Q&A of the Day – Charlie Kirk & The History of Political Assassinations
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s entry: Dear Brian, as I’m at a loss for words regarding the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk and what it means for our country and his poor family, I thought I’d ask for you to put your perspective to what’s happened. You’ve always had a way of making sense of the seemingly senseless.
Bottom Line: Well, I’ll do my best and in trying it may potentially surprise you. In framing today’s Q&A you might imagine that I intend to breakdown politically motived assassinations throughout our country’s history. And I can do that, however I don’t actually think that’s where the proper answer(s) lie, however I’ll start there.
Politically motivated assassinations in the United States have stemmed from ideological conflicts, policy disputes, racial tensions, or personal grievances tied to political actions. In that regard it’s clear that the assassination of Charlie Kirk is no different. In our country’s 249+ year history here's a breakout of politically motivated assassinations we’ve suffered.
At the federal level:
- 4 Presidents
- 4 Federal judges
- 8 Diplomats
- 12 Congressmen
At the state level:
- 4 Governors
- 2 State judges
- 3 Cabinet officials
- 25 State legislators
At the local level:
- 16 Officials
Non-Office Holders:
- 4
What’s most notable about Charlie Kirk’s assassination from this perspective, is how rare it has actually been by way of comparison. We’ve literally had as many presidents assassinated as we have had influential non-office holders, which speaks to the company that Charlie Kirk keeps. So, let's take a look at the other three.
- June 12th, 1963, Medgar Evers: Civil Rights Activist murdered by a white supremacist
- February 21st, 1965, Malcom X: Black Nationalist Leader murdered by members of the Nation of Islam
- April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Leader murdered by a segregationist
- September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk: Faith-based Conservative Activist murdered by?
That’s remarkable company Charlie Kirk keeps. What we see of these four influential people is that we’ve had two assassinations stemming from racism and two effectively murdered over their faith. At first glance it may seem that Kirk’s assassination was purely a politically motivated assassination, as in the way we view traditional left-right politics. I believe he was murdered for his faith.
It’s an oversimplification to refer to Charlie Kirk as a conservative activist. Yes, he was that, however his clear guiding compass wasn’t the Republican Party, or the Conservative Party, or any political party and its agenda. Charlie Kirk’s agenda was God’s agenda. Unlike other conservative activists he always led his messaging with that as the premise. That’s the key to what made him so special, and his message so special, especially to younger generations of kids that have grown up in an era with faith having been taken out of our public schools, and in an era of rising, and likely resulting, non-belief.
Charlie was doing God’s work in his own way challenging political correctness, bigotry, and established political orthodoxy. On that note, consider this, of Jesus’s 12 Disciples, only one, John, didn’t die a martyr (factoring in Matthias who replaced Judas). I also believe that’s the company that Charlie keeps. If Charlie hadn’t gone around the country speaking of God’s truths freely and openly in places where God’s word was and is needed most, he wouldn’t have become the remarkable success that he became, and he’d still be alive today.
I mentioned at the onset my answer might surprise you. Hopefully it did but in a constructive way. On that note consider this. In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination his wife Erika had one thing to say: Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. And in the words of Charlie Kirk: Jesus defeated death so you can live.
The irony is that in this technological age, Charlie Kirk successfully reached more people with God’s message than the disciples. That’s likely why he met a similar fate.