Deseret News Reporter Brigham Tomco Recalls Interviewing Charlie Kirk Just Weeks Before His Killing
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Deseret News Reporter Brigham Tomco Recalls Interviewing Charlie Kirk Just Weeks Before His Killing
Deseret News reporter Brigham Tomco sits down for a television interview to share what he learned meeting Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA's Phoenix headquarters just a month before Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University. Tomco explains that Kirk's real focus wasn't provoking political opponents but building institutions meant to rival Harvard and the New York Times, and mentoring young people toward marriage, faith, and financial independence. He also describes the mood inside his own newsroom, where colleagues who stood just feet away from Kirk during the shooting are still struggling with what they witnessed in a state built around the idea of disagreeing better.
Brigham Tomco, a reporter for the Utah-based Deseret News, joins a television interview to discuss meeting Charlie Kirk in person about a month before Kirk was assassinated. Tomco says he traveled to Turning Point USA's Phoenix headquarters, a campus of six buildings dedicated entirely to youth outreach, expecting to focus on Kirk's well-known campus debate videos, which drew 15 million views across social media platforms last year alone. Instead, he says what stood out was how little of Kirk's actual focus was on politics in the traditional sense.
Building Institutions, Not Just Winning Elections
According to Tomco, Kirk described his vision as extending far beyond any single election cycle. Kirk told him Turning Point USA was built to create institutions capable of rivaling organizations like Harvard, the New York Times, and major tech companies. Tomco says Kirk was explicit that his immediate goal wasn't to provoke political opponents, but to persuade young, potentially conservative-leaning people to actually live more conservative lifestyles.
Making Conservatism Cool Again
Tomco says his own reporting concluded that Kirk's legacy would be making conservatism cool again, not simply through winning elections but by shaping everyday behavior. He explains that people who only know Kirk from a viral clip or two on Instagram or TikTok likely don't realize how much of his time, in his books, on his podcast, and at his youth events, was spent mentoring young people on practical steps for their twenties: building a family, becoming financially independent, and similar milestones, largely apart from partisan politics.
How Kirk Measured His Own Success
Asked what Kirk believed his impact would ultimately be, Tomco recalls Kirk telling him it would be measured by how many young people considered him a hero, or simply enjoyed watching his videos, and went on to make real changes in their own lives, returning to church, getting married, having children, or taking their faith more seriously. Tomco notes that by those kinds of metrics, Kirk's success would be much harder to measure in the short term, and that Kirk seemed to be playing a longer game tied to broader shifts in the country's direction rather than immediate results.
The Final Stop on the American Comeback Tour
Tomco explains that Kirk had not visited Utah in a few years, despite touring more than 60 campuses last year and logging roughly 200 hours debating college students. For his American Comeback Tour that fall, Kirk chose Utah Valley University as his first stop, with Utah State University planned later that same month. Tomco says around 3,000 students turned out, the vast majority cheering Kirk on as though he were a rock star or celebrity, reflecting what Tomco describes as a broader shift among young voters seen in the 2024 election exit polls, where conservatism appeared to be gaining cultural momentum. He says the event was shaping up to be more of a celebration for Kirk than a moment of pure debate.
A Newsroom in Mourning
Tomco, who wasn't present at the event himself, describes the toll the shooting has taken on colleagues who were there covering it in person. He calls it a somber moment for the newsroom, noting that Orem, home to Utah Valley University, is generally known for being peaceful and safe. He says colleagues who stood just feet away from Kirk when he was shot have told him they see the moment he slumped over every time they close their eyes, calling it an especially heavy weight to carry in a state that has built its political identity around disagreeing better and elevating public discourse rather than tearing it down.
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