«We must strengthen this movement, make its voice grow».
JD Vance is taking over from his 31-year-old friend Charlie Kirk, hosting the eponymous show from his White House office, hosted by the influential activist MAGA, who was killed last Wednesday while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah State University. Tyler Robinson, his alleged killer, will face charges in court on Tuesday: according to the FBI, DNA evidence and a text message in which he said he had a chance to eliminate the influencer and wouldn't let it slip away, also incriminate him.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump insists that "violence is on the left" and continues to be fired for controversial comments on the issue: the latest is Karen Attiah, an African-American columnist for the Washington Post, who was fired for a post on gun violence and "double moral standards." Vance immediately responded to the aggressive plea from Erika Frantzve, Kirk's widow, to keep her husband's legacy alive and strengthen his movement through Turning Point USA, the organization Charlie founded at age 18 and which has become the driving force behind Trump's support among young people, especially at universities.
A request that has already resulted in a request to open 37 more branches across the country. The 41-year-old Vance was one of Kirk's closest friends, and not just because of their similarity in age: both were deeply devout (the former a Catholic, the latter an evangelical), subtle orators, skilled provocateurs, and lovers of culture and ideological wars, but also of free speech and nonviolence. The vice president therefore seems the most suitable person to carry on Charlie's legacy, having accompanied his coffin from Utah to Arizona, huddling with his wife, Usha, around the activist's widow.
Next Sunday, he will also be one of the keynote speakers, alongside Donald Trump, at Kirk's memorial service in a 60,000-seat stadium in Phoenix: an unprecedented event for the American right, which now has its "martyr," as the tycoon called him. On the Charlie Kirk Show, Vance paid tribute to the influencer's wife: "She told me something I'll never forget... that Charlie never raised his voice, that he never cursed at her, that he was never grumpy or mean to her. I think I'm a good husband, but I can't say I've never been unpleasant to my wife," he admitted, hoping to become a "better husband."
He then praised him as "one of the most brilliant people I've ever met, courageous, visionary, capable of inspiring millions of young people, creator of a network for an entire generation," as well as "instrumental" in Trump's re-election. "The last few days have been very tough for me and everyone in this building," he said, interviewing several White House staff members to gather their memories, from deputy chief of staff Steve Miller to spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Former Fox anchor Tucker Carlson was also invited. If Vance takes over Charlie's show, Turning Point could become a formidable electoral weapon for his own presidential aspirations as well: evidence of this is the boom in millions of followers on the victim's social media accounts, the "Freedom" and "I am Charlie Kirk" T-shirts that are taking over the internet, and the long-lasting impact internationally.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Robinson, who has not yet confessed, will appear in court on Tuesday. FBI Director Kash Patel, however, revealed what appear to be two "smoking guns": DNA recovered from a screwdriver and a towel, both found with the murder weapon, matched the young man's. A previously deleted text message was also recovered in which Tyler wrote that he had "the opportunity to eliminate" the conservative influencer and "I'm going to take it."
(Unioneonline)