Right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has died after being shot while speaking to a large crowd on a university campus in Utah.
He was speaking to students about mass shootings on Wednesday when he was shot in the neck, leading students to flee and triggering a manhunt for the killer.
The 31-year-old Trump faithful was used to scores of people listening to him, both in person and online, as he advocated for conservatism among younger generations and became a leading voice in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” the president wrote on Truth Social after his death.
But who was Charlie Kirk, what were his views and how did he become so influential?
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From high school protests to the president’s ally
Despite being younger than many of his contemporaries, Mr Kirk, born in Chicago in 1993, had been a staple of the right for some time.
His first taste of activism came when he and a classmate launched a protest against the rising price of food at his high school cafeteria. Soon after, as a high school senior, he wrote an opinion piece for the conservative news site Breitbart, in which he discussed liberalism in textbooks.
It catapulted him into politics, helping him get appearances on Fox News and at right-wing rallies, where he soon met activist Bill Montgomery.
Live updates on manhunt for Kirk’s killer
They co-founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit aimed at mobilising college-age Republicans, when Mr Kirk was just 18, in 2012.
Turning Point would soon attach itself to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, and went on to become a hugely successful entity, raising hundreds of millions of dollars as it helped build a coalition of young conservatives around the country.
The group’s website says it has 450 members of staff and presences in 3,000 high schools and college campuses.
While the organisation thrived, Mr Kirk became the young face of the MAGA movement on social media platforms, pushing Mr Trump’s big points, including his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
A day before the January 6th riots in 2021, he wrote on X that he was organising for “buses of patriots” to Washington to “fight for the president”.
At the time of his death, father-of-two Mr Kirk had become one of the biggest online voices on the American right, with 7.3 million followers on TikTok, 7 million on Instagram, 5 million on X and 3.5 million on YouTube.
His podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, is downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times each day, according to NBC News, and consistently charts highly on Spotify and Apple.
His influence was not lost on Mr Trump.
He often spoke favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.
During a rally in Washington, the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr Trump told attendees: “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”
He also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix, saying: “I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy.”
Kirk shot while holding debate on mass shootings
He was fierce in his right-wing views and a strong communicator, making him a polarising figure.
Critics accused him of promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories on issues including COVID-19, climate change and the 2020 US election.
Yet Mr Kirk, however firm his beliefs, was always keen to hear opinions he disagreed with, often setting up “prove me wrong” tables at university events where people were encouraged to challenge his views.
He would regularly debate left-wing students on contentious topics like gun control, free speech LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights.
It was during one of his “prove me wrong” segments at Utah Valley University – this one centred on mass shootings – that he was shot.
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His friend Hogan Gidley, who was deputy press secretary for Mr Trump between 2019 and 2020, says what Mr Kirk did for MAGA and for conservatism is “unparalleled”.
“At the same time, what he did to try to showcase the importance of discussion, just getting out there and saying your ideas, that’s what’s unbelievable,” he adds, speaking to Sky’s Trump 100 podcast.
“He kind of paved the way for so many in the younger generation to say, you don’t have to be violent, you can use your words, you can use information, you can use data… he was a pioneer in that way.”
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Mr Kirk’s own death was entirely against what he stood for, Mr Gidley says.
“He changed some hearts, he changed some minds – he made people angry,” he says. “But that’s OK, because that’s part of discussion and honest debate.
“What this devolved into… was something that was violent and that was disgusting and deplorable. It has no place in American politics, but debate and discussion absolutely do and Charlie Kirk led that way.”
Trump ‘filled with grief and anger’
Friends, admirers and those on the other side of politics have been paying tribute to Mr Kirk.
Among them has been the president, who hailed him as a “great, and even legendary” figure who was “loved and admired by all, especially me”.
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In a video message, he said: “I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“He inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror.
“This is a dark moment for America,” Mr Trump added, as he vowed a crackdown on “political violence”.
Read more:
Killing could be a moment of jeopardy for America
Eyewitness: Even as mourners gathered, the blame game began
Tributes have also come from former liberal presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
“This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Mr Obama said. “Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
What is happening now?
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A manhunt is under way for Mr Kirk’s killer, which began on the university campus but has now extended beyond.
Two people were arrested after the shooting, but neither was determined to have any connection with the shooting and were later released, according to Utah public safety officials.
As of late on Wednesday, no one was in custody, but the authorities are searching for a new person of interest.
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah governor Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.”
