Up Next

Memorial Service Honors Charlie Kirk's Legacy and Impact on Conservative Movement and Young Americans

Memorial Service Honors Charlie Kirk's Legacy and Impact on Conservative Movement and Young Americans

15:20

Elon Musk and Donald Trump Reunite at Charlie Kirk's Memorial Service in Profound Moment

Elon Musk and Donald Trump Reunite at Charlie Kirk's Memorial Service in Profound Moment

2:39

Tucker Carlson and Jack Posobiec on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk and the Spiritual War

Tucker Carlson and Jack Posobiec on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk and the Spiritual War

11:00

Benny Johnson, Brick Suit, and Cliff Maloney Honor Charlie Kirk's Legacy After Historic Memorial Service

September 22, 2025

Benny Johnson, Brick Suit, and Cliff Maloney join The Charlie Kirk Show to reflect on the historic memorial service at State Farm Stadium that drew tens of thousands to worship and remember Charlie Kirk. They discuss the viral election night moment that captured Charlie's emotion, Erika Kirk's powerful message of forgiveness that stunned the crowd into silence, and how Charlie's death has ignited a spiritual awakening across America. The conversation reveals intimate details about Charlie's transformation after marriage, his relentless work ethic, and why the response to his assassination reveals a fundamental difference between the political left and right in America. This is a raw, honest conversation about loss, faith, and carrying forward a mission that now belongs to history.

Remembering the Viral Election Night Moment

The show opens with reflection on one of the most viral Charlie Kirk clips of all time—the election night 2024 moment when Fox News called Pennsylvania for Donald Trump. Cliff Maloney's voice overlaid that historic moment as Charlie Kirk broke down in tears of joy. President Trump himself referenced this moment during the memorial service, noting he had never seen Charlie cry before and didn't understand what was happening until he realized Charlie was overcome with emotion for MAGA and the beauty of their victory.

Cliff Maloney shares the behind-the-scenes story of that moment. As everyone's attention focused on Charlie's emotional reaction, Cliff felt compelled to fill the dead air. He never imagined his commentary would become part of one of the most shared political moments in history, eventually featured by Megyn Kelly and even referenced by President Trump at the White House.

Going Harder in Dark Times

The conversation turns to Charlie Kirk's response to adversity, particularly after the 2020 election. While that moment could have justified tears of despair, Charlie's response was different. He told his team: "We go harder." This became the rallying cry that defined how Turning Point USA would respond to every challenge, including FBI investigations and social media censorship targeting the organization.

Andrew Kolvet emphasizes that Charlie would never want his team to be "blubbering weaklings" in this moment. Instead, Charlie would demand they go 50 times harder to continue the mission. This philosophy explains why the memorial service wasn't a moment of defeat but rather a powerful display of strength, faith, and determination.

The Inspiration of Andrew Breitbart

A revealing detail emerges: Charlie Kirk never actually met Andrew Breitbart, who died in 2012. However, Breitbart's death so devastated and inspired Charlie that he started Turning Point USA as a direct result. Charlie told Larry O'Connor that he followed Breitbart so closely that when he died, Charlie knew he had to start something to carry forward the mission of recognizing that politics is downstream from culture.

This raises a profound question: if Andrew Breitbart's death inspired the creation of Turning Point USA, how many people will Charlie Kirk's death inspire to rise up and push back against darkness? The consensus around the table is that the harvest from Charlie's death will be magnitudes larger than what followed Breitbart's passing.

The Jimmy Kimmel Fight and Cultural Power

Benny Johnson discusses the ongoing confrontation with Jimmy Kimmel, who lied about Charlie Kirk's assassin on national television. The team celebrates this as exactly what Charlie would have wanted—using cultural power to hold the establishment accountable. Charlie loved that Cartman from South Park became his profile photo, embracing the cultural moment rather than running from it.

Andrew Kolvet notes that conservatives should love this fight with Kimmel rather than cowering and asking to be treated nicely. This represents a fundamental shift from the old conservative posture of weakness to one of strength and cultural engagement that Charlie championed throughout his career.

