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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Confronts Student on Viral Consent Clip and Sexual Assault Definitions at Campus Event
Charlie Kirk faces off with a student who challenges him about a viral clip discussing consent and sexual assault. The heated exchange covers intoxication laws, the definition of sexual assault, unwanted kisses, and the complexities of consent on college campuses. Kirk clarifies his position that "stop means stop" while arguing intoxication creates gray areas under current law, and that an unwanted kiss between teenagers shouldn't brand someone a sexual assaulter for life. The conversation escalates into debates about Trump, civil liability, and California legislation on minors and sex trafficking.
A student confronted Charlie Kirk at a campus event about a viral clip where Kirk allegedly discussed "gray and murky areas" regarding consent and sexual assault. The student claimed Kirk said it was unfair to define it as sexual assault if a woman withdraws consent and the man continues. Kirk immediately pushed back, arguing the student hadn't watched the full clip and was reacting to a shortened version without full context.
Kirk framed his original argument around intoxication laws, pointing out what he sees as a legal paradox. According to current law, if someone is intoxicated, they cannot give consent. Kirk asked the student: if a woman who is intoxicated has sex, is she being raped by definition? And if so, does that make every person who has had sex while intoxicated a rapist? The student acknowledged this created a gray area, which Kirk emphasized was exactly his point.
Consent Withdrawal and Sexual Assault
The student pressed Kirk on a different scenario: what happens when a woman explicitly removes consent, changes her answer to no, and the man continues? Kirk stated clearly that this would be sexual assault, claiming that wasn't what he was saying in the original video. The student insisted Kirk had called it an "unfair categorization," which Kirk denied, saying the student was misrepresenting his position to the audience.
Kirk returned to his hypothetical about intoxication: if both a woman and a man are drunk to the point of intoxication at 2 a.m. and they have sex, what then? The student accused Kirk of using a red herring and strawmaning the argument, insisting Kirk answer the specific question about consent withdrawal. Kirk affirmed that yes, it is sexual assault when someone continues after consent is withdrawn, but wanted to explore related scenarios.
The Unwanted Kiss Debate
Kirk then introduced another scenario: is an unwanted kiss sexual assault? The student said absolutely yes. Kirk posed a specific situation: two people sitting on a bench, a man goes in to kiss a girl, and she doesn't want it. Did he just sexually assault her? The student clarified that if he didn't complete the kiss because she backed away, it wouldn't be assault. However, if he completes the kiss, it is sexual assault.
Kirk expressed strong disagreement with this definition, saying this mindset is why men are afraid to date women and why men are staying away from dating entirely. The student dismissed this as "a coping excuse for guys who can't get girls," saying men who complain about girls withdrawing consent simply cannot get any women to look their way. Kirk countered that it's dangerous and wrong to categorize an unwanted kiss as sexual assault.
Permission and Dating Norms
Kirk asked whether a man needs to ask permission before kissing someone on a date. The student responded that there are signals, questioning whether Kirk had ever been around a woman. Kirk replied that he's married with two kids and asked if the student was married. The student said he has a girlfriend and plans to marry soon.
Kirk circled back to his main point about intoxication: once somebody is intoxicated, the law says consent cannot be given. He asked again: does that mean every girl at a college campus who has sex while intoxicated has been raped? The student tried to redirect to his original question. Kirk insisted he had already answered that if a man continues sexual activity with a woman past consent, he is committing sexual assault.
Clarifying Positions and Escalating Tensions
The student claimed Kirk's answer had changed, saying Kirk previously called it an "unfair categorization." Kirk clarified that the unfair categorization he referenced was specifically about an unwanted kiss between two people on a bench. He emphasized his position was about fraternity and sorority hookups at 2 a.m., dealing with intoxication, and that the conversation in the original video was 20 minutes long while the student only saw 3 minutes.
The student insisted the clip showed everything in sequence and said he knew who Kirk was based on who he voted for: a man who is sexually liable. Kirk challenged this, asking when Donald Trump sexually assaulted or raped anybody. The student referenced E. Jean Carroll's case, and Kirk questioned why she couldn't remember the year and noted that Carroll said "rape is sexy."
Civil vs. Criminal Liability
Kirk asked whether Trump was ever convicted of being a rapist. The student acknowledged Trump was held civilly liable, not criminally convicted. Kirk emphasized the difference between civil and criminal standards, noting they are two completely different thresholds. The student argued it doesn't matter if he's held liable for something.
The student then pivoted to immigration, suggesting Kirk applies different standards to immigrants versus Trump, wanting harder standards for entering the country than becoming president. Kirk objected to this characterization and said it should be very hard on both counts. The student claimed Kirk had just said yes to his question. Kirk pushed back forcefully, saying the student was misrepresenting him and asking how he dared say it was easy for Trump to be president when Trump faced 700 years in federal prison and got shot on his way to the presidency.
Final Statements
Kirk delivered his final position clearly: Stop means stop. Intoxication is a gray area under current law. An unwanted kiss between two teenagers on a park bench, where a young man goes in for a kiss, does not make him a sexual assaulter for the rest of his life. He asked if they could agree on those three things.
The student maintained that Kirk's statements showed what MAGA supporters and Trump voters are voting for, accusing the crowd of cheering for sexual assault. Kirk reiterated he literally said stop means stop, intoxication presents a gray area legally, and that branding a teenage boy a sexual assaulter for life over an unwanted kiss is wrong.
California Legislation Discussion
Someone in the crowd brought up California legislation from that week, mentioning a bill that would make it legal for 16 and 17 year olds to be sold into sex slavery and child trafficking. They referenced a tweet from State Senator Scott Wiener defending the bill, which stated: "Sending an 18-year-old high school senior to state prison for offering his 17-year-old classmate $20 to fool around isn't smart criminal justice policy. Yet, that's what some people are effectively advocating in this misleading debate."
Kirk noted that almost all Democrats were going to vote for this legislation and questioned whether Governor Gavin Newsom would sign it, sarcastically adding "or is he too busy hosting a podcast?"