[Order Michael Finch’s new book, A Time to Stand: HERE. Prof. Jason Hill calls it “an aesthetic and political tour de force.”]
In the wake of the recent assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, the surge of deeply emotional support, nationally and worldwide, for him and his organization has been epic. Predictably, Leftist celebration of his murder has been widespread too. But also predictably, opportunists who present as Right-wing have leapt at the chance to appropriate Kirk’s massive fan base into their own fold.
Kirk was a vocal supporter of Israel throughout his career, often emphasizing Christian-Jewish alliances and criticizing Left-wing influences on U.S. policy. However, in the days following his death, superstar grifter Candace Owens — Kirk’s former colleague who has advanced weird conspiracy theories and overt antisemitism to amass a huge online following — claimed on her YouTube show (which garnered over 5 million views in 24 hours) that her “little brother” Kirk had privately expressed growing frustration with Israel’s influence over American politics and was facing intense pressure from pro-Israel figures to align more closely with their views.
Owens also alleged that billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman (a vocal Zionist) staged a threatening “intervention” at a Hamptons event in August 2025, where Kirk was reportedly offered “tons of money” to visit the Holocaust Museum and take a photo, and was warned about his “evolving stance” on Israel. Ackman vehemently refuted this on X, calling it slander and sharing WhatsApp screenshots of friendly exchanges with Kirk; he emphasized that no threats or pressure occurred, and that Kirk’s team was present throughout the event. Kirk’s executive producer Andrew Kolvet corroborated this, stating staff confirmed that Ackman “never yelled at Charlie, never pressed him on Bibi [Netanyahu], never gave him a list of Charlie’s offenses against Israel.”
Owens also suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s post-death tributes to Charlie (including sharing a private letter from him) were insincere and possibly a “laced threat,” implying that Kirk’s criticism of Israel made him a target.
These claims quickly escalated into conspiracy theories, with some rabidly anti-Zionist Left-wing influencers like Jackson Hinkle and Zei Squirrel baselessly speculating that Israel or the Mossad orchestrated Kirk’s assassination to silence him. Netanyahu publicly denounced such theories, likening them to historical antisemitic blood libels that fueled pogroms like the Holocaust.
The dispute has pitted Owens (and partial allies like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly) against Kirk’s inner circle, pro-Israel conservatives, and much of the MAGA establishment. Kelly, citing private talks with Kirk, asserted that he felt “frustrated” and “pressured” by pro-Israel critics for allowing anti-Israel comedian Dave Smith to speak at a TPUSA event or critiquing “liberal Jewish donors.” She called Owens “brilliant” but stopped short of endorsing the full conspiracy theory. Carlson echoed suspicions about Netanyahu’s motives, without making any direct accusations.
Kirk’s pastor Rob McCoy accused Owens of “spreading conspiracy theories” that dishonor Charlie’s memory, insisting that Kirk remained a steadfast Israel advocate driven by faith, not coercion. TPUSA board member Eric Bolling blasted Owens as a “narcissist” turning tragedy into self-promotion, noting their past “break-up” over her “rabbit hole” theories (e.g., her 2024 Daily Wire firing for antisemitic tropes).
While less central than Owens, Milo Yiannopoulos (a controversial alt-right figure and former Breitbart editor) boosted similar unproven claims on X and podcasts, claiming Kirk confided in him about Israeli “infiltration” in conservative circles (for example, compromising figures like Rep. Dan Crenshaw).
Milo, whose shameless grifting almost matches Owens’, has positioned himself as Kirk’s ideological heir, urging followers to “stand up for the truth” against “Likud fronts” like former David Horowitz protégé and Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro. This sparked accusations of opportunism, especially given Milo’s past feuds with mainstream conservatives and his history of provocative Israel commentary. He has been associated with racist influencer Nick Fuentes and has managed antisemite rapper Kanye West.
Conservative critics like Kirk’s widow Erika have responded that Candace and Milo are exploiting Kirk’s death — and his massive audience (The Charlie Kirk Show had millions of listeners) — to radicalize housewives and young conservatives toward anti-Zionism, to boost their own profiles, and to siphon disaffected “America First” fans who are critical of U.S. aid to Israel.
X users too accused Owens of “salivating” to absorb Kirk’s viewers, with one stating: “Candace needs to make this about her… Honor Charlie Kirk and stay the hell away from Candace and Nick Fuentes.” Social media posters also slammed Milo for chasing relevance by “confusing” Kirk’s pro-Israel base, and for “trolling for engagement” by invoking Kirk’s “worries” about Israeli media assets to rebrand himself as a martyr’s ally.
The row persists on X and podcasts, with no new evidence emerging to substantiate Owens’ claims. Pro-Kirk conservatives have urged focusing on his assassin (a deranged Antifa-linked gunman) over “agents of chaos.”
Lost in all this uproar is the fact that Candace Owens is not responsible for Charlie Kirk’s ascendency to conservative superstardom. It was the late David Horowitz who launched the young Charlie’s career, as Charlie himself recently attested on more than one occasion – first, on his own podcast when he eulogized David after the Freedom Center founder passed away in late April:
And again, when Charlie spoke at David’s memorial service:
Owens, who has stated that her own career was launched at a Restoration Weekend, was not invited to that memorial. David and the Freedom Center famously cut ties with her nearly two years ago when it became clear that she had “become obsessed with her own fame, stirring up drama to compensate for a lack of real achievement,” and began peddling “ignorant, hateful and morally obtuse remarks about Israel and the Jews.”
Were he alive today, David would be outraged that dishonest players purportedly on the Right, like Candace, Milo, and Tucker, are exploiting Charlie’s assassination by claiming he was beginning to align with their malignant antisemitism and Israel-hating conspiracy-mongering.
Charlie Kirk, like his mentor David Horowitz, was always an unwavering supporter of Israel and a staunch enemy of antisemites.
That legacy cannot be allowed to be distorted, manipulated, and weaponized by “agents of chaos” for their evil ends.
