The Charlie Kirk Show - How Citizen Journalism Saved Kyle Rittenhouse’s Life—LIVE from Americafest

00:00:00.000 Hey everybody, our conversation live from America Fest, Turning Point USA with Kyle Rittenhouse, Elijah Schaefer, Drew Hernandez, and Jack Pesobic live from Turning Point USA's America Fest.

00:00:10.000 If you want to email me directly, you can do so, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:00:13.000 If you want to support our show directly, go to charliekirk.com/slash support.

00:00:17.000 That's charliekirk.com/slash support.

00:00:19.000 And I encourage you to get involved.

00:00:21.000 Get into the grassroots at TurningPointUSA at tpusa.com.

00:00:26.000 That's tpusa.com.

00:00:28.000 Buckle up, everybody.

00:00:29.000 Here we go.

00:00:30.000 Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

00:00:32.000 Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

00:00:34.000 I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

00:00:37.000 Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

00:00:41.000 I want to thank Charlie.

00:00:42.000 He's an incredible guy.

00:00:43.000 His spirit, his love of this country.

00:00:45.000 He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point USA.

00:00:51.000 We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country.

00:01:00.000 That's why we are here.

00:01:04.000 So, first, I want to introduce our panel for this important conversation.

00:01:08.000 We want to start this way for a reason because citizen journalism is changing the country and has changed lives.

00:01:16.000 And the reason that the verdict happened the way it did in Kenosha is largely thanks to these three men on stage with me right now.

00:01:24.000 And I want to start with properly introducing them: Elijah Schaefer from The Blaze.

00:01:32.000 Does a great job.

00:01:35.000 Drew Hernandez, who testified in the trial, and Jack Pesobic from Turning Point USA, Human Events.

00:01:46.000 Let's start really quick.

00:01:48.000 Elijah, talk about the importance of citizen journalism when it came to what happened in Kenosha that one night.

00:01:54.000 Well, the importance is the fact that all of you guys here have a phone in your hand.

00:01:58.000 And while the media had billions of dollars of funding, they couldn't do what a millennial could do or just see with a phone in their hand.

00:02:05.000 My screen is cracked. 0.62

00:02:07.000 I have a fat Italian guy shirtless on the front screen, my friend eating chicken strips in Las Vegas using that phone, that device, that communist device of the company that hates us, and taking it out there and doing what the media won't do, which is to risk your life.

00:02:21.000 Because you have to take a risk to get value.

00:02:25.000 And you have to just be there because the media will never be in the right place at the right time because they're intentionally not telling the whole story. 0.82

00:02:32.000 They're liars. 1.00

00:02:33.000 They're sick. 1.00

00:02:34.000 They're demented. 1.00

00:02:35.000 But you are the truth tellers.

00:02:37.000 And that's why independent media is so important.

00:02:39.000 It's because we're the only ones still willing to tell the truth.

00:02:42.000 And that's what it takes.

00:02:45.000 Drew.

00:02:47.000 How's it going, Phoenix?

00:02:51.000 I just want to say this: this is a room that should not be filled with fear whatsoever.

00:02:58.000 Whatsoever.

00:03:00.000 Because what's happening in the United States of America is a disgrace.

00:03:03.000 This is a psyop on the American people, and they're using fear to do it across the entire board.

00:03:09.000 And we are not going to put up with it any longer.

00:03:15.000 You guys are the next generation.

00:03:18.000 Don't fall for all of these buzzwords that they put out there.

00:03:22.000 Everything's a phobia.

00:03:23.000 Everything's a phobia.

00:03:24.000 Be scared of this.

00:03:25.000 Be scared of that.

00:03:26.000 Now is the time where the American people who still care and love of this country stand up and say, I will not be afraid.

00:03:40.000 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard.

00:03:43.000 Do we have any patriots out there in the audience here at Turning Point USA?

00:03:51.000 I've been here a couple days and I see this crowd.

00:03:53.000 I see people, they're in their 30s, they're in their 20s, they're in their teens.

00:03:58.000 The mainstream media does not want this to exist.

00:04:02.000 The ruling class does not want this to exist.

00:04:05.000 And they do not want citizen patriot independent journalists to be getting in on their scam, to be getting in on their influence operations of telling us the truth of what's going on in our world.

