4 hours ago
President Trump's supporter and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a Utah rally. With millions of followers online, Kirk had courted both praise and criticism for urging only "moral support" in India's Operation Sindoor and for claiming that Indian workers were displacing the American workforce.
US President Donald Trump called Charlie Kirk "a patriot devoted to the US" and described his death as a "dark moment for America". (Image: AFP)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 11, 2025 13:31 IST
Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator and staunch Trump supporter, was shot dead on a university campus in Utah in front of thousands who had gathered to listen to him. While asking the Trump administration to stay away from the four-day war in May between India and Pakistan, Kirk called Islamabad a "sneaky actor". He held strong anti-immigrant views and amped up the narrative that Indian workers were replacing the American workforce.
Kirk was shot by an assassin at Utah Valley University, and a video of the moment showed screams and panic as he collapsed to the ground. The rally, attended by more than 3,000 people and centred on what Kirk called the "great American comeback".
Kirk co-founded the youth activist group Turning Point USA in 2012 and became a familiar presence on college campuses, where his rallies, like the one in Utah, often drew large audiences. He amassed 5.2 million followers on the platform X and had a popular podcast called "The Charlie Kirk Show".
The 31-year-old had built a strong following among young people through his posts and podcast, while also drawing criticism for his often controversial views. It is this divide that has made his death send shockwaves across the political spectrum.
US President Donald Trump called it a "dark moment for America," saying he was "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk."
Kirk had also spoken about India on two issues that matter to Indians: Operation Sindoor and immigration to the US.
WHY CHARLIE KIRK SPOKE ABOUT OPERATION SINDOOR?
On his podcast, Charlie Kirk weighed in on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after the terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 22 people, and Operation Sindoor. He dismissed the idea of American involvement in the conflict, framing it instead as a test of whether "every conflict is America’s problem".
Kirk, who has about 4 million subscribers on YouTube, uploaded a video on the issue on May 8. The four-day war between India and Pakistan started on May 7, with Pakistan seeking a ceasefire on May 10.
"India and Pakistan are on the verge of a war. What does this mean exactly? Well, here's the basics," Kirk told his audience even as India and Pakistan were engaged in the military conflict.
"Pakistan is 100% Muslim. Remember, they sheltered Bin Laden and have been a very, very sneaky actor. India is mostly Hindu. They don’t care for each other much at all."
He went on to describe the Kashmir situation as he saw it. "There was just a Muslim terrorist attack on tourists there, which Pakistan seems to be linked to, so India is furious," he said.
Kirk reminded his listeners of the global stakes, pointing out that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers.
"These are big countries. They have more than 1.7 billion people between them and lots of people," he noted.
But he downplayed the chance of a nuclear escalation. India, in fact, called out Pakistan's nuclear bluff with Operation Sindoor.
"I do not believe this will escalate in any way, shape, or form to nuclear power. Look, we hope for negotiations, but this is a great test of whether or not every conflict is America’s problem."
His message was clear: the United States should stay out. "This is not our war. Maybe we slightly favour India because they’re retaliating to Islamic terror, but that should go no further than moral support. That is it. This is not our conflict to get involved in," Kirk stressed.
Kirk also warned against American overreach, taking aim at hawkish politicians in Washington.
"The only role that we should have is to help negotiations and have moral support. This is not our fight. This is not our region," he summed it up.
Kirk's views were aligned with Trump's campaign promise of not getting into "foreign wars".
US DOES NOT NEED MORE INDIANS, SAID CHARLIE KIRK
Kirk had a controversial take on immigration from India, which is mostly that of skilled professionals, particularly in the tech sector. The H-1B visa, that facilitates the stay of Indian techies in the US and helps American tech giants, has been under fire from Trump aides and the MAGA crowd.
On September 2, Kirk declared on X (formerly Twitter) that the US did not need to provide more visas to Indians, arguing that the country was "full" and that Indian workers were "displacing" Americans.
"America does not need more visas for people from India. Perhaps no form of legal immigration has so displaced American workers as those from India. Enough already. We’re full. Let’s finally put our own people first," he wrote.
His post was a response to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who had argued that any US trade deal with India would likely require offering more visas. "I'd rather not pay them in visas and trade deficits," Ingraham had posted, to which Kirk offered his absolute agreement.
It is Kirk's conservative views that made him popular among Americans, particularly the MAGA crowd. Others knew him because of the controversies stemming from his ideas. His death has shocked his supporters and critics alike.
- Ends
Published By:
Priyanjali Narayan
Published On:
Sep 11, 2025
