Conservative voices must learn to lead in love in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s passing
Since Kirk’s assassination, some have turned to sensationalism or empty pontification about the late Turning Point USA President’s thoughts and feelings – but the final word belongs to Kirk
Opinion-editorial by Summer Lane | October 3, 2025
In recent weeks, the assassination of Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk has left many Americans reeling. It was a literal turning point for the nation – a painful and gaping wound that still hurts.
Kirk’s legacy and his life were a testament not only to his hard work ethic but also to his faith. He was professional, he was a cheerleader, and he was smart enough not to engage in infighting with those he wanted to build coalitions with.
Yet now that Kirk is gone, he is no longer here to speak for himself – and so some have deigned to do it in his stead. Unfortunately, those choosing to speak in place of Kirk typically fall into one of two categories: internet conspiracists or engagement farmers.
Indeed, sensationalism surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk has gone way too far, way too fast.
Candace Owens and Israel
Candace Owens is well known at this point for her heavy-handed criticisms of Israel and the alleged influence she argues it has on American politics. While that point is debatable for many reasons, she has dug in hard to the Charlie Kirk assassination with a plethora of mostly unhelpful questions and theories regarding his death.
Recently, she even suggested that Turning Point USA was part of a giant “Truman Show” operation, alleging that the organization is “not capable” of telling the truth about the details of Kirk’s assassination.
She seems to be suggesting, in a not-so-veiled manner, that TPUSA is involved in a conspiracy to cover up the “truth” about Kirk’s assassination. The only problem, of course, is that neither Owens nor anyone else knows what the “truth” here means.
Tucker Carlson – a friend of Kirk’s who would often speak at TPUSA events – alleged after the assassination that Kirk had confided in him that he didn’t care for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also alleged that Israeli donors were on Kirk’s case “until the day he died.”
Owens’ commentary, coupled with Carlson’s comments about Israel, has spurred many theories about potential Israeli involvement in Kirk’s assassination. To be extremely clear: no such evidence exists at this time.
There have also been theories that have arisen that postulate Kirk was growing increasingly anti-Israel. Some theories have even suggested that Kirk was on the verge of converting to Catholicism – again, these are comments that only arose in the wake of his death, so Kirk is not here to speak up for himself.
Some record-setting
Charlie Kirk wrote a letter to PM Netanyahu in the spring of this year. That letter was released this week, and it shows one thing very clearly: Kirk was doing his best to help Israel, and if the letter is any indication, he certainly was not anti-Israel by any means.
“I regret to report that anti-Israel and antisemitic trends are at record levels on social media. These negative sentiments then flow downstream into college campuses and even seep into the conservative MAGA community,” Kirk wrote in his letter.
He spent the majority of his letter discussing strategies that Netanyahu and his government could employ to increase American confidence in the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Kirk added, “I’m accused of being a paid apologist for Israel when I defend her, however, if I don’t defend Israel strongly enough, I’m accused of being antisemite. I know you’ve got a 7 front war and my kvetching pales in comparison.”
It appears Kirk was frustrated by the situation, but there was certainly no inkling of antisemitism or waning support for the nation of Israel itself.
Despite this, internet sensationalists and engagement farmers have continued to stir the pot of debate over Kirk’s stance on many things – but the worst is the sneaky insinuation that TPUSA or those closest to Kirk were somehow “part” of this plot to hurt or control him.
It’s time to lead in love, not likes
Clearly, accruing engagement and likes online is more important to some commentators than kindness. The wild accusations and “questions” flying forced Tyler Bower, the Turning Point COO, to address the noise:
“I am sorry I have to tweet this… but I do. Accusing innocent people—much worse, accusing the people who knew Charlie best, loved him more than just abut anyone, and witnessed his death—isn’t just wrong, it’s baseless mudslinging on the same level as calling someone a Nazi or fascist who is not. It signals to crazy people many evil ideas, thoughts and feelings. It is calling the good, bad, and the innocent, criminal.
The worst part of this wicked behavior is that it is putting a target on the backs of the people working to carry out Charlie’s work from before and after his murder. This harassment may emotionally or physically sideline them, stopping the work.”
He said he hoped that people will “seek truth, apologize for getting things wrong along the way” and avoid engaging with “destructive forces that I believe the devil wants people to promote to undo the good work that emanates from Turning Point, Charlie and everything he has left behind.”
Indeed, it seems as if Kirk’s legacy – one of Christian faith and family values – is being picked apart by vultures who seek to simply sensationalize everything they can for the most views.
Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham remarked on X, “I will never, ever get over seeing people who were supposedly Charlie’s friends turning his death into cheap content, and cruelly harassing his loved ones while doing it. I just cannot fathom something so awful.”
Tyler Bower responded, “It’s probably been the hardest part of all of this. Living through harassment from dozens of people every day since his death[.]”
There’s nothing wrong with asking fair questions about a public figure who died in a very public way. Charlie Kirk was a beloved leader in this country, and people rightly have many questions about why it happened. Holding our investigative agencies accountable for these types of issues is a good and just thing.
But that is not an excuse to incite harassment and harmful theories about real people and real families who are hurting in this tragedy. It must stop immediately. Only then can the real healing – and the real work toward saving America – begin.
Photo: Screenshot/Turning Point USA YouTube