00:04:18.000 That is why they're trying to shut you down on social media.

00:04:21.000 That's why they are trying to disrupt our networks.

00:04:23.000 That's why they don't want us to talk to each other because they don't want us to be making human connections and human agency and having spirituality and God at our core where we can come together and say, no, we know the truth and we're not going to listen to your lies anymore.

00:04:39.000 Amen.

00:04:40.000 And Jack, you are covering the trial so amazingly, Drew.

00:04:45.000 Your testimony moved millions of people.

00:04:46.000 And Elijah, without your footage, I don't know if this young man would be walking free today.

00:04:54.000 I really believe that.

00:04:56.000 And it is something that we must all take a step back and say, if they can indict a young boy at the time, now a young man, for simply defending himself when his life was in danger, they can come after every single one of you.

00:05:12.000 So, ladies and gentlemen, please let's get loud for Kyle Rittenhouse.

00:05:20.000 Kyle, Kyle, welcome to Phoenix.

00:05:34.000 Thank you for having me, Charlie.

00:05:35.000 How's it going?

00:05:38.000 Kyle, I just got to say that what you went through, where they tried to destroy your life, the media try to destroy you.

00:05:44.000 The current president right now called you a white supremacist.

00:05:48.000 No fax.

00:05:53.000 And Kyle, the way that you kept, you held it all together.

00:05:56.000 You're a hero to millions.

00:05:58.000 And it's an honor to be able to have you here.

00:06:01.000 People have some very creative signs for you, Kyle.

00:06:07.000 So, Kyle, I guess the most obvious question is: how are you hanging in there?

00:06:11.000 I'm doing good, Charlie.

00:06:13.000 Ready to go on the mountain, get some snowboarding in.

00:06:20.000 That's the most important thing.

00:06:21.000 So, can I ask, is there anybody out there who wants to go snowboarding with Kyle?

00:06:29.000 So, Elijah, you covered this trial really closely.

00:06:32.000 What do you think are some of the big takeaways as we kind of look back at the overreaction when it came to Kyle and kind of some of the wisdom that we should probably try to derive from that?

00:06:44.000 What do we think about the prosecutor Binger?

00:06:49.000 He pointed a gun at people in the courtroom.

00:06:53.000 He's lecturing a young man about misuse of a firearm while misusing a firearm. 1.00

00:06:59.000 What an idiot. 1.00

00:07:00.000 Seriously, seriously. 1.00

00:07:01.000 And you know, what's interesting about this is they were hoping to get the same thing that a lot of trials have been getting, was that mob justice by lies in the media would force the jury to convict an innocent young man who was defending his life, exercising the Second Amendment that did nothing wrong.

00:07:22.000 Hey, you, my boy.

00:07:24.000 Thank you, Roger.

00:07:25.000 Listen, listen, listen.

00:07:26.000 I'm going to say this publicly: Kyle Rittenhouse didn't shoot black people.

00:07:34.000 We just have to say that because the fake news media cartel is still saying that right now to this hour.

00:07:41.000 People after the trial are calling me, calling my phone up after the testimony, saying, I had no idea that this kid didn't shoot a single black person. 0.97

00:07:50.000 I'm like, I know because he's not a crazy white supremacist active shooter that decided to show up to Kenosha to kill a bunch of black people and commit a hate crime. 0.88

00:07:59.000 Listen, this is why this is important. 0.98

00:08:01.000 Listen, this is a moment.

00:08:03.000 What happened with Kyle is a disgrace.

00:08:05.000 Total defamation. 0.96

00:08:07.000 Lies coming from the devil himself.

00:08:10.000 This is what these people do.

00:08:11.000 They lie to millions of people and they use a sacrificial lamb in order to get their political appoint across.

00:08:18.000 It was never a peaceful protest in Kenosha.

00:08:20.000 It was not even a riot.

00:08:22.000 It was a crime scene.

00:08:23.000 What happened in Kenosha for three consecutive nights was a crime.

00:08:28.000 It's terrorism.

00:08:29.000 Bloody, violent terrorism.

00:08:30.000 I just want to add something to this.

00:08:32.000 A lot of people don't know this.

