The tragedy of Charlie Kirk is that he was doing everything right. The conservative founder of Turning Point USA was respectful of different opinions, willing and eager to debate those with opposing views. He was open and positive, an optimist about the great country we live in and the future it offers all Americans. He was a man of faith, a hardworking father taking care of his beautiful wife and children.
He built the largest youth-focused conservative movement of all time, annually traveling the country and speaking to young people on college campuses. Turning Point USA had chapters on more than 3,500 college campuses. Charlie never went to college, but had an instinctive enthusiasm for our democracy, the great prosperity that derives from capitalism, the benefits of limited government and free markets. He traveled with security; he knew the risks he was taking.
Schools Teach Intolerance; Charlie Kirk Taught the Opposite https://t.co/UsGHwQWXpN pic.twitter.com/hcOuTm2fL6
— Liz Peek (@lizpeek) September 11, 2025
He was a brilliant and compelling speaker, earning the right to address the last three GOP conventions, at a very young age.
For all this, he was killed. Utah Governor Cox said this was a political assassination, and declared, “Our nation is broken.” He is right.
Cox also said, “If anyone celebrates even a little bit, I ask you to look in the mirror and find your better angels.” Because, as most of the country was digesting the news of this terrible tragedy, there were hateful and despicable people on social media crowing about Charlie’s death.
How did we get to this place, where some resort to violence to silent a political opponent? How did the political left, in particular, decide that assassinating Steve Scalise or Donald Trump, both targeted by radical Democrats, was the way to resolve our differences?
I trace many problems in our country back to the failures of our schools, which, after all, provide guidance to our young people. Our schools and universities have become hotbeds of illiberalism, where professors do not invite or even tolerate dissent. Students increasingly self-censor in order to get by, and emerge convinced that openness and debate are not welcome or even admirable.
The nonpartisan organization Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) just published their survey of freedom of speech on campus, ranking schools on their openness to controversial opinion. Some chilling items in the report include:
- “A record 1 in 3 students now holds some level of acceptance – even if only “rarely” — for resorting to violence to stop a campus speech.
- “For the first time ever a majority of students oppose their school allowing any of the six hypothetical controversial speakers they were asked about….”
- Only 36% of students said that it was “extremely” or “very” clear that their administration protects free speech on campus.
In other words, kids don’t want to hear from people with whom they disagree. FIRE tracks efforts to shut down controversial speakers on campus, and the number of such attempts is at an all-time high I am told. (For the record, I am on the Advisory Council of FIRE, helping to advocate for this: “Free speech is a fundamental right that underpins democratic societies by allowing people to express their opinions and engage in public discourse.”)
From FIRE’s website:
“More students than ever think violence and chaos are acceptable alternatives to peaceful protest,” said FIRE Chief Research Advisor Sean Stevens. “This finding cuts across partisan lines. It is not a liberal or conservative problem — it’s an American problem. Students see speech that they oppose as threatening, and their overblown response contributes to a volatile political climate.”
We have no idea if Charlie Kirk’s murder was perpetrated by a student; it seems doubtful, given the near-professional quality of the shooting. But make no mistake, unless our kids learn the value of debate and non-violent means of disagreement, we will see more targeted killings of controversial figures. The “grown-ups” in charge should be held accountable for the rising intolerance of our youth.
Intolerance which today claimed the life of Charlie Kirk.
