Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is holding a four-day conference this weekend in Phoenix, Ariz., and one of its biggest draws is a recreated version of the booth where the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed in Utah in September.
“This is a recreation of the tent where Charlie Kirk lost his life at Utah Valley University in September, and people are taking selfies with it,” Brandy Zadrozny of MS Now reported from the conference, dubbed “America Fest.” “You can see all around, people are saying like, ‘For Charlie,’ they’re wearing replicas of the shirt that Charlie Kirk was wearing when he was killed.”
Zadrozny described the moment as more than a memorial display.
“The second thing that’s happening is really a passing of the torch,” she continued. “And that torch, as you mentioned, was being passed to his widow, Erika Kirk. Erika Kirk is now in charge of a political organization that brought in $100 million and that, you know, Donald Trump and JD Vance credit [it] with swinging some of the youth vote to Donald Trump.”
Kirk was 31 at the time of his death. The right-wing political commentator was staffing his signature “Prove Me Wrong” table during his American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 when he was fatally shot.
After a manhunt, authorities took Tyler Robinson into custody in connection with the shooting.
Robinson, 22, is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s death. Prosecutors said in an indictment on Sept. 16 that Robinson allegedly told his parents “that he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it.”
Sergeant Ray Ormond of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office previously said in an email that Robinson is currently booked into the “Special Housing Unit,” where inmates must wear a suicide-prevention smock at all times.
“Our special housing unit does include being on a special watch protocol that includes more supervision and wearing the above smock,” Ormond added.
In the months since Kirk’s death, his widow, Erika, has stepped into his role at Turning Point USA.