00:08:34.000 They focus on Kyle to cover up a domestic terrorist attack that took place over three days that was sanctioned by the local and state and federal governments, the deep state.

00:08:44.000 They burned down buildings.

00:08:46.000 People don't know this.

00:08:47.000 With children inside, they had to put signs out reminding people that there were babies living in buildings.

00:08:51.000 They took a brick to a man's head, an old man, a senior citizen who asked him not to burn down his building.

00:08:57.000 Guess what they did?

00:08:58.000 They took a brick, split his head open, nearly killed him, then lit his business that had been in his family for decades on fire.

00:09:04.000 And instead, they chose to focus on this man to sidestep the truth of what happened that night, which was an attack on the American people.

00:09:12.000 And thank God for people like Kyle Rittenhouse being there.

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00:10:24.000 What gets me is to this day, and Charlie mentioned it as well, the president of the United States, the current president, and they will call him a white supremacist.

00:10:33.000 But what did he do?

00:10:34.000 He went out and defended a car dealership that was owned by a couple of Indian immigrants to this country working out there, defending it from crazy white Antifa nut jobs who are trying to burn it down in the middle of the night, was asked to be there, and they'll lie about him.

00:10:54.000 And if they could do it to him, they can do it to all of your families.

00:10:56.000 And by the way, and the one thing that Elijah just said, not only was it sanctioned, but over at Human Events, what we did, we were able to uncover that the FBI that night, and this was unbeknownst to you, unbeknownst to anybody who was there that evening, they had an eye in the sky that very evening watching and surveilling Kyle and every single piece of it in high definition video.

00:11:22.000 And when we got the low definition video, we made a request and we said, could the FBI please give us the high definition video?

00:11:30.000 And they told us it was lost.

00:11:33.000 They told us they couldn't find it.

00:11:35.000 They knew for 14 months.

00:11:39.000 They knew for 14 months that this was an attack on a young man, and they kept it hidden because they didn't want that narrative to come out until Turning Point USA and Human Events Daily uncovered the video and we showed the world the truth.

00:12:00.000 So Kyle, you have any plans to sue some media companies soon?

00:12:10.000 I don't know, Charlie.

00:12:11.000 I don't know, but some accountability's coming.

00:12:14.000 I'd be on the lookout.

00:12:15.000 Accountability will be coming.

00:12:19.000 Now, you had some conversations with Nicholas Sandman, didn't you?

00:12:24.000 Yeah, me and Nick talked for a little bit a couple weeks ago.

00:12:28.000 He would know a thing or two about suing a media company, that's for sure.

00:12:31.000 My turn may be next.

00:12:32.000 We don't know.

00:12:34.000 And so, Kyle, we have a whole audience and group of young people, and so many students looked at what you had to go through, going to trial every single day, having your whole life really kind of put into jeopardy.

00:12:49.000 What people don't know about Kyle Rittenhouse is, Kyle, you dropped out of high school to actually go support your family with an extra income, is that Kyle Rittenhouse was always looking to try to help people.

00:13:00.000 Is that nowhere in any intent could they have found in Kyle Rittenhouse anything but trying to always be the better person and the bigger person.

00:13:09.000 And Kyle, what was so amazing is throughout this entire process, you know, despite everything they threw at you, you know, you trusted it and you came out on top.

00:13:18.000 Talk a little bit about kind of just how that has developed you as a person over the last, you know, year, year and a half.

00:13:26.000 Well, it's helped me grow a lot.

00:13:29.000 It's helped me mature.

00:13:32.000 It's helped me mature.

00:13:33.000 Sorry, I'm new to this, if you can't tell.

00:13:37.000 But it's helped me mature.

00:13:37.000 We love you, Kyle.

00:13:38.000 Don't worry.

00:13:39.000 Give it up to Kyle Rittenhouse.

00:13:48.000 So it's helped me grow as a person.

00:13:50.000 And my mentors that have been in my life who's helped me through this, such as Dave, LT, Kenny, TC, guys who are here with me today protecting me.

00:13:59.000 They've helped guide me and make me the person I am today.

00:14:02.000 And I'm so thankful for them.

00:14:07.000 And Kyle, you know, being able to hang out with you and spend time with you, I'm always most fascinated by the stories of people that become well known that don't want to be well known.

