Photo: Alamy | Op-ed by Summer Lane
There have been many earth-shattering moments throughout American history. Many political leaders – particularly presidents – have survived assassination attempts. Some have not survived.
These moments are often viewed as pivotal points in American culture. People remember where they were and what they were doing, for example, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Those who lived through the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 often recall, with vivid poignancy, what they were doing when they heard about the collapse of the Twin Towers.
These moments, these tragedies and horrors and attacks on civilized culture, shape worldview and perception and political perspective.
These moments are often a lynchpin for changes to come.
A free world is also a dangerous world
In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while watching a play at the famous Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., igniting a multi-day manhunt for the assassin, John Wilkes Booth.
In July 1881, President James Garfield was shot at a train station and died shortly after.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, his blood spattered across the seats of the convertible car he rode in with his wife, First Lady Jackie Kennedy.
In 1968, Democrat Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, also a presidential candidate, was shot in Los Angeles, California. He did not survive.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was seriously wounded after being shot by John Hinckley Jr., but he survived and recovered.
In July 2024, the then-45th President of the United States and then-presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump, was shot onstage during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. By God’s grace, he survived, walking away with a grazed and bloody ear.
And on September 10, 2025, Turning Point USA Founder and President Charlie Kirk – a political thought leader, prominent peaceful debater of ideas, and inspiration for the American youth – was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University. Unlike the president, Kirk, 31, did not survive.
A man remembered for his faith
It seems unthinkable that in the United States, someone as peaceful as Charlie Kirk could be taken from the world in such a reprehensible, violent way. Kirk was a proponent of peaceful, civic discourse.
“Charlie was always building bridges,” said “Relatable” host Allie Beth Stuckey on Thursday, who was also a good friend of Kirk’s.
And, while Kirk’s political enemies may celebrate that he is no longer here to promote the ideals of Christian faith and conservatism, she acknowledged the power that Kirk wielded during his earthly life – a calm leadership rooted in faith that made demonic forces shrink away.
“There’s so much ugliness online right now…,” Stuckey said. “Charlie would not care one bit about what those people think. He was extremely aware of the existence of evil and of spiritual warfare. Demons are rejoicing right now. Satan is glad that he took an effective soldier out of the fight…what an incredible honor. May we all, when we die, make the demons rejoice.”
To have such a soldier for peace be gunned down in such a horrific and public way is antithetical to the ideals that America stands for – and the ideals that Charlie Kirk himself defended.
Free speech in America should never be taken from someone like this. Kirk died doing what he loved most – debating and discussing ideas openly with college kids. He had a microphone in his hand when he was shot.
Kirk was a loving husband, father, and unyielding American patriot. But most of all, he was a man of deep faith and conviction.
“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk said recently. “That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith in my life.”
He will, indeed, be remembered for his faith above all else. It was this faith and conviction that drew people to Kirk. He was endlessly gracious and kind to his detractors, and would courageously – and with good humor – debate them any time, any place.
Very few people have that capacity.
Because of Kirk’s work with Turning Point Action and the early voting battleground operations he put into play during the 2024 presidential election, it can be argued that Kirk was responsible for putting President Trump back in the White House.
Vice President J.D. Vance wrote on Wednesday, “So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
A legacy of love and inspiration
Kirk tapped into the heart and soul of the American youth like nobody in the country has ever done before. When he would show up on a college campus, thousands of people would turn up to hear him speak and debate.
He was one of a kind. One of one. He was a young and vivacious leader – a spark in a bleak political landscape that ignited a fire, transforming into a blaze of excitement and energy for conservatism’s revival in America.
Kirk could have been president someday – an observation made by many. He had the “it” factor. He was changing the landscape of American youth and their voting patterns. He had power – not because he was arrogant or elitist. Because he truly believed in what he did, because he was grounded in his faith, and because he was humble in it.
Kirk – not the Republican National Committee – mobilized this country to put one foot in front of the other and fight to save this country in 2024. Without Kirk, Kamala Harris would have won the presidential election last year, and the last vestiges of Western civilization would have gone up in smoke.
Americans owe Kirk an eternal debt of gratitude for his hard and relentless work to save this country. They must carry his legacy of love, faith, and a joyous embrace of civic discourse into the years ahead.
An assassin may have silenced Kirk’s earthly voice with a bullet, but his message will endure forever – louder and more impactful than ever before. His is a message of peaceful and thoughtful revolution, a battle cry to reclaim the moral high ground, and a challenge to look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “What do I believe? And why do I believe it?”
Charlie Kirk is a martyr now, but he is more alive than ever before. His legacy is here to stay, and in his wake, America’s youth will rise to meet the moment and ensure that his work will never be in vain.
