage: “Reject feminism. Submit to your husband. Taylor, you’re not in charge.” — Charlie Kirk (audio clip), [23:08]

• Growth by Provocation:

  • “The more he moved to the right… the more he held more conservative views, he actually grew his following with more moderate audiences. And that was really his genius…” — Kyle Spencer, [23:13]
  • Kirk successfully made himself a “good friend” to followers in an era where young people look to social media influencers for guidance, advice, and identity.
    • “He had a kind of cult following. People really, really adored him and looked up to him.” — Kyle Spencer, [24:05]

4. Charlie Kirk’s Enduring Legacy

• Kyle Spencer concludes that Kirk’s influence is now embedded in the GOP, especially in its outreach, communication tactics, and culture war dominance.
  • “Charlie Kirk has a stamp on the modern Republican Party that is really extraordinary... Those ideas, those tactics, those strategies, they are embedded in the party now. And that's not going away.” — Kyle Spencer, [24:37]

5. Dangers of Escalating Rhetoric and Division

• The hosts and guest express deep concern about the potential for Kirk’s killing to spark further violence and polarized crackdowns.
  • “Unfortunately, this sad, sad turn of events is going to be one of the events that ignites more rage... calls for 'this is war' … should be very, very alarming to all of us.” — Kyle Spencer, [25:24]

6. Presidential Response and Political Risk

• President Trump’s remarks frame the killing as the result of rhetoric from the “radical left,” vowing to target those blamed, and potentially escalating censorship or crackdowns.

  • “He said that his administration would find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund... as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials...” — Andrew Prokop, [10:03]

• Andrew Prokop notes the uneven nature of political violence and warns against broad statements that vilify entire political camps:

  • “Events generally have been lone wolves or people who have perhaps been radicalized by rhetoric they’ve seen online, but they aren't part of any formal organization... It is a jump to make the leap from okay, people have been criticizing us in harsh terms... and that's why people are trying to kill us.” — Andrew Prokop, [11:20]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the value of civil society:
  “It must be the shared notion of humanity that binds us all.” — Andrew Prokop, [04:14]

• On the dangers of partisanship:
  “History shows us that the end point of such polarization, such us versus them thinking… is repression or violence.” — Andrew Prokop, [08:14]

• On Kirk’s appeal:
  “He was controversial... but he was able to convey those views to other people in a way that made them say, hey, I think this guy really knows what he’s talking about. I trust him.” — Kyle Spencer, [21:47]

• On polarization post-assassination:
  “You have another side that is very enraged... looking for a fight... calls for ‘this is war’… should be very, very alarming to all of us.” — Kyle Spencer, [25:24]

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Timeline of Key Segments

• 00:02–00:45: Breaking news: police hunt for Kirk’s shooter, details of the attack
• 02:05–06:55: Andrew Prokop and Noel King discuss initial shock, horror, and political reactions
• 07:49–09:23: Reflections on Kirk’s persona, family, and role in conservative movement
• 09:23–12:17: President Trump’s response and the wider implications for political rhetoric
• 15:01–24:34: In-depth Kirk biography with Kyle Spencer: upbringing, Turning Point USA, techniques, evolution into culture warrior
• 24:37–25:14: Kirk’s legacy within the GOP and youth mobilization
• 25:14–26:37: Dangers of politicized rage and what may come next

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Conclusion

This episode of Today, Explained offers a nuanced, comprehensive look at Charlie Kirk’s legacy and the tremors his assassination has sent through American politics. The hosts and Kyle Spencer shed light on how Kirk’s persona and tactics reshaped the right, and what his death might mean for an already volatile and polarized country.

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Transcript

[Noel King]

A manhunt is underway for Charlie Kirk's killer. Law enforcement officials spoke in Utah this morning and gave the latest information.

[Kyle Spencer]

We were able to make a few few breakthroughs. We were able to track the movements of the shooter starting at 11:52am the subject arrived on campus shortly away from campus. We have tracked his movements onto the campus through the stairwells up to the roof, across the roof to a shooting.

