The senseless, tragic murder of Charlie Kirk

Israel—and America—has lost a great friend: my Salem Radio Network colleague Charlie Kirk.

Gunned down by a cowardly assassin who fired a single high-powered rifle shot at the 31-year old founder of Turning Point USA and nationally syndicated Salem talk radio host from 200 yards away, Charlie was murdered in an act of political violence on a college campus in Utah where he was doing what he loved most: debating college students in the marketplace of ideas.

With the killer still at large and America still reeling from this unimaginable act, one thing is clear: if the murderer’s hope was to still Charlie Kirks voice…has assassination has produced the totally opposite result.

President Donald J. Trump—who credits Kirk’s young followers with helping power the 2024 electoral landslide which returned him to The White House—eulogized Charlie Kirk in a nationwide television and radio address. Trump’s sorrow was echoed in statements of condolence by former U.S. presidents from both political parties including Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem mourned Charlie’s passing, calling him “a lion-hearted friend of Israel” who “was murdered “for speaking truth and defending freedom.” Netanyahu added that he had spoken with Charlie only two weeks ago to personally invite the young conservative leader to visit him in Israel.

World leaders and political observers are now elevating Charlie Kirk’s ideas in ways that one pundit suggested will result in the creation of a million more Charlie Kirks in the days ahead. But few of them were as personally devastated as my family and I were by the loss of this courageous, Godly man whose influence impacted literally millions of young people across America.

Our daughter Ellie—age 26—was practically inconsolable after hearing the news of Charlie’s death. She and our son Ethan had worked with him professionally for the past several years and interacted with Charlie up-close and personally. (His murder is being characterized by many as the younger generation’s equivalent of 9-11 or the 1963 JFK assassination.) 

In October of last year, my wife Lori and a college friend were motivated by Kirk’s activism and call for action to travel from our home in Texas to Arizona and knock on doors to help turn out voters in that critical “swing” state. Trump won Arizona. In the hours after this week’s Utah shooting, Lori recalled how she had stepped out of her comfort zone because  “Charlie inspired me to personally do something to help America for the very first time.”

As vice president of News & Talk Programming for the Salem Radio Network—which syndicated Charlie’s daily talk show to hundreds of radio stations across America—I lost a compassionate, caring young colleague whose charismatic personality had attracted a surging and engaged audience unlike any radio personality since the late Rush Limbaugh.

We all mourn his passing…not just as a tremendous broadcaster but as an inspiring and caring friend.

In the wake of Charlie’s death, ALL ISRAEL NEWS contributor Cookie Schwaeber-Issan observed that America turning away from God led at least in part to this week’s tragedy. “It didn’t have to be like this, but once America chose the path to walk away from its biblical origins, the predictability of depravity and chaos was sure to characterize the once Godly nation, which started out each day with school prayer but no longer does.”

She’s right, of course. But thanks to Charlie Kirk…President Donald Trump was elected our 47th chief executive and he is forcefully pushing back on the secular humanists who—for far too long—have directed public policy in America’s public schools, military branches, and within the halls of government. This fight for returning traditional American values, above all, will  be Charlie Kirk’s legacy.

Within the Tradup family, shock and disbelief pervaded the immediate aftermath of this senseless shooting. We all hoped we would wake up the next morning and find this was all just a bad dream. But in our sadness, I reminded everyone that it is comforting to know that God is still on the throne and Charlie Kirk is now standing next to him.