Rightwing influencer Charlie Kirk died in the America he helped shape

Ultra-conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, RIP.

OPINION

Thoughts and prayers for the family of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk who was slain Sept. 10. 

No one should be killed for his or her  political views, but this is what today's America  that he helped shape is like these days. With the recent murders of Minnesota politicians, the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and not to mention the suspicious attempted shooting that nipped Donald Trump, we're getting too use to political violence. Do you like it?

The assassination of Kirk was horrible .... but, honestly, is he someone who deserves having the American flag placed on half-staff? or, as proposed by Donald Trump, posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

No one can argue that he had a huge influence on you people and White House staff. Instead of using his communication talent and intelligence to advance society, he helped foment the hate and division that blankets our society today. That was his power and his legacy.

Ironically, at an event for his followers in 2023, Kirk argued against gun control. “We must also be real," he said. "We must be honest with the population. Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty... But I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment.”

Numerous quotes by radical conservative activist Kirk have been widely condemned for being hateful, inflammatory, or false by his critics and praised and hailed by his followers. His controversial comments often targeted racial minorities including Asians and Asian Americans, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Here's a sampling:

• In March 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the right-wing activist posted about the "China virus" - a phrase that was later adopted and spread by Donald  Trump in his first term that Asian Americans said contributed to the surge of hate crimes against Asians.
• On his radio show, Kirk dismissed empathy as a harmful idea. “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that does a lot of damage.”
• At a December 2023 political conference hosted by his Turning Points USA group, he said, "We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s." He claimed that the law ushered in a "permanent" bureaucracy meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
• During a heated exchange on Jubilee’s Surrounded, he claimed Black people were “better” in the 1940s. “They were actually better in the 1940s. It was bad. It was evil. But what happened? Something changed. They committed less crimes… Black America is worse than it has been in the last 80 years.”
• On child pregnancy after rape? When asked how he would advise his daughter in a disturbing scenario, he said, “The answer is yes. The baby would be delivered.”
• Kirk called Islam a "threat to America" that is incompatible with Western civilization. In September 2025, he posted on social media that "Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of America".
• At a TPUSA event, he compared trans identity to blackface. “A man who calls himself trans is wearing ‘woman face,’ no different than I would wear Black face trying to be a Black person. It’s assuming an identity that isn’t yours.”
• On his radio show, he claimed Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson were “affirmative action picks” and went further, “Black women do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.”
• During a 2024 podcast episode with fellow rightwing activist Jack Posobeic, he said: "I'm sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, 'Boy, I hope he's qualified,."
• After Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement, he fantasized about her becoming more conservative. “Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.”
• On X, he once commented, “Gun control, like vaccines and masks, is focused on making people feel ‘safe’ by taking freedoms away from others. Don’t fall for it.”
• Kirk often railed against retirement. “For future retirees, people under the age of 45, we should absolutely raise the retirement age. I’m not a fan of retirement. I don’t think retirement is biblical… I think, what a waste of the gifts that God has given you.”

Days before his death, Kirk was in Asia trying to spread his divisive message among disaffected and alienated young men.

"The phenomenon of young people, especially men, turning conservative is occurring simultaneously across multiple continents," Kirk told a South Korean audience.

"It is not unique to the US, which is why it deserves more attention. That is why I chose South Korea as my first Asian destination," while not mentioning his white supremacist views.

Today, an alleged suspect has been arrested, 22-year old Tyler Robinson, of St. George, Utah, a few hours away from. Utah Valley University, where the Kirk was spreading his views in front of thousands of college students before he was fatally shot.

While I condemn the killing of Charlie Kirk, he should not be lionized. He is not a martyr. He is not a hero. Ultimately, he paid the price he espoused for his warped interpretation of the Second Amendment. 

Nevertheless, may Charlile Kirk rest in peace. Thoughts and prayers.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.