The conservative American activist Charlie Kirk has been killed while speaking at a rally in Utah today.
But who was Kirk, and what was his role in Donald Trump’s presidency?
Kirk, 31, founded the organisation Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18 years old. He specialised in working to attract young voters to the Republican Party in the US and was seen as a major player in young men turning into more conservative voters.
He ran a podcast that was among America’s top 50 listened to, wrote best-selling books and had just embarked on a speaking tour at Utah Valley University that was planned to visit several American cities when he was shot.
He was born in Illinois and dropped out of college to pursue political activism.
He was married to the former Miss Arizona Erika Frantzve in 2021, and they have two young children, born in 2022 and 2024.
RNZ
Face of the Day
Charlie Kirk specialised in working to attract young voters to the Republican Party in the US and was seen as a major player in young men turning into more conservative voters.
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Ring’s family announced his death on Wednesday in a post on his Ken Ring – Long Range Forecaster social media page.
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