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The assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk sent shock waves through the American political sphere. Our In Focus contributors and editors discuss the best path forward for the conservative movement following the tragedy.

THE SOCIALIST FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS HERE

Jim Antle, executive editor, Washington Examiner magazine: 

The conservative movement must coalesce around a genuinely principled defense of the social norms against political assassinations without descending into cancel culture or something that can be plausibly caricatured as such.

That will become harder rather than easier with time. Non-conservatives will grow weary of hearing about how great Charlie Kirk was and start criticizing him more sharply as the shock of his assassination wears off. Among conservatives, emotions will remain raw for a while longer.

Marginalizing pro-assassination sentiment and holding genuinely influential people accountable without terrorizing baristas who simply weren’t Kirk fans requires careful attention to who is saying what. Most offensive or insensitive speech is not an incitement to violence. But there are some contexts in which speech can be both constitutionally protected and professionally disqualifying.

This necessitates a level of prudence and discernment that is too often lacking in modern politics. But the alternative is madness. 

Conn Carroll, commentary editor:

The visceral anger that conservatives feel when we see Democrats celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk flows through my veins, too. That kind of behavior has no place in civil society. But when things you see on social media make you upset, that is the best time to remember Charlie’s own words: “When things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds, it’s important to stay grounded. Turn off your phone, read scripture, spend time with friends, and remember internet fury is not real life. It’s going to be OK.”

This doesn’t mean conservatives should ignore Charlie’s murder, but it does mean we should be contemplative about how we can change the hearts and minds of those who would celebrate our deaths. Again, I think Charlie has the best advice: “Having a family will change your life in the best ways, so get married and have kids. You won’t regret it.”

The Left celebrates death and violence because they have let politics become their life. Charlie was a happy warrior because he put his marriage and children first. First in their personal lives, and then in their politics, conservatives should follow Charlie’s example and put marriage first.

Salena Zito, columnist:

Charlie Kirk lived a purpose-filled life. From the first moment I met him when he was just an 18-year-old kid and every day that followed, he tried to inspire his followers through faith and traditional American values. He did not embark upon this mission for his own personal gain but to encourage young people to be part of something bigger than self.

That is the challenge going forward for the movement he created. Whoever carries this torch forward has to be as selfless as he was. That was his secret sauce. That was his gift. And now it’s up to the conservative movement to harness the heart of that gift to continue advancing its priorities and ideas.

It isn’t about any one of us, but all of us.

Tom Rogan, foreign policy writer and editor:

The conservative movement should double down on the central foundation of Charlie Kirk’s legacy: the willingness to debate even those individuals with views fundamentally antithetical to conservative values. Conservatives rightly note that the Left often silences debate on matters such as transgender issues.

Still, conservative hypocrisy on free speech is growing. We should not be comfortable with the Trump administration’s removal of security details for officials who are under threat from Iran, for example, simply because said officials have criticized Trump. We should not be celebrating the Federal Communications Commission’s pressure to shut down admittedly unfunny liberal comics. And while breaches of college rules or criminal laws should be punished, conservatives shouldn’t support deportations of lawful visitors just because they offer controversial views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Tiana Lowe Doescher, columnist:

Live by the sword, die by the sword: This is true about Charlie Kirk, but not the way the Left has laughed about it since he was murdered. Kirk wasn’t killed because of the Second Amendment, but rather because of the First. Just as the founders knew free speech was a dangerous, radical, and god-Given right, so did Charlie. To silence ourselves now is to cower to terrorism. Similarly, to capitalize on Charlie’s death to spin self-serving conspiracy theories would mean he died in vain. We must honor Charlie’s life by refusing to give his killer a societal veto over free speech.

Charlie was not killed because his appeals to democracy were failing, but because he was succeeding. Assassins, communists, and fascists rely on the state because they cannot win at the ballot box. Charlie’s liberalism, one that relied on truth, debate, and God, is what wins.

Peter Laffin, In Focus editor and deputy commentary editor:

National tragedies are pivot points that often set the nation’s future course.