[Noel King]

LOC say the shooter jumped off the building and fled. They also say they recovered the weapon used by the shooter is a high.

[Kyle Spencer]

Powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was was recovered in a.

[Andrew Prokop]

Wooded area where the shooter had fled.

[Noel King]

And they released what they say is a picture of a person of interest in the shooting. Coming up on Today Explained from vox the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.

[Andrew Prokop]

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[Andrew Prokop]

This is TODAY Explained. I'm Andrew Prokop, senior correspondent Vox.

[Noel King]

Tell us what happened in Utah yesterday. Andrew.

[Andrew Prokop]

Well, we saw probably the most prominent murder of a nationally known political figure in quite some time in the United States of America when Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist, very influential, very popular commentator on the right, was speaking at a college event in Utah and was shot and killed. Charlie Kirk is kind of his focus has been on young conservative mobilization, persuasion, activism and he's always basically going been going on college campuses and holding events, trying to debate people, trying to persuade people to his point of view. So this is just, you know, one in a very, very long list of events like this that he has done on college campuses across the country.

[Noel King]

What kind of reaction did you see after Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah?

[Andrew Prokop]

I think the mainstream reaction was shock and horror. Again, we've seen really nothing like this that has actually succeeded in killing a major political figure in quite some time. There have been many attempts, there have been others wounded. A kind of what people argue is a rising trend of political violence that you can trace back 10, 15 years or so. But this was a big, really shocking turn of events. Just the video footage was extremely graphic and went viral on social spread everywhere. I think the reaction from the overwhelming majority of people involved in politics was to condemn this, to say it was terrible. It cannot be a question of political agreement or alignment that allows us to mourn. It must be the shared notion of humanity that binds us all.

[Kyle Spencer]

This is horrific. This is awful.

[Noel King]

And the assassination of Charlie Kirk risks an uncorking of political chaos.

[Andrew Prokop]

This is not who we are.

[Kyle Spencer]

It violates the core principles of our.

[Noel King]

Country, our Judeo Christian heritage, our civil society, our American way of life, and it must stop.

[Andrew Prokop]

Then, of course, there were other reactions. On the right, they are at war with us. Whether we want to accept it or.

[Kyle Spencer]

Not, they are at war with us. What are we going to do about it?

[Noel King]

Democrats own what happened today.

[Andrew Prokop]

You had figures like Christopher Ruffo and other conservative activists, including to an extent the president, who before any killer had been identified, decided to blame the radical left and call for a crackdown on radical, what they call radical left groups and organizers of some kind. Remains to be seen what that will look like. We'll find out then. On the left, I think there was this tension between again, most of the prominent people. Almost every prominent Democrat or left leaning commentator that I'm aware of said, this is terrible, condemn this. But there is a strain of, you know, joking about this or cheering this on. Again, not typically from prominent people, but the closer you get to the sort of, you know, the populist influencer space or, or just random people posting on social media, the more common it is. So the, you know, the right is pointing to all of those comments and saying, oh, see, the left wants to murder us all and we need to do something about it.

[Noel King]

The calls online for some sort of crackdown, you're right, they were not often specific, but there was a sense of, you know, the left has caused this and something must be done about the left. It's not language that we see every day. You know, that was my read on it. This was a really freighted moment. Were you surprised at how quickly this became polarizing?

[Andrew Prokop]

No, not at all. I think from the very first news report, I had the sense that it was going to be very, very bad. Charlie Kirk is a very like, he is very close to the Trump family. He is a close friend of Donald Trump Jr. Specifically, but he's also very well known among conservative media figures. He helped staff this administration like everyone knows him in right wing circ personally. And then millions more people know him parasocially through his podcasts, through his media appearances and feel like they know him personally. He has helped this nation advance. He's helped this nation ask questions to each other and he's helped us get along and do it non violently. And unfortunately, somebody decided to do something very terrible.

