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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.
Donald Trump Jr. on the Most Amazing Political Comeback in American History and Why Exile Made Them Stronger
Donald Trump Jr. reflects on what he calls the new Day One, January 7th, 2021, when the Trump movement appeared finished. Speaking in Phoenix, Trump Jr. explains why the four years in exile were actually a blessing in disguise, how the team has transformed from trusting establishment figures to building a true America First coalition with JD Vance, Elon Musk, Bobby Kennedy, and Tulsi Gabbard, and why this administration is fundamentally different from 2016. He details his father's superhuman stamina, the behind-the-scenes fight to save Pete Hegseth's nomination, and how Maga supporters have become both the media and the government.
Donald Trump Jr. opened his Phoenix appearance by reflecting on what he calls the "new Day One"—January 7th, 2021. That moment, when the Trump movement appeared dead and buried, has become the defining test of loyalty for this administration. "Everyone was like, 'Well, I was there in '16 and '15,'" Trump Jr. explained. "Well, where were you on January 7th? Because there's multiple Day Ones. If you were at both of those places, that's pretty great. And that's really the applicant pool of who we're looking at right now."
The number of people who abandoned ship that day, Trump Jr. noted, is exactly what makes this administration so different. "Trump never had a chance, you know, back in '15. Zero chance of winning a primary, zero chance of beating Hillary Clinton. He was definitely getting impeached twice. He just kept coming back. Watching all of these people write you off so many times is actually great motivation."
From Chris Christie to Competent Loyalists
The contrast between the 2016 transition and the current one couldn't be starker. Trump Jr. recalled how unprepared they were the first time around: "In '16, we didn't know anything. We didn't know the first night my father spent in Washington DC was the night he moved into the White House. We were trusting Chris 'Krispy Kreme' Christie—that was our closest person that may have known something about Washington. And, you know, maybe he did, maybe he knew something bad."
This time is fundamentally different, Trump Jr. emphasized, because of the people involved and the changed media landscape. "Once you got a hold of X and watching the left right now just, oh my God, it's a right-wing platform—no, it's 50/50. You're just used to having an entire echo chamber to yourselves. You're not used to having to argue. You're not used to having to actually formulate an opinion because whatever you said was just the gospel."
The Battle for Pete Hegseth and Education Through Pain
Trump Jr. detailed how the MAGA base successfully defended Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense when it appeared dead just weeks earlier. "Two, three weeks ago, Pete Hegseth was dead according to the media. And then Maga got involved. People were vocal. They started calling out the more RHINO-leaning members of the Republican Senate, and all of a sudden everyone's back in line."
He introduced a concept he calls "ETP—Education Through Pain." While clarifying he didn't mean it in the physical sense ("some schmuck on CNN's going to take that as 'he's inciting violence'"), Trump Jr. explained how the ability to mobilize public pressure has changed the game. "We weren't able to do that in the past. Even if we had our voices out there, they were suppressed so badly while this sort of popular Democrat narrative was enhanced artificially. Now with a Level Playing Field, we can make these Representatives actually represent us for a change."
The stakes were enormous. "If Hegseth would have rolled, they would have set their targets on the next one. It would have been a dynamic shift for the next four years," Trump Jr. warned. He and others made clear to Republican senators: if you voted for Joe Biden's Department of Defense director and you won't vote for Donald Trump's DOD director, "we will primary you and remove you from office immediately."
Why Weak Republicans Surrender to Democrats
Trump Jr. offered a blunt assessment of why retiring Republican senators often give Biden what he wants while blocking Trump. "If you're a weak Republican in DC, it's an easy existence. You can be 90% of the way there, 80% of the way there, as long as you give up when the Democrats really need it or want it. They leave you alone. They don't show up in front of your house. You're not getting the hate mail editorial from The Washington Post."
He's witnessed the transformation firsthand: "I've been in the room. I've seen it a thousand times. I'll go do events for these people, try to help them get elected. You hear the things they're saying to the people—you know what, this guy's not going to be that bad, this woman's not going to be that bad. Then they get to DC and it's a totally transformed individual. They feel they really have to answer to the swamp far more than the people that they represent."
That dynamic is shifting because constituents are paying attention and have platforms to hold politicians accountable. "For me, when I get a hate piece from The Washington Post or the New York Times, I look at that as a win. It means I'm over the target. It means I'm actually being effective," Trump Jr. said.
The Fight for JD Vance as Vice President
Trump Jr. deserves significant credit for pushing JD Vance as Trump's running mate—a decision he made early and all-in. He explained his thinking: "I read his book when it first came out. I was like, wow, we need more people like this. Then I actually got to know him through some friends of ours, started hanging out with him. Man, this guy's a great talent, just totally gets it. Brilliant. Just an incredible upbringing, hasn't forgotten that upbringing, which is what so many people tend to do in politics."
Trump Jr. did what he called "the pre-endorsement, the unofficial pre-endorsement" during Vance's Republican primary for Senate. "You've got to be a little careful getting ahead of DJT," he joked. But along with a small group including Tucker Carlson, they pushed hard to make it happen. "Once I saw his performance in the Senate, I was like, there's not many senators you'd want to share a foxhole with, certainly even on the Republican side. But this was the one guy that I was like, wow, that's someone we can build a party around."