On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama cited his response to the mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, and former President George W. Bush’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks as worthy examples of how a president should behave at such moments.

It’s true that both men’s initial responses briefly unified the nation: Obama singing “Amazing Grace” and Bush draping his arm around a fireman. But their subsequent actions, Obama’s ramped-up identity politics and Bush’s Iraq War, tore the nation even further apart. 

Many are aghast by Trump’s trademark churlishness at this moment. I’m more concerned about his forthcoming actions. Will the event cause him to walk the path of the NatCon, embracing a muscular state and its power to crush his enemies and engineer society? Or will he channel the tragedy into a renewed commitment to America as fundamentally a creedal nation, rooted in the universal ideals of individual liberty, free expression, and constitutional governance?

If Trump chooses the former path, ruin awaits the Republican Party as well as the nation. Choosing the latter, however, will steer America back in the direction of a new Golden Age.

Bethany Mandel, Restoring America contributor:

The conservative movement must respond to Charlie Kirk’s assassination with both courage and clarity. Charlie’s life was defined by his ability to bring people together under a big tent, creating coalitions that advanced conservative values with energy and vision. To honor him, we cannot retreat into division or despair. Instead, we must double down on his mission — building alliances across age, faith, and background to strengthen our movement and our nation.

Unity is not simply a tribute to Charlie; it is a strategy that he proved works. He modeled how to welcome new voices without compromising principle, how to speak truth while broadening our ranks. Carrying forward his work means resisting the temptation to splinter, choosing instead to stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of freedom, family, and faith. In grief, we must find resolve: to continue building as Charlie did, tirelessly, faithfully, and boldly.

David Harsanyi, senior writer: 

Charlie Kirk’s assassin is a product of an intolerant ideological environment that treats words as acts of violence. Changing this reality will take a dramatic cultural shift. And it should start with conservatives doubling down on free expression. This entails a lot more than simply offering tropes. It means utilizing existing law to prosecute anyone who physically impedes or disrupts others from peacefully speaking on campuses or elsewhere. It means defunding institutions of higher learning that fail to treat open discourse as a foundational ideal.

Over the decades, many schools have allowed progressives to occupy campuses, shutting down any dissent. Many universities, created as centers of open discourse, have been hermetically sealed bubbles of unhinged leftism. Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be creating more crackpot progressives untethered from the liberal principles of open discourse, but good citizens. And being a good citizen means debating good-faith political opponents, not shutting them down.

Jeremiah Poff, Restoring America editor:

At the very least, it should be a wake-up call that a portion of the Left is increasingly desperate and willing to resort to violence as the Overton Window continues to shift right. But this question takes on a different tone since the Republican Party currently controls all levers of power in the federal government and thus occupies the bully pulpit. There is a time to lower the temperature, and there is a time for accountability. This is a time for accountability.

President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is designating antifa as a terrorist organization is a good start, as is the concerted pressure campaign to inflict real-world consequences on anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death. That needs to continue. And any aid or support for leftist militant groups from within the Left’s patronage network needs to be exposed and held to account.

Zachary Faria, commentary writer:

For one, conservatives should reject the “hate speech” framing from Attorney General Pam Bondi. We do not beat the Left by granting their premise and giving them the excuse they want for more censorship.

KIMMEL WAS PULLED FOR LYING ABOUT HALF OF THE COUNTRY, NOT CRITICIZING THE PRESIDENT

Aside from that, the rhetorical focus should be on making it clear that Democrats represent the side of most political violence in the country. Make Democrats answer for their constant riots and rhetoric about “Nazis” and “fascism.”

Practically, there needs to be a crackdown on left-wing riots that foster an air of lawlessness that promotes further left-wing violence. That includes Black Lives Matter riots, antifa, immigration riots, and violent “pro-Palestine” encampments, and it includes prosecuting (when applicable) the left-wing nonprofit groups and organizations that fund, transport activists to, or participate in the violence. Mainstream Democratic riot violence continues to embolden more radical left-wingers to commit more radical acts of violence, and that pipeline must be shut down.