[Noel King]

A guy who always stood up for his beliefs and never back down. I mean, he was always so sweet. He had a loving family, his wife.

[Kyle Spencer]

Erica and his two kids who are.

[Noel King]

Both under 3 years old. And he left them. You know, he's going to be remembered forever for always fighting for his beliefs.

[Kyle Spencer]

And always I hope that they remember him as not only an influencer, but as somebody who actually deeply cared about what our country was going towards.

[Andrew Prokop]

So on the right, they have experienced this as a traumatic loss of someone they knew and cared for and are reacting with great anger and emotion about it. But I think the, we've been seeing our society becoming steadily more polarized between these left and right camps for years now. And history shows us that the end point of such polarization, such us versus them, thinking, thinking that half the country is the enemy, the natural end point of it is repression or violence. And so there is now this kind of call. And again, we'll see whether it amounts to anything. But it is definitely something that more people on the right are feeling comfortable saying. They're saying the left wants to murder us and so we need to crack down on them and we'll see how far it goes. You know, history is replete with examples of situations like this going to a very bad place.

[Noel King]

What has President Trump said?

[Andrew Prokop]

Well, Trump released a video last night of him speaking in the Oval Office in which he adopted this viewpoint that the radical left was to blame and that he was going to do something about it. He said for years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals.

[Kyle Spencer]

This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today and it must stop right now.

[Andrew Prokop]

He said that his administration would find each and every one of those who.

[Kyle Spencer]

Contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund.

[Andrew Prokop]

It and support it, as well as.

[Kyle Spencer]

Those who go after our judges, law.

[Andrew Prokop]

Enforcement officials and everyone else. Who brings order to our country. First of all, this is a very one sided narrative of political violence which has taken place from perpetrators on the left and on the right in recent years. It was just in recent months that a state senator in Minnesota and her husband were murdered by a right wing activist. Another state senator in Minnesota was shot in that same incident. But the thing about it is that these events generally have been lone wolves or people who have perhaps been radicalized by rhetoric they've seen online, but they aren't part of any formal organization or taking any instructions. And we don't know anything about Charlie Kirk's killer yet. But you know, if past cases like this are any indication, then this probably is going to be another sort of lone wolf killer who's not part of an organized group. We'll see. But if that is the case, it is a jump to make the leap from okay, people have been criticizing us in harsh terms. They've been saying mean things about us and that's why people are trying to kill us. So, so what are you going to do? Are you going to prevent them from, from criticizing you? Is anyone who, who calls a right winger who says they're like a Nazi is now going to be like in trouble for potentially inciting terrorism? I think there's some pretty big first Amendment barriers to something like that happening. But again, we're in the very early stages of this, so we'll see.

[Noel King]

That was Vox's Andrew Prokop. Coming up, how Charlie Kirk Became Charlie Kirk.

[Kyle Spencer]

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You say that out loud to yourself.

[Kyle Spencer]

You say, I have no space.

[Noel King]

You say, eh, I'm just looking. Then you click.

[Andrew Prokop]

Then you zoom in on photo number.

[Noel King]

87 and whisper oh no. Then you text a friend, the one who always enables you. You say to yourself, this is the last one, knowing it is not.

[Kyle Spencer]

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But maybe, just maybe, this car needs you.

[Kyle Spencer]

Bring a trailer.

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[Noel King]

Today Explained is back with Kyle Spencer. Kyle is a journalist and the author of the book Raising Them Right, the Untold Story of America's Ultra Conservative Youth Movement and Its Plot for Power. Charlie Kirk was one of the young people she profiled in that book, and in writing it, she got to know him.

[Kyle Spencer]

Charlie grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He attended a public high school. It was going from a mostly white school to a mostly black and brown school. He was in a school that was very supportive of Obama. His classmates were generally very liberal. He was even early on a conservative. He had issues with what was being taught early on in his classes, believed that in history and economics classes. He was being taught from textbooks that were overly supportive of liberal policies and that students were not getting enough information on conservative policies.