00:14:20.000 That's always a very interesting thing.

00:14:22.000 And how you handle that and how you manage that.

00:14:25.000 And so for so many people in this room, you know, they want to be social media influencers or whatever, you just wanted to do the right thing.

00:14:33.000 And by wanting to do the right thing, you got thrown into the midst of all of this.

00:14:38.000 And while the case was proceeding and unfolding, talk about kind of what happened off camera a little bit.

00:14:47.000 Talk about the nights.

00:14:49.000 Talk about the meetings.

00:14:50.000 I mean, it was going through your head that the other side has the power that if they convinced 12 human beings, I could spend the rest of my life in jail for doing nothing wrong and defending myself.

00:15:03.000 How did you get through all of that?

00:15:05.000 I mean, that's enough to break most people.

00:15:08.000 Well, Charlie, those were really long days, especially during trial.

00:15:12.000 And there was a lot of prep that went into this, spending three, four hours at Mark Richards in a phenomenal attorney's office going through prep and preparing for trial and going home.

00:15:24.000 And during trial, I got maybe like six hours of sleep, the entire thing would have felt like.

00:15:29.000 But just trying to find something to decompress, if that's playing video games like Call of Duty Vanguard or.

00:15:37.000 Now, Kyle, they tried to hold that against you.

00:15:39.000 How dare you play Call of Duty?

00:15:41.000 Yeah, they tried to use that.

00:15:42.000 Oh, here plays Call of Duty.

00:15:44.000 See, they're going to try to indict all of you.

00:15:47.000 Yeah, right.

00:15:48.000 So you're not alone, pal.

00:15:49.000 How dare you?

00:15:50.000 So who plays Modern Warfare and who plays Cold War Vanguard?

00:15:57.000 I think it's about 50-50.

00:15:59.000 50-50.

00:16:00.000 I haven't played Call of Duty in like 10 years.

00:16:01.000 So it's like...

00:16:02.000 Well, I know what we're doing today, Elijah.

00:16:04.000 Charlie.

00:16:05.000 I want to say this real quick, Charlie.

00:16:07.000 He says he wants to go one-on-one.

00:16:09.000 He would beat me. 0.99

00:16:11.000 It's like, but this is what these people do, these hard authoritarian psychopaths. 0.99

00:16:17.000 They themselves are void of humanity. 0.98

00:16:20.000 They don't have a conscience.

00:16:21.000 So when they attack people like Kyle, they try to rob him of his humanity as well.

00:16:26.000 Whenever they target anybody, because they hate themselves, they pour that hatred on other people and they try and suck the life out of another human being in order to prove a political point.

00:16:37.000 And Kyle's a human.

00:16:38.000 This guy is a normal American, like growing up in the United States of America.

00:16:44.000 This has to be said. 0.96

00:16:45.000 He's not this crazy monster that's been painted in the media that is just bloodthirsty for like black and brown people. 1.00

00:16:51.000 Like we, we got to keep saying this because they keep saying this over and over again. 0.94

00:16:56.000 But I just wanted to make that point.

00:16:57.000 He's real.

00:16:58.000 He's not a hologram.

00:16:59.000 He's an actual person with a real heart and a real conscience.

00:17:02.000 So please support Kyle.

00:17:03.000 Yeah, you know, Kyle, I find it funny.

00:17:07.000 You and I have had a lot of conversations.

00:17:08.000 People don't know this, but you're a bit of like a meme lord yourself.

00:17:12.000 A lot of the memes we share, we can't put them on the street.

00:17:14.000 Wait, wait, Eliza.

00:17:16.000 They're so, no, they're so funny.

00:17:18.000 They're so, no, they're so funny.

00:17:19.000 And I love it.

00:17:20.000 And I love the humor in you.

00:17:21.000 And I love that about you.

00:17:22.000 And I find it just so interesting that this is when we talked with each other.

00:17:26.000 You know what the media was mad about?

00:17:27.000 Check this out.

00:17:28.000 I was contacted by journalists, by people, and they were mad that we humanized him.

00:17:34.000 That he looked like a human.

00:17:36.000 They couldn't control the narrative to make him look like a monster.

