NEW RULE:
If you are a member of the US Olympic Team and you publicly criticize the USA while on foreign soil, you are off the team.
You have 15 minutes to gather your things in the Olympic Village. Someone will drive you to the airport and push you out on the curb. Figure out your own way to fly home.
Being a USA Olympian is a privilege, not a right. Too bad you couldn't figure that out.
In loving memory of Charlie Kirk, a fearless patriot & man of unwavering faith who dedicated his life to America.
"It's bigger than you, I want you to remember that... It's bigger than me - you are here to make somebody else's life better, the pursuit of liberty & freedom."❤️
We wept bitterly putting this together...
Charlie Kirk did not fear death. Charlie told us what his legacy would be. Charlie's greatest passion was his faith in Jesus Christ.
Just hours before he was assassinated, Charlie stood on stage, openly proclaiming his love for Jesus Christ. Unafraid, unwavering, and full of conviction. He lived every moment guided by that faith, and in the end, he was taken home by his Savior.
Charlie is a true Christian martyr.
His example is not just inspiring, it is a call to all of us. To stand firm in our beliefs, to shine light into darkness, speak truth and to live boldly in our faith. Charlie showed us what it means to live, and die, with purpose.
This is the legacy he leaves...
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.
Charlie Kirk was more committed to peaceful, open dialogue with those who disagreed with him than anyone I know. God blessed him with immense gifts, and he used them boldly and without fear. He knew the risks he was taking, but he did it anyway because he loved his kids & felt a responsibility to the nation they would inhabit. I traveled the entire country with him last year, we spent 1x1 time together in Ohio two weeks ago, spoke to him again 2 days ago. He’s long warned of the rise of political violence & the growing culture of assassination, when few were willing to listen, with a clarity of vision unlike anyone I’ve known. Completely and utterly devastated.
🚨 BEAUTIFUL: @BennyJohnson reveals Charlie Kirk stepped in and allowed Benny, his wife, and his newborn to move into Kirk's home in Florida after Benny's block in DC was shot up
"I have never told anyone... this is why, in fact, I live in Florida. My family has quintupled since then in children and in blessings. And it's because of Charlie."
"[Charlie was] the single most effective spokesperson for the American dream that we have ever seen or witnessed in our lives. That's why he is an American martyr and a Christian martyr and we will continue his work.
God bless Charlie Kirk."
"Let me hammer something home. I am sick and I am tired of hearing people say, like Barack Obama did, like Hillary Clinton did, 'oh, we condemn this violence'."
"Guess what? You can't call the President of the United States for ten years Adolph Hitler, and you can't say that he's a fascist dictator, and you can't say that anyone who voted for Trump or advocated for him... are Nazis..."
"And then when someone tries to kill us, you can't suddenly say, 'oh, we condemn this violence'."
"You caused it... when you tell people that someone is Hitler, you are telling crazy people 'go k*ll them'!"
@ClayTravis has got this exactly right. You can't engage in non-stop character assassination without expecting there will be political assassination.
Charlie was an optimist! He was leading a revival of conservative Christian values and the happiness it could lead to! Charlie is irreplaceable! A true evangelist. " if you disagree with me, step up to the front of the line." Condolences to his family and the young people of this country. Many in our Auburn student body are horrified tonight, you young patriots who love our country like Charlie. For now let's morn, keep the violent rhetoric down and then live our best lives, committed to making this country better.