Faith Transformations

Vice President JD Vance revealed at the memorial that he has talked more about his faith in the last two weeks than in his entire time in public life. This sentiment echoes across everyone who knew Charlie. Cliff Maloney admits he has thought more about his relationship with Christ in the past 12 days than probably in the last decade.

The memorial service itself became potentially the single largest apostolic event in American history, with tens of thousands gathering not to riot or burn things down, but to worship and pray. This stands in stark contrast to how the left responded to moments like George Floyd's death, revealing a fundamental difference between the two sides of America's political divide.

The Moral Divide

Andrew Kolvet delivers a powerful analysis of the different responses to Charlie Kirk's assassination. The right prayed, mourned, went to church, and executed one of the most uplifting events in American history. Meanwhile, immediately after the assassination, a Democrat voter named George Zinn shouted that he was the shooter to help the actual assassin escape. He was later charged and found to have child pornography on his phone.

Within hours, a Fox News truck in Utah had a bomb placed on it by Democrat voters and donors. Four or five people have been charged with assault for destroying or desecrating Charlie Kirk memorials. Jimmy Kimmel and MSNBC contributors celebrated the assassination. In Congress, 58 Democrats voted against disavowing political violence.

This ledger reveals clearly which side represents morality, strength, composure, and civility, and which side represents anarchy and chaos. The team emphasizes this is not a "both sides" issue, despite media attempts to portray it as such.

Erika Kirk's Transformative Impact

The conversation turns to how Erika Kirk transformed Charlie's life. Before marriage, Charlie was described as wearing ill-fitting suits, having bad haircuts, and wearing Walmart jeans from Goodwill. After meeting Erika, everything changed. He started working out, dressing better, and his career took off like a hockey stick.

This contradicts the cultural lie that marriage and children sap a man's energy. Charlie Kirk's life proves the opposite—that having a wife and children to come home to actually accelerates a man's life by 1000 percent. Charlie constantly encouraged other young men toward marriage and fatherhood, understanding that holding your newborn child is a miracle that only you and your wife can witness, a moment that gives men purpose and meaning.

Erika provided Charlie a safe place to rest. She never gave him a hard time about being gone or on the road, even as he traveled hundreds of days per year to raise money and build Turning Point USA into an organization with thousands of employees and chapters across high schools, colleges, and faith communities.

The Power of Forgiveness

Erika Kirk's announcement at the memorial that she forgives her husband's assassin created a moment where you could hear a pin drop. The audience sat in stunned silence as she built up to this declaration, made just 11 days after her world was taken from her. The applause that followed wasn't enthusiastic—it was shocked, processing what had just been witnessed.

Andrew Kolvet calls this one of the most profound and important moments in American history because it means America has a chance. It means the gospel will continue to go forth. It means there is license for the Holy Spirit to fill more hearts and minds because Americans have chosen the path of Jesus over revenge.

Erika spoke directly to young men like her husband's assassin, telling them they don't have to cower at the complexity of life or live in nihilistic internet rabbit holes. They have agency. They can be part of something bigger than themselves. This was the exact type of young man that Turning Point USA has pulled out of darkness over the years, giving them a place in a movement that becomes stronger when they join it.

The Holy Spirit at State Farm Stadium

The worship at the memorial service created vivid moments that participants will never forget. Cliff Maloney describes walking in as worship started and being hit with the reality of the moment. Brick Suit shares that when Jack Posobiec held up the rosary on stage, he had to put down his camera because he couldn't film anymore—he had to stand up and applaud.

The team reflects on how the memorial service provided closure and reassurance. Despite all the fears about what would happen to Turning Point USA and the movement with Charlie gone, Erika's strength both on stage and personally filled everyone with the confidence that they're headed in the right direction.

Brick Suit offers a powerful analogy: if Charlie's death was like the death of Jesus and the team were the disciples scattered and afraid, then Erika's speech on Friday was like Pentecost, filling them with courage. The memorial yesterday was the start of the Book of Acts, and now it's the job of all the disciples to take the mission and run with it.

Comments

Be the first to comment on this video.

Video Transcript

Link copied to clipboard!