00:17:39.000 That, oh, he's an 18-year-old?

00:17:41.000 How dare he like pretty girls?

00:17:42.000 Any pretty girls in here that would date Kyle? 1.00

00:17:45.000 All right, see, there you go.

00:17:46.000 There you go.

00:17:47.000 Someone's got a kiss me sign over there.

00:17:49.000 I don't know.

00:17:50.000 He's around.

00:17:51.000 But I met, I met, you know, it's crazy because they're going, how dare you in the media make this look like he's a regular 18-year-old guy?

00:17:58.000 And it's like, yeah, because all the lies, all the slander, and all of the media coordination could not hide the truth that Kyle is an innocent young man, that he did not do anything wrong, and that he is just a normal person.

00:18:14.000 We took away that power from them.

00:18:15.000 And Kyle took it away by showing the world who he really was.

00:18:19.000 Well, and it's even a step further.

00:18:21.000 It's not only he didn't do anything wrong.

00:18:23.000 He did everything right.

00:18:25.000 That if, and we must say that he did everything right that night is that Kyle acted properly and morally and lawfully when someone tried to kill him.

00:18:36.000 Kyle did the right thing.

00:18:39.000 And he should be applauded for it.

00:18:59.000 They love you so much, they don't even know what to chant, dude.

00:19:01.000 There's just chants everywhere.

00:19:02.000 You know, we got let's go Brandon over here.

00:19:04.000 We love Kyle over here and USA.

00:19:06.000 We're all on the things.

00:19:08.000 So I'll spill, Kyle, I hope you don't mind if I spill a little bit of tea.

00:19:13.000 If it's okay, if it's okay.

00:19:14.000 No, no, no.

00:19:15.000 Because so people knew that when I was covering the trial day in, day out, minute in, minute out, the whole thing, you know, following on Twitter, doing epic day-long Twitter threads.

00:19:26.000 Well, you're up there obviously experiencing it.

00:19:28.000 I hope you know how many people you had supporting you during all of that.

00:19:32.000 And thank you to everybody out here.

00:19:34.000 Thank you guys so much.

00:19:36.000 But and I haven't ever actually had the opportunity to say this publicly as anybody, but I did actually get a very brief phone call with you.

00:19:48.000 I wouldn't say it was that brief.

00:19:50.000 It was about a two-hour conversation.

00:19:54.000 No, but it was the Saturday, right?

00:19:56.000 It was the Saturday before the trial closed.

00:19:59.000 And I'm sitting there and it's Saturday night.

00:20:01.000 It's late.

00:20:03.000 And I'm thinking, man, this is the night, the Saturday night before you are going to be put before a jury of 12, and they are going to judge you.

00:20:12.000 They are going to stand and judge you.

00:20:15.000 And we were talking and we built up.

00:20:18.000 We actually shared a love of when I was up in Kenosha, I got really involved in the local cuisine.

00:20:24.000 I don't know if you guys know the best food in all of Wisconsin is Wisconsin cheese curds.

00:20:30.000 I kid you not.

00:20:31.000 If there's anyone out here who knows, no, you know what I'm talking about.

00:20:33.000 You know exactly what I'm talking about, right?

00:20:35.000 And I'm a Philly guy, but I'm telling you, man, I'm cheese curds.

00:20:37.000 Oof, Mars Cheese Castle, am I right?

00:20:39.000 Mars Cheesecastle all the way.

00:20:42.000 But then Kyle asked me, asked me a question.

00:20:45.000 All right, what do you ask me?

00:20:46.000 He goes, Jack, I know you're working with Turning Point USA.

00:20:51.000 I say, yeah, yeah, we're doing the podcast.

00:20:53.000 We got your back.

00:20:53.000 We're doing the show.

00:20:54.000 We're covering everything.

00:20:55.000 He said, well, I know you're doing an event in Phoenix, Arizona, down right around Christmas time.

00:21:02.000 And he said, I think I want to be down at Phoenix at that time.

00:21:06.000 And I'm thinking, but Kyle, but they're about to judge you.

00:21:08.000 He said, no, he's not even thinking about that.

00:21:10.000 You know what he asked me?

00:21:10.000 He said, Jack, I would love to come to America Fest and be with all the people there.