A lot of kids are feeling the effects of what we like to call with the Washington economy with a lot of debt plummeting, small business with higher regulation and high taxes. We're just trying to reinstitute the founding principles, free market, fiscal responsibility.

He slowly began to create a following by starting a small organization of his high school students and of students from other high schools around him, a place that they could come to if they had conservative ideas and were feeling kind of left out. That was the beginning of Turning Point usa, which he officially launched after he graduated from high school.

I mean, we're starting chapters nationwide with Turning Point USA and on our website, turningpointusa.net, you'll see the unbelievable positive support we're having from my generation using these memes. We're able to engage them in such a unique and exciting way.

And at the time, the Tea Party movement was coming alive and he was going all over the state, in neighboring states to talk to Tea Party folks and to raise money. So first he made allies and then he began very quickly to understand what he needed to do was raise money. And he proved to be very, very gifted and skilled at finding both people who supported his cause and also people who wanted to financially donate.

[Noel King]

Tell me about Turning Point USA and how much of a following it grows to have.

[Kyle Spencer]

Charlie Crook was always a political junkie, but what he and he was always conservative, but what he cared about originally were economics. He cared about what he thought of as a bloated budget deficit of a government which was spending too much money, of taxes that were too high, of a China that he felt was overwhelming the economic markets around the world and bullying the United States.

The great industrial towns of the American Midwest that we decided to close and then we sent all of the capital overseas to China so that they could industrialize. So then we become a vassal state at their own beckoning that we are subservient to the Chinese Communist Party.

And he became very involved in 2016 in Trump's election and also in the Republican Party at the time. And that's when he evolved his views into a lot more of the kind of culture war issues that we, we knew him for. Issues around diversity and equity programs.

DEI is the forceful implementation of racial standarding practices and racial quotas. DEI is basically saying we are going to build a college and organization based on hyper racialization, not on the pursuit of excellence.

Issues around reproductive rights.

Birth control like really screws up female brains, by the way. Every single one of you need to make sure that your loved ones are not on birth control. It increases depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and it creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women.

Second Amendment rights.

I think it's worth to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second Amendment to protect our other God given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.

[Noel King]

And how important was he to Trump's success? Like what role did he play in getting Trump elected?

[Kyle Spencer]

What Charlie really brought originally to President Trump was an ability to communicate very effectively, energetically, passionately and charismatically with young people who Charlie and Trump and other conservatives really wanted to bring into a movement that was seen before Trump and before Charlie as very stodgy and old school.

Donald Trump is on a rescue mission to revive your birthright One, your grandparents and those before them gave everything to hand down to you. And listen carefully, everybody. This is why young men are the most conservative that they have been in 50 years.

So he branded the GOP and MAGA to young audiences. That was originally his gift to Trump.

To all the Gen zers watching this convention on TikTok right now, I have a message just for you. You don't have to stay poor. You don't have to accept being worse off than your parents. You don't have to feel aimless and unhappy. You don't have to support leaders who lied to you and took advantage of you for your votes.

Eventually, Charlie was able to show that he was an excellent strategist, that he could think about ways to bring in older audiences, more diverse audiences. A lot of the diversity that we're seeing and reading about that the Republican has developed inside his follower base, a lot of that was imagined by Charlie Kirk in 2012. Early, early on, he didn't have a.

[Noel King]

Formal role in the White House, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't very powerful. I remember a couple months ago when the Epstein files were kind of tearing at President Trump and at the MAGA base, he was the guy who came out and he calmed things down by saying, I'm done talking about the Epstein files. And many people seem to say, okay, if Charlie's done, we're done too.

[Kyle Spencer]

Yeah, I mean, Charlie has millions of millions of followers who pay attention to him and what he says. On the one hand, Charlie had very radical views, a lot of views that were very far from the moderate positions that are held in this country. But the way in which he discussed those issues and presented them to his public were very folksy, no nonsense, relatable.

