Charlie Kirk's public memorial service in Arizona will be hosted by the conservative political activist organization he founded more than a decade ago.

Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 with the aim of spreading conservatism to young people. The political organization successfully grew a conservative base of support in high schools and colleges.

He became the chapter’s founding president, and we ended up meeting regularly as he worked to sort through the administrative issues involved in starting a new group. After it was up and running, he wound up taking one of my courses, on business ethics, and proved to be a strong contributor to the class.

Turning Point USA’s college tour will return to Utah on Tuesday for its first event in the state since its founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated on a college campus earlier this month.

Charlie Kirk was the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA. He was an active participant of the organization, traveling to college campuses across the U.S. in fall 2025 as a part of "The American Comeback Tour."

Charlie Kirk’s closest allies will help determine whether the next few weeks bring confrontation, de-escalation, or something in between.