00:21:20.000 Look, it's back to school time and you might be feeling the burden of college bills and private tuition expenses.

00:21:25.000 With home equity at an all-time high and interest rates low, refinancing your house could be a great way to get some cash and pay those bills.

00:21:32.000 So look, if you want to refinance your house or do anything with a bank, let's just say timeout, right?

00:21:37.000 We're going to call a timeout two-minute warning, right?

00:21:40.000 Hands on the shoulders.

00:21:41.000 We're going to just kind of say, let's take a pause here.

00:21:46.000 Are you using a bank that hates your values?

00:21:49.000 It's a very simple question.

00:21:51.000 Are you using a bank that is at war with your worldview?

00:21:55.000 Well, if you have refinanced recently with the big bank, you have just given a check, a cashier's check, a wire transfer to Nicole Hanna-Jones, to Stacey Abrams, to Joe Biden, to Chuck Schumer, to Nancy Pelosi.

00:22:09.000 You see, when you refinance with the big boys, the banks of the Woesters, you might as well give your hard-earned money to the revolutionaries that are burning down our streets.

00:22:21.000 You might as well give it to Planned Parenthood.

00:22:24.000 But if you want to support the good guys, two Christian men that I've got to know very well, they love the Lord.

00:22:31.000 They love the Bible.

00:22:32.000 They are great people.

00:22:34.000 We just hung out in Dallas and we had the best time.

00:22:36.000 We had a great meal together.

00:22:38.000 They're terrific.

00:22:39.000 Andrew Del Rey and Todd Avakian at andrewandTodd.com.

00:22:43.000 They are with Sierra Pacific Mortgage, and I know them and trust them.

00:22:47.000 And you should work with them too.

00:22:49.000 Just go to andrewandod.com and take the 30-second survey to answer a couple questions.

00:22:54.000 But look, maybe you're a calling person.

00:22:55.000 You're like, Charlie, I take enough surveys.

00:22:57.000 Fine.

00:22:58.000 Test me.

00:22:59.000 Call 888 888 1172 and say, I would like to talk to Andrew and Todd.

00:23:03.000 Charlie Kirk sent me.

00:23:04.000 That's 888 888 1172.

00:23:07.000 AndrewandTodd.com.

00:23:08.000 AndrewandTodd.com.

00:23:10.000 No more Goldman Sachs.

00:23:12.000 No more JPMorgan Chase.

00:23:14.000 No more Wells Fargo.

00:23:15.000 No more financing or refinancing with the banks that hate your values.

00:23:20.000 Again, I hate to be this tribal about it.

00:23:23.000 They hate you.

00:23:25.000 Go to people that love you at andrewandodd.com.

00:23:28.000 They love the Lord.

00:23:30.000 They love the country.

00:23:31.000 Let's support them at andrewandodd.com.

00:23:37.000 So Kyle, one of the most moving moments, and I'll be honest, one of the most surprising moments for so many people is when you waived your Fifth Amendment rights and you decided to take the stand.

00:23:48.000 And this is an unusual thing in court proceedings.

00:23:51.000 Many lawyers advise against it.

00:23:53.000 And however, in your case, it seemed like the trial was going so well and this seemed to be a big risk.

00:24:00.000 Why did you decide to take the stand? 0.98

00:24:02.000 Because it was your decision in the end to wake up that day and say, I'm going to go and have this scumbag binger and lunchbox, right? 0.99

00:24:12.000 Try to try to destroy my life. 0.99

00:24:15.000 Talk about that.

00:24:16.000 Well, I wanted to tell my story.

00:24:18.000 I wanted to tell the world what happened in Kenosha, the truth, unlike what the prosecution tried to do.

00:24:26.000 That's why I took the stand.

00:24:28.000 And Kyle, talk about the prep that goes into that.

00:24:33.000 But I mean, I can't imagine what's going through your mind that if I say one misstatement, they're going to capitalize on it immediately.

00:24:41.000 Just knowing what Binger's going to ask me, just being three steps ahead of him at all times.

00:24:50.000 And also, though, he was, the thing that shocked us, Elijah and Drew as well, and you guys can get in on this, he was attacking you for trying to say that you're waiving your rights.