The selection wasn't just about the next four years. "For me, it isn't just about Trump. I actually believe in this stuff. I've been a lifelong conservative. I've always wanted this to continue beyond Trump. It's just not four more years great, and then we're back to the Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney party."
Building the Coalition: Elon, Bobby, and Tulsi
A year ago at AmericaFest, three major figures weren't yet part of the team: Tulsi Gabbard, Bobby Kennedy, and Elon Musk. Now all three hold critical positions in the administration. Trump Jr. played a key role in bringing Kennedy and Gabbard into the fold.
Through his business partner Omid Malik, a former Democrat, Trump Jr. began back-channeling with Bobby Kennedy. "As a former Democrat, I want you to know I'm friends with some of these people and you'd actually get along with them really well. There's a lot more that we share in common than we may not agree on everything, but a lot more."
Trump Jr. saw what Democrats were trying to do: "Ostracize him from their side, create a crucible against Trump, try to split that vote. I'm like, DJT actually probably agrees with 90% of what he's saying on so many of these issues." He coordinated with Susie Wiles and his father, keeping the circle tight to prevent leaks that could derail the effort.
On Elon Musk, Trump Jr. shared a telling moment: "He's there all the time. He's getting his mail there now. It was sort of funny—I got a great compliment from him early on in the first couple weeks with the transition. I was in a meeting, and I'm the guy that takes some pretty aggressive stances. In a room of people that are just a little bit more cautious than me, seven times he's like, 'Yes, exactly what we have to do.' It was just great to see people finally willing to fight."
Having someone like Musk—"maybe one of the greatest minds ever, certainly of our generation"—willing to examine government inefficiency is invaluable. "A guy that's done more in space than NASA that had a 75-year head start? I want that guy involved in looking at the rest of the apparatus of government."
President Trump's Superhuman Stamina
Trump Jr. shared remarkable details about his father's stamina during the campaign's final stretch. "The two days before the election, I watched him literally pull two all-nighters in a row, and I was dying. He's playing loud music on the plane at 4 in the morning. I'm like, 'I just want to die.' Then I'm watching—we land, it's 6:00 a.m., I get home, I take a shower, I'm going to try to take a nap for two hours before I get back on TV. And 7:00 a.m., I'm seeing him on TV and he's just going on through the day."
The schedule was punishing: Georgia to Palm Beach to Arizona to Nevada, two events in Nevada, then the Joe Rogan show, then to Michigan, ending at 3:00 a.m. President Trump spent 72 hours awake straight before the election. "This guy is 78 years old. He's 78 years old. I'm 46 and I'm dying, and I don't think anyone's ever accused me of being low energy."
Trump Jr. has seen this his entire life. "I used to get a call at like a Saturday morning at 5:00 a.m. Let's just say I was probably not in the best shape of my life at 5:00 in the morning in my early 20s on a Saturday. He'd be like, 'Hey, why aren't you in the office?' I'm like, smart-ass Don, 'Why aren't you in the office?' He's like, 'I am in the office. I'm standing in your office right now, and that's why I know you're not here.' I'm like, 'Give me 20 minutes, I'll be there.'"
Why Four Years in Exile Was Actually a Blessing
Despite the brutal four years of lawfare, congressional investigations, and political exile, Trump Jr. believes it was ultimately good for the movement. "As one of the most subpoenaed human beings in the history of the world—I don't think there's too many people that have done more than 50 hours of congressional testimony than me—that was brutal. It sucked. But the reality is, had we just stayed in office in 2020, you would have had the same guys that were there who didn't really belong."
Those establishment figures, Trump Jr. explained, were "unelected bureaucrats who just know better, so they're going to subvert the will of the people, they're going to subvert the duly elected president of the United States. They'll kick the can down the road, they're going to slow roll it. Now we're starting from scratch with people who are the true loyalists, the people who get it."
He described the challenge of finding the right people: "The concentric circles of politics are interesting. There's loyal, there's competent, and there's a very small intersection where those things overlap. I appreciate the loyalty—it's incredible, I love that—but it doesn't mean you should be somewhere in the chain of command. Not everyone who's loyal thinks they should be the Secretary of State. It doesn't always work that way, guys. I love you, but let's be real."
The reaction from the establishment confirms they're on the right track: "You see the reaction from the swamp, both the Democrats and even some of the establishment Republicans. When they saw this going on, they're losing their minds because they understand this is the one true threat to their hegemony. I think in hindsight they're looking back and saying, 'You know what, we should have just let it go.' Joe Biden didn't exactly do a lot for the Democrat Party. Running Kamala Harris in sort of a coup probably didn't do a lot for the Democrat Party."
MAGA Is the Party Now
Trump Jr. emphasized that MAGA has become the Republican Party. "It's important to understand—MAGA is the party now. That's not Trump. That's just people who believe in putting America First. That's what it has to be. There's not a Republican party anymore in anything other than name. That's maybe what we still call each other. It's about being America First. And it sort of feels like that's the way it should have always been."
Recent polls show this shift clearly. "It was funny—we were joking around on a text thread earlier. Some poll came out for 2028. It's JD, then me, basically dominating the entire field." The future bench is being built with people who proved their loyalty during the darkest days.
Trump Jr. closed with optimism about what this administration can accomplish: "I'm actually the most grateful guy that we actually did it this way than just had an eight-year straight term. Because I think what we can do now is exponential what we could have done. What we can do now could forever change the game. And that's something that's grossly needed."
