Jenny Beth Martin, founder of Tea Party Patriots, offered a heartfelt reflection on the life and legacy of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk following his assassination last week.
Martin, who had known Kirk since he was a 19-year-old rising star in the conservative movement, said she first met him through their mutual benefactor, Foster Friess.
She described Kirk as exceptionally gifted, at communicating America’s founding principles in a compelling way, noting that he needed little guidance because of his natural talent and clear sense of purpose.
“Foster asked me to help Charlie, which of course I said that I would, but he didn’t need much help from me. He was so talented and so gifted that he was able to take those talents and use them in faithful obedience to God to create this incredible movement and help get people to come to the right and to understand the founders and to understand our founding principles in a way that most other are very few Americans have ever been able to do,” Martin said on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Martin emphasized Kirk’s courage and grace in engaging with ideological opponents, praising his respectful manner—even when challenged—and rejected the idea that Kirk was hateful when engaging in difficult conversations.
“He wasn’t afraid to go into the belly of the beast and challenge people…Challenging people’s thoughts is uncomfortable for a lot of people, and that’s why we see the people on the left saying that he was hateful and all the other things that they don’t like about him. You can disagree with people on their political thoughts and still look at how they act and treat people and understand that they were compassionate and kind even to the people who they disagreed with. Charlie certainly was that way. He smiled and he had a happiness about him and a joy about the work that he did,” Martin explained.
Martin further spoke of her personal connection with Kirk, describing their relationship as one of mutual respect among peers, and admiring how he had surpassed many—including herself—in utilizing his talents to advance the conservative cause.
“I had a different relationship with him than a lot of people because I wasn’t really asking him for a lot and he didn’t help me get to where I am. I already had an established network by the time he began, so our relationship was one more of peers,” Martin said.
“He did a better job with his gifts than I have done with mine,” she added. “He was individually helping empower and inspire other activists to be more active and to be the best leaders they possibly could be.”
Looking ahead, Martin expressed confidence in the future of Turning Point USA, despite the challenges of grieving while continuing to grow.
“They have amazing rapid growth happening right now, and I think that they are well equipped to handle that. It is going to be an enormous challenge because they’re going to have to handle this rapid growth at the exact same time that they are grieving and that will be emotionally challenging for them,” she said.
Martin concluded with a reflection from Kirk’s memorial service at the Kennedy Center, highlighting the symbolism of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—whose father and uncle were both assassinated—delivering a eulogy for Charlie.
She noted that the spontaneous chant of “USA” during the service marked the first time such a chant had ever occurred at the Kennedy Center, a moment she felt was emblematic of Kirk’s lasting legacy of patriotism and inspiration.
“The chants of ‘USA, USA’ which happened in that auditorium were the first time in the history of the Kennedy Center that anyone had chanted that, and I think that’s going to be part of his legacy,” Martin said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Jenny Beth Martin” by Jenny Beth Martin.
