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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 on Why Daniel Penny Verdict Could Criminalize Courage and Endanger Women in New York
Charlie Kirk argues that Daniel Penny, a Marine who restrained a threatening man on a New York City subway, is an American hero facing unjust murder charges. Kirk contends that Penny acted to protect passengers from a lunatic who was harassing and threatening riders, yet now faces life in prison for doing the right thing. He challenges liberal women to explain what men should do in such situations when police are understaffed, and warns that convicting Penny will discourage future intervention, making women more vulnerable to assault and violence. Kirk calls for federal action if Penny is imprisoned, including investigations into New York's justice system and cuts to federal funding.
Charlie Kirk opens with urgent news about Daniel Penny, whom he calls an American hero currently on verdict watch. Penny, a Marine, intervened when a man was harassing and threatening passengers on a New York City subway. In restraining the aggressor, the individual died for reasons Kirk claims were unrelated to Penny's actions. Yet Penny now faces murder charges that could result in life imprisonment for what Kirk views as doing the right thing.
Kirk poses a fundamental question to society: do we want more Daniel Pennies or fewer? He specifically challenges liberal women who ride the subway to explain what should have happened in that situation. When someone is physically harassing and assaulting passengers, and police are understaffed and unable to respond, what should bystanders do? Kirk insists that liberal women need to provide specific answers to this scenario that plays out regularly in cities across America.
The Kitty Genovese Paradox
Kirk references the famous Kitty Genovese story from New York City, acknowledging that while the story has been partially debunked as propaganda, its core message resonated with the public. People were outraged at the idea that bystanders watched a woman being attacked and did nothing to intervene. The cultural takeaway was clear: seeing evil and doing nothing is morally reprehensible.
Now, Kirk argues, New York has completely reversed this principle. The message has become: if you see something bad, how dare you intervene. When men, particularly those who have served in the military, witness a bully or predator in action, society now expects them to shrug their shoulders and look away. This represents a fundamental shift in expectations around masculine courage and protective instincts.
The Consequences for Women's Safety
Kirk warns that if the verdict goes against Daniel Penny, women will find themselves in far more dangerous situations. He predicts that such a verdict will result in more women being assaulted, raped, kidnapped, and murdered. Why? Because men will rationally decide that intervening carries too great a personal risk.
He criticizes what he calls the liberal vision of masculinity—one based on feelings and emotions rather than protective action. This version of masculinity seeks common ground with harassers and tries to understand why someone might assault women on public transportation. Kirk argues that Daniel Penny didn't just do nothing wrong; he did everything right. Yet he may be punished for the rest of his life because of his heroic actions.
Real-World Evidence of the Chilling Effect
Kirk cites a recent example from a liberal woman on Twitter who complained about a man repeatedly harassing a woman on the subway, being disgusting and invading her space. She noted that women tried to intervene and tell the harasser off, but all the young, fit men just stood around in silence, looking at the ground. Kirk's explanation is simple: men are now calculating that if they intervene, they could go to jail for the rest of their lives.
This represents what Kirk calls criminalizing the courageous. Society is punishing heroes and elevating criminals. The message being sent is clear: courage will be prosecuted, and intervention will be treated as a crime.
Federal Response: Kirk's Call to Action
If Daniel Penny spends even a single day in prison, Kirk calls on Pam Bondi, as Attorney General, to take immediate federal action. His proposed measures include:
Launch an immediate investigation of the New York justice system, similar to investigations the Obama administration weaponized against big city police departments
Cut off the $3.4 billion in federal grants going to the MTA and all other federal funds to New York City
Ensure no taxpayer funds subsidize transportation systems in cities that criminalize the innocent
Cut off all federal funds going to New York courts and prison systems
Issue a blanket ban against hiring New York State prosecutors into federal positions
Kirk argues these measures are justified because the potential imprisonment of Daniel Penny represents the criminalization of courage and the imprisonment of a hero.
Eyewitness Accounts: What Really Happened
The transcript includes eyewitness testimony from passengers on the subway during the incident. One witness described how the entire train was frightened, with people worried the aggressor might pull a gun or knife. The man was shouting that he was willing to die, willing to get killed, willing to go to jail—he didn't care. He was saying this so loudly that everyone turned around in alarm.
According to the witness, Penny took the man down respectfully, bringing him to the ground and applying a chokehold—not a hard one, just enough to secure him. The witness noted that the aggressor appeared to be on drugs, describing him as unbelievably off the charts and someone who scared the living daylights out of everyone on the train.
Another witness confirmed that Penny stood up, grabbed the man, turned him around, and brought him to the ground in a controlled manner. These accounts paint a picture of a trained Marine using appropriate force to neutralize a legitimate threat to public safety.
The Choice Before Us
Kirk frames the Daniel Penny case as a defining moment for American society. Are we a country that honors those who protect the vulnerable, or one that prosecutes them? Do we want men to intervene when they witness threats to public safety, or do we want them to calculate the legal risks and look away?
The verdict in this case will send a powerful signal about what kind of behavior society values and what kind it punishes. If courage is criminalized, Kirk warns, we can expect to see less of it—with devastating consequences for the very people who depend on the willingness of others to act when danger arises.
