Connor Rotterman

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[Connor Rotterman @ConnorRotterman]

Please donate to help my brother! Anything helps! 🙏 https://t.co/0EXoBsJCgq

[JD Vance @JDVance]

A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today.

Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind. Like me, he was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Like me, he came to see President Trump as the only figure capable of moving American politics away from the globalism that had dominated for our entire lives. When others were right, he learned from them. When he was right--as he usually was--he was generous. With Charlie, the attitude was never, "I told you so." But: "welcome."

Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. I was interested but skeptical there was a pathway. We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr. "Like his dad, he's misunderstood. He's extremely smart, and very much on our wavelength." Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him too.

Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks. He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I'd go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent. He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man.

When I became the VP nominee--something Charlie advocated for both in public and private--Charlie was there for me. I was so glad to be part of the president's team, but candidly surprised by the effect it had on our family. Our kids, especially our oldest, struggled with the attention and the constant presence of the protective detail. I felt this acute sense of guilt, that I had conscripted my kids into this life without getting their permission. And Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers. Some of our most successful events were organized not by the campaign, but by TPUSA. He wasn't just a thinker, he was a doer, turning big ideas into bigger events with thousands of activists. And after every event, he would give me a big hug, tell me he was praying for me, and ask me what he could do. "You focus on Wisconsin," he'd tell me. "Arizona is in the bag." And it was.

Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith. We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions. Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him.

Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he'd encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas.

Charlie had an uncanny ability to know when to push the envelope and when to be more conventional. I've seen people attack him for years for being wrong on this or that issue publicly, never realizing that privately he was working to broaden the scope of acceptable debate.

He was a great family man. I was talking to President Trump in the Oval Office today, and he said, "I know he was a very good friend of yours." I nodded silently, and President Trump observed that Charlie really loved his family. The president was right. Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father. And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family.

Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other's chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he'd always have their backs. And because he was a true friend ,you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to. 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.

I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that's how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in.

God didn't answer those prayers, and that's OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I'll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly.

You ran a good race, my friend.

We've got it from here.

[Kyle Brumett @Coach_Brum]

Extremely proud of @Jack_davidson33, this is so well deserved. His hard work has long been on display for our community to see & take great pride in, but in d3hoops, this is the most prestigious award. @WabashBBall will forever be grateful for the WORK of Jack & his teammates.

[Connor Rotterman @ConnorRotterman]

🐐🐐

[Hoopsville/McHugh @d3hoopsville]

Now on #Hoopsville - We hear from #15 @wabashathletics MBB coach Kyle Brummet who chatted with @d3hoops after clinching a final four trip for the first time since the 1980s.

Tune in here: https://t.co/ODHw7z6Bgl #d3hoops

[Wabash College @WabashCollege]

FINAL FOUR BABY!!! 🔴⚪️🙌🏻🎉
#WAF #Unrivaled #NCAADIII #NCACPRIDE @WabashBBall @wabashathletics

[Connor Rotterman @ConnorRotterman]

@Jack_davidson33 shooting 48% from 3 with these kinds of shots is absolutely unreal. My goodness 😅

[Wabash Basketball @WabashBBall]

Great effort from our guys last night against Hiram! Check out some highlights form the 1st round NCAC tournament win. ⬇️👀 #WAF #Unrivaled

[Joel Osteen @JoelOsteen]

All the circumstances may say it’s impossible. God is asking you, “When did I become weak? Is there any limit to My power?” Get in agreement with God. He’s about to shift some things in your favor.

[Connor Rotterman @ConnorRotterman]

@BRamseyKSR @WabashBBall Thanks Ramsey, I appreciate it!!

[Connor Rotterman @ConnorRotterman]

Thank you @WabashBBall for an amazing 4 years. I couldn’t have asked for better coaches and teammates. If I had to do it all over again, I’d pick Wabash every single time.

[Wabash Basketball @WabashBBall]

Extremely thankful that we were able to celebrate the CLASS OF 2021 after a full year in person learning at the @WabashCollege graduation ... @WabashBBall is very proud of @ConnorRotterman and his contributions to our program. #RottBall #ThankYou

[Ashley Brewer Kaminsky @ashbrewkaminsky]

One thing I love about Tim Tebow is that he has stayed true to himself since day one.
He’s been mocked for his faith, preaches it anyway. Made fun of for trying out baseball, pursued it anyway. Laughed at for holding onto football, still won’t give up on his NFL dream.

[Reis Thomas @rdthomas_24]

2021 NCAC Discus Champion 🥲 #TALKTOMENICE @MOWNBU

[Eli Langer @EliLanger]

Twitter is AWESOME.

[Jack Hegwood @jack_3424]

@tylerwatson39.All-Region this year, All-America next.

[Laura Wysocki @LauraWyz]

Congratulations to @WabashBBall for finishing this crazy season on a high note! I have loved watching you play your hearts out at every opportunity and I’ll miss senior Connor Rotterman on the court next year. #WAF

[Connor Rotterman @ConnorRotterman]

@sawtom @wabashathletics @WabashBBall Thank you so much Mrs. Manges!

[Wabash Basketball @WabashBBall]

🗣GAME-DAY!!

The Little Giants look to close out the season as they play Denison at Chadwick. Join us in thanking Connor Rotterman as his Wabash basketball career comes to close. Watch live and for updated in-game stats at the link in our bio. #littlegiants #wabashbball 🔴🏀⚪️

[NCAC @NCAC]

NCAC Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week

Kellen Schreiber, @wabashathletics

[Tyler Watson @tylerwatson39]

Week 4 of Pick Up Cville had @wabashbeta back at the train station spreading some mulch donated by @C_Ville1823. We even had special guest @todd_barton out there helping us! Thanks to Andrew Sanders for recruiting his brothers to make a positive impact on Cville this morning!