PHOENIX (AP) 鈥 Turning Point USA, the organization Charlie Kirk founded to mobilize young, Christian conservatives, has seen a massive surge in interest and support since the activist’s assassination last week.
As conservatives mourn , the group appears poised to remain a MAGA juggernaut as it plots its future without Kirk at the helm.
The group’s board that Kirk鈥檚 widow, Erika Kirk, had been unanimously elected as its next leader and will serve as CEO and board chair.
鈥淭his was what Charlie hoped for and wanted and he said so numerous times,” , the group鈥檚 chief operating officer, said on . 鈥淓rika is one with Charlie and Charlie is one with Erika.鈥
Turning Point became a multimillion-dollar operation under Charlie Kirk’s leadership, and was credited with helping to return President to office. Since Kirk’s killing, his podcast and social media have attracted millions of new followers. There has been an outpouring of interest in expanding Turning Point’s footprint on college and high school campuses, the group’s spokesperson says, and future large-scale events are continuing as planned.
鈥淚t will grow,鈥 said Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, who is also a producer of 鈥淭he Charlie Kirk Show” podcast. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e seeing is that Charlie鈥檚 legacy will be much greater, broader, and bigger than we even realized in life.鈥
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this week that through 鈥渢his horrible act,鈥 Turning Point 鈥渃ould be maybe bigger than it could have ever been had he been there.鈥
鈥淎nd I will say this: He鈥檇 be very happy if he saw what was going on,鈥 Trump said.
Inquiries about new Turning Point chapters have soared
Both Turning Point and Kirk鈥檚 other ventures have received unprecedented interest since he was killed.
Kirk’s podcast is now the top show on Apple, his social media accounts have gained millions of followers and his clips have garnered millions of views.
Turning Point has also received over 60,000 inquiries to start new campus chapters, Kolvet said Thursday. The group currently has 3,500 chapters on college campuses and in high schools across the nation.
Aubree Hudson, president of the Turning Point chapter at Brigham Young University that helped organize the Utah Valley University event where Kirk was assassinated, said hundreds of students have reached out about getting involved.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the beautiful part of this tragedy, that his movement, Turning Point, is exploding,” she said.
She predicted conservatives who have been afraid to share their views at school will start speaking up.
鈥淗ow it looks like without Charlie Kirk, I think we鈥檙e all gonna try to figure that out,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be a curve, but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 gonna slow us down in any way.鈥
A fundraising behemoth
Turning Point USA is not just a campus advocacy group promoting conservative causes. It and its affiliated group, Turning Point Action, played a crucial role in the 2024 election, helping to turn out voters who don’t typically cast ballots in swing states including Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin.
It is also a fundraising behemoth.
The group’s two primary nonprofit arms collectively took in nearly $100 million in 2024, according to forms filed with the IRS. A separate nonprofit wing called the Turning Point Endowment has another $60.9 million in the bank.
Kirk’s widow and the mother of their two children, Erika Kirk, has vowed to continue the group’s mission. She said during an emotional broadcast from her husband’s studio that a planned campus tour this fall would go on, as would the podcast and one of the group’s marquee events 鈥 鈥淎merica Fest鈥 鈥 planned for December.
She said during her remarks that 鈥渢he movement my husband built will not die.鈥
鈥淚 promise I鈥檒l make Turning Point USA the biggest thing that this nation has ever seen,鈥 she said.
Erika Kirk steps into a new role
Since its founding, Charlie Kirk has been the operation’s public face and crucial to its influence. He was a MAGA celebrity with a loyal following, who grew the operation in large part, through the force of his own personality and rhetorical skill as he traveled the country, speaking and hosting events.
Erika Kirk has a following in her own right. The entrepreneur and podcaster often appeared with her husband at Turning Point events. The former 2012 Miss Arizona USA has also worked as a model, actress and casting director, according to a biography on her website. She founded a Christian clothing line, Proclaim, and a ministry that teaches about the Bible.
Alex Kolodin, a Republican state legislator in Arizona who is closely aligned with the group, said he鈥檚 confident Kirk鈥檚 widow will hold the movement together.
鈥淪he鈥檚 not going to let anybody break apart her husband鈥檚 legacy,鈥 Kolodin said.
He said Turning Point wouldn鈥檛 be what it is today without Kirk鈥檚 鈥済enius,鈥 but said that Kirk had inspired a generation of young conservatives who are social-media savvy and know how to engage their generation. Kolodin predicted some of them will rise to the moment and ensure Kirk鈥檚 death doesn鈥檛 leave a void in the online spaces where young people congregate.
鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 surprise me if the next big thing in that direction was a couple of guys that nobody ever heard of,鈥 Kolodin said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 actually a reason that I鈥檓 optimistic for the future of it.鈥
Also playing a leading role in carrying Kirk’s torch is Vice President JD Vance, a friend, who .
On Monday, Vance , spending two hours interviewing senior administration officials and sharing stories about the impact of a man he credited for his current position.
He called on Kirk鈥檚 followers to 鈥済et involved,” saying 鈥渨e have to make sure that the next generation of young people feels confident and courageous to speak their mind and to speak the truth.鈥
___ Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Sejal Govindarao contributed to this report.
