Gov. Glenn Youngkin told a crowd of Virginia Tech University students that all of them are now “the next Charlie Kirk” in a speech at one of the first Turning Point USA events since the conservative activist’s assassination.
The Virginia Republican governor and conservative media pundit Megyn Kelly headlined the event on Wednesday at the Blacksburg-based university, the second stop in TPUSA’s “This is The Turning Point” tour featuring elected officials and media influencers.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, vowed in an address to the nation on Sept. 12 that TPUSA would continue the national college campus tour this fall after a 22-year-old man fatally shot her husband days earlier at Utah Valley University.
During his speech, Youngkin addressed the 31-year-old TPUSA founder’s murder, saying that Kirk left behind a “blueprint” for others to follow in his footsteps. The Republican governor acknowledged that he and the event attendees all wished Kirk was with them, reflecting on how the conservative activist spoke the truth and demonstrated the “beauty of freedom of expression” through dialogue.
On the day of his assassination, the TPUSA founder was engaged in a Q&A with attendees at the university and was answering a question about the recent spate of trans-identifying mass shooters when a gunman fired the shot that ultimately killed him.
Authorities arrested the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, after a 33-hour manhunt. Robinson’s roommate and alleged boyfriend identifies as trans and participates in the furry subculture.
“The truth is that the question that has been asked over and over again is, ‘Who will be the next Charlie?’” Youngkin asked. “And as I look out in this room and I see thousands of you, I want to repeat the best answer that I have heard. You will be the next Charlie, all of you.”
“Each one of you is the light. A light that shines in the corner of the room, a light that shines brightly on evil,” he added. “A light that chases out darkness that is each and every one of you.”
Reflecting on the day of Kirk’s murder, Youngkin said that the bullet that killed the conservative activist came from a gun held by “someone with a heart of evil who tried to silence truth, tried to silence all of us.”
“But you see, the exact opposite is happening,” the Republican governor said. “There is a revival spreading across this great nation.”
In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, Kelly noted that some might have felt hesitant about attending the event, and she called them courageous for doing so.
“But I think we all came for the same reason,” she said.
“The reason is to send a message that we will not be silenced by an assassin’s bullet, by a heckler’s veto, by a left-wing woke professor or anyone who tries to silence us from saying what we really believe,” Kelly continued. “Those days are done.”
TPUSA’s “This is The Turning Point” tour will feature other elected officials and conservative influencers, such as Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, Blaze Media CEO Glenn Beck and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
The conservative organization announced in a Monday X post that there are 11 stops planned as part of the tour, seven of which were already planned stops before Kirk’s death. TPUSA kicked off its latest tour at the University of Minnesota Monday, where Kirk was supposed to speak alongside conservative commentator Michael Knowles.
Earlier this month, TPUSA also announced that it had named Erika Kirk as its new CEO to lead the organization.
“Charlie prepared all of us for a moment like this one,” the board members stated in a letter. “He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests.”
“All of us at Turning Point USA have a special role in carrying Charlie Kirk’s mantle and completing his vision of bringing us all closer to our Lord and fostering a prosperous country for generations to come.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