Strongmen built the west and won the wars and built the building that we're in right now. And without strong men, then you all of a sudden see civilization unfold upon itself, and we're seeing that happen in real time.

So when Charlie would say things, people would listen to him because he often made a lot of sense to them. He was controversial. A lot of the views he held were views that people found really challenging and dangerous. But he also was able to convey those views to other people in way that made them say, hey, I think this guy really knows what he's talking about. I trust him. And what was interesting was that as his views became more and more conservative, became more opposed to LGBTQ rights.

[Noel King]

I was born as a man, and now I'm a woman.

[Kyle Spencer]

Okay, no, but you don't become a woman just because you dress like a woman. So let me ask you a question. If I wear a disguise or a costume, do I become that thing? For example, if I dress with a sombrero and start talking with a Mexican accent, do I then become that culture?

He became more opposed to diversity programs. He became more convinced that white men were really the victims of racism in our country.

They're coming out and they're saying, I'm only here because of affirmative action. Yeah, we know you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.

He became more and more invested in traditional marriage, in a role for women, inside marriages that was very 1950s esque.

Reject feminism. Submit to your husband. Taylor, you're not in charge.

The more he moved to the right on these issues, the more he became interested in a kind of biblical leading of our country emerging of church and state, the more that he held more conservative views. He actually grew his following with more moderate audiences. And that was really his genius, is that he got young people at a time when they have increasingly turned to podcasters and to social media influencers for friendships. Charlie became their good friend.

So I'm not really asking much of.

[Andrew Prokop]

A question, but I'm looking for advice. I want to run for Congress in a few years when I become of age, and I'm just wondering if you have any pointers or direction you can help guide me.

[Kyle Spencer]

You should run. We need more young people to run. We have Turning Point action which is not represented here tonight, which is our political arm that would love to help you and train you and pour.

And now what you'll see is that young people that were supporters knew Charlie were inside Turning Point usa, worked for him. They are absolutely devastated because he had a kind of cult following. People really, really adored him and looked up to him. As much as he was feared and disliked outside of his movement, he was just absolutely adored inside, and they remained very loyal to him.

[Noel King]

How do you think Charlie Kirk will be remembered?

[Kyle Spencer]

Charlie Kirk has a stamp on the modern Republican Party that is really extraordinary. It is for many of his followers, a terrible, terrible tragedy that he has passed. However, they can find solace in knowing that Charlie Kirk's beliefs, his understanding of how the GOP ought to motivate around the country and how it ought to acquire followers. Those ideas, those tactics, those strategies, they are embedded in the party now. And that's not going away.

[Noel King]

You've seen that there is a tremendous amount of politicized rage and fear right now. What do you think we should be prepared for?

[Kyle Spencer]

I think right now you're seeing two sides. You're seeing one part of the country trying to tone down the rhetoric. This was a horrifying event. And we're gonna see a big, big push, as you're seeing right now, to tone down the rhetoric, to tone down the violence, and to understand what it means to live in a civil society with rules of law. You have another side that is very enraged, very angry, angry, kind of looking for a fight. Unfortunately, this sad, sad turn of events is going to be one of the events that ignites more rage. And we're seeing already online with some of those folks already calls for this is war. This is clearly our enemy that has done this. We need to fight back. We need to attack, even as we have no idea actually how this tragedy happened and who is responsible. And I don't think any of us know how this is gonna turn out. But the fact that you have the number of folks who are saying, let's go to war should be very, very alarming to all of us.

[Noel King]

Kyle Spencer is a journalist and author of the book Raising Them Right. Today's show was produced by Avishai Artsy and Rebecca Ybarra, with help from Jolie Myers. Aminah Elsadi is our editor. Our engineers are Patrick Boyd and Adrienne Lilly, Laura Bullard and Miles Bryan. Fact checked. I'm Noel King. It's Today Explained.