2,387 videos 1,376,944,188 views US Joined Aug 30, 2018
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 Debates Student on Trump's First Impeachment and Ukraine Phone Call Controversy
Charlie Kirk fields a challenging question from a nervous college student about President Trump's first impeachment in 2019. The student argues that Trump's Ukraine phone call and the surrounding events disqualified him from receiving their vote in 2024, citing concerns about democratic values and the suspension of congressionally approved aid. Kirk pushes back on the characterization, noting Trump's acquittal and questioning the premise of the accusations. The exchange offers a glimpse into how the 2019 impeachment still resonates with some voters years later.
A college student approaches the microphone, visibly nervous, to ask Charlie Kirk about the events surrounding President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. The student explains their reasoning for not voting for Trump in 2024, citing what they view as a fundamental disrespect for liberal democratic values, particularly reflected in the Trump-Ukraine scandal of 2019.
The student frames their question around America's founding principles, stating they believe the country was founded on liberal democratic values and serves as a model for liberal democracy better than any other nation in the world. This sets up the core of their concern about Trump's conduct during the Ukraine controversy.
Clarifying America's Founding Principles
Before addressing the impeachment question directly, Kirk challenges the student's premise about America's founding. He clarifies that America was not actually founded on liberal democratic values in the progressive sense, but rather on a small-c conservative classical view of government. The student quickly clarifies they mean "liberal" in the enlightenment sense—referring to reason and separation of powers—not the contemporary political usage of the term.
Kirk acknowledges the distinction, noting it's actually a blend of enlightenment principles and more conservative classical doctrine. He also corrects the student's characterization of America as a democracy, emphasizing that the United States is a constitutional republic.
The Case Against Trump's Ukraine Conduct
The student presents their case, arguing that the issue extends beyond just the phone call itself to the entire series of events surrounding it. Their specific concerns include:
Trump's suspension of congressionally approved aid to Ukraine
An alleged explicit attempt to coerce a foreign government to investigate a political opponent and DNC servers
What they characterize as a cover-up afterwards
Trump's refusal to comply with House Judiciary Committee subpoenas
The student concludes that all of these actions reflect poorly on American democracy and were the primary reason they chose not to vote for Trump in 2024.
Kirk's Response and Defense
Kirk begins his response by pointing out the most obvious fact: Trump was not convicted in the impeachment trial—he was acquitted. He notes that people barely remember this first impeachment, suggesting there are usually more pressing matters to focus on than the 2019 proceedings, which he characterizes as a "hoax."
When the student mentions that the Government Accountability Office found Trump's actions illegal, Kirk counters that presidents freeze funds regularly. He points to then-Vice President Joe Biden, who was captured on camera saying that Ukrainian funds would be frozen unless a very specific energy project that Hunter Biden was on the board of was approved.
Staying Focused on the Specific Issue
The student interjects, respectfully asking to avoid "whataboutism" and requesting they stay focused specifically on the Trump impeachment rather than comparing it to other leaders' conduct. Kirk acknowledges this is a fair point and a huge discussion worth having, but agrees to return to the specific impeachment question.
Kirk's Recollection of Events
Kirk admits he's "dusty" on the topic since it occurred six years prior, but offers his recollection of the events. From his memory, it was a single phone call that Trump had with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy that was probably illegally listened to by Eric Ciaramella, the whistleblower from the intelligence community, who then probably illegally leaked it to House Democrats.
Kirk states he sees no evidence whatsoever that Trump was holding up aid for political purposes. He points out that Trump actually gave a lot of aid to Ukraine back in 2019, contradicting the narrative that he was withholding support from the country.
A Final Point About Mick Mulvaney
Before concluding, the student makes one more point, stating that Mick Mulvaney, Trump's acting Chief of Staff at the time, explicitly said that the reason Trump instructed him to block aid to Ukraine was so they would investigate the DNC server conspiracy and Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine.
Kirk responds that he'll have to go back into his memory to think more about that specific claim. The exchange ends cordially, with Kirk thanking the student for their respectful approach to the discussion.
