Charlie Kirk’s untimely death has solidified his status as a conservative martyr, with Donald Trump suggesting that he had the potential to become president in the future.

The 31-year-old leaves behind two young children, his heartbroken wife, Erika, 36, and countless supporters gained from years of advocating for free speech and engaging in debates on college campuses.

At just 18, Kirk founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative action organization he established with his mentor Bill Montgomery, who passed away due to Covid-19 in 2020.

He built the movement into America’s foremost political machine, and is credited with fueling a surge in young Trump voters in the 2024 election. 

According to public financial records, TPUSA reported a revenue of $85million in 2024, with almost $18million in net assets on hold that year. 

Kirk took home a salary of $285,000 a year from the organization, records show, not including private speaking fees and extra revenue from his book sales. When the college drop-out first started TPUSA, he reported a salary of just $27,000. 

Following his assassination in Utah on Wednesday, four of his books climbed into The New York Times and Amazon bestseller rankings. 

And while the organization lost its figurehead during the TPUSA event at Utah Valley University, top Republicans and his wife, Erika, vowed to continue his legacy. 

Kirk’s body was flown back to his home in Arizona on Thursday aboard Air Force Two after his friend Vice President JD Vance flew to Utah to support Erika and the family. 

In a heartbreaking admission, Erika has told friends that she is too afraid to tell their two young children that ‘daddy won’t be coming home’.

Erika, the host of the Midweek Rise Up podcast and a former Miss Arizona, will now return to the couple’s sprawling $5.6million Scottsdale estate with their two kids. 

Trump said he spoke with Erika soon after the assassination. He described her as being ‘devastated’, and said she was leaning on her faith in the horrific aftermath. 

On Friday morning, Trump said in an appearance on Fox News that Kirk’s widow plans to continue his political legacy through TPUSA. 

‘They want to keep Turning Point going, they think they can do it, he had a very good staff,’ Trump said. 

The president also revealed that his own son Barron – one of Kirk’s many millions of young adoring fans – had been deeply affected by the TPUSA founder’s killing.

‘He was very hurt when he saw this. But, I mean, everybody was,’ Trump said.

Unlike traditional thinktanks or PACs, TPUSA dreamed big and Kirk stood at the vanguard, visiting campuses in person to debate students from all political backgrounds.

TPUSA founded chapters throughout college campuses and later across the world, staging high-tech rallies where Kirk would be livestreamed as the star of the show.

By 2024, TPUSA had amassed more than 3,000 university chapters across all 50 states.

Kirk’s influence reached deep into Trump’s inner circle – Don Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric and Lara Trump appeared at TPUSA summits – and the annual Phoenix convention became a ‘who’s who’ of the MAGA-verse. 

During the recent presidential campaign, Kirk worked hand-in-glove with the Trump family on their social media strategy for what became the greatest political comeback in history. 

Vigils and tributes for Kirk were held throughout the world in the aftermath of his killing, including remembrance events in South Africa, London and Australia. 

Grieving fans were seen leaving flowers and openly weeping at the vigils, cementing Kirk’s legacy as a beloved and historic figure in the conservative movement.  

Doug Deason, a Republican donor in Dallas, said that he had talked with others about keeping Kirk’s organization running, and said that ‘every one of us said, “Yes, I’m in.”‘ 

Deason, who serves on Turning Point’s advisory council and introduced Kirk to Trump in 2016, said ‘like many conservatives, I believe in the cause’. 

‘I believe in what he was doing, that we’ve got to go into campuses,’ he told CNN. 

‘We’ve got to override these radical professors, and frankly, the media, teach the elements of free speech so we can have dialogues and debate, without violence,’ he said. 

Beyond just his advocacy organization, Kirk has been cited as an inspiration for many Republicans across the nation, a legacy set to only strengthen after his death. 

Joe Mitchell, a congressional candidate in Iowa, said he met Kirk six years ago. The TPUSA founder gave him the motivation for founding his own young conservative group. 

‘When I announced, I was 100 per cent committed to this race and driven to win,’ Mitchell said. 

‘But I’m even more driven now after what happened, because we have to have people in our generation that can speak up.’