Charlie Kirk challenged liberals until the day he was murdered
The activist embodied a fiery style of conservatism and energised young voters
Charlie Kirk always contended that it was better to challenge bad ideas, as he saw them, than to swallow them. His professional life was devoted to this belief. At the age of 18 he dropped out of university to launch what would become America’s most prominent conservative youth organisation, Turning Point USA (TPUSA). On September 10th Mr Kirk was shot dead at a college campus in Utah doing precisely what had brought him fame, purpose and, to MAGA supporters, great acclaim: debating liberals.
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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Beyond debate”
From the September 13th 2025 edition
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