00:25:02.000 I mean, what's going through your head at this point?

00:25:04.000 You're like, I know law better than you, and I didn't even finish high school at the time.

00:25:07.000 So I'm sitting there on the stand, and then he starts asking about my post-arrest silence.

00:25:12.000 And I'm like, I'm not an attorney, but I don't think you could go down there.

00:25:16.000 I don't think you could ask somebody that.

00:25:18.000 And the judge came in.

00:25:20.000 And by the way, I wish we had more judges.

00:25:22.000 Don't get brazen with me.

00:25:27.000 Schrader?

00:25:28.000 Judge Schrader.

00:25:28.000 Schrader?

00:25:29.000 And by the way, it's not even a right versus left thing.

00:25:31.000 He just loved the law and the Constitution.

00:25:34.000 In fact, he was appointed by a left-wing governor, if I'm not mistaken.

00:25:37.000 He's supported by a Democrat.

00:25:38.000 Yeah, and he just, he appreciated the law.

00:25:40.000 He appreciated the process.

00:25:42.000 And then he went after Binger for like two minutes saying, I don't think you are.

00:25:46.000 Kyle, do you think they were trying to throw your case?

00:25:49.000 Absolutely.

00:25:50.000 I thought they knew they were losing and they wanted a mistrial.

00:25:50.000 I think so.

00:25:54.000 My favorite part of it, though, was don't get brazen with me.

00:25:59.000 Kyle, an interesting thing.

00:26:00.000 So if you guys know this, Kyle, we were talking one time.

00:26:04.000 I was nervous.

00:26:05.000 I was nervous for you, genuinely.

00:26:06.000 You know I was.

00:26:07.000 And I told you, I was like, I don't trust the justice system.

00:26:09.000 Do we really trust the justice system right now in this country?

00:26:11.000 No.

00:26:12.000 What about accountability for 2020?

00:26:13.000 What about accountability for the rioters at Kenosha, right?

00:26:16.000 We got to hold those people accountable.

00:26:16.000 Am I right?

00:26:18.000 There was another young teenage guy.

00:26:20.000 You're like, didn't a guy in Kenosha point a gun at you and pull the trigger?

00:26:20.000 You asked me this.

00:26:24.000 And I was like, yeah.

00:26:25.000 And I was like, where's the justice for that guy?

00:26:27.000 He still hasn't been charged, has he, Elijah?

00:26:30.000 No, he has not.

00:26:31.000 And I asked you, I go, I go, Kyle, I'm nervous.

00:26:34.000 I've seen what's happened here.

00:26:36.000 And I was like, I don't know if you're going to win.

00:26:39.000 Even if all the evidence is there, I'm just nervous for you.

00:26:42.000 Do you think you're going to win?

00:26:43.000 What did you tell me?

00:26:45.000 I don't remember, Elijah.

00:26:46.000 Oh, you told me you were going to win.

00:26:47.000 You said you said we're going to win.

00:26:49.000 We're going to have all the charges dropped and I'm going to walk free.

00:26:51.000 And you promised me that.

00:26:53.000 And guys, he is walking free.

00:26:55.000 Can we just give it up for Kyle Rittenhouse, a free man walking, sitting right here in front of us, showing us that justice is still alive in the great country of the United States of America?

00:27:07.000 So Drew, you testified.

00:27:12.000 And so Kyle's team reached out to you, if I'm not mistaken, or the prosecution.

00:27:15.000 Walk us through all of that.

00:27:16.000 And then also just tell the audience, what were you doing that night in Kenosha?

00:27:19.000 Yes, I'm going to say, Kyle.

00:27:20.000 So Drew, did you get our little message from your website we sent you trying to get in contact with you?

00:27:25.000 I got a lot of messages from a lot of people.

00:27:28.000 From Kyle's side, the prosecutors, everyone wanted to talk.

00:27:32.000 But here's the thing.

00:27:33.000 The truth had to be testified to. 1.00

00:27:36.000 Binger's an idiot. 1.00

00:27:37.000 Let's just say that publicly, okay? 1.00

00:27:40.000 I don't think he had any idea who he was dealing with.

00:27:43.000 But when you're dealing with someone that has the absolute truth on their side, they're unbeatable.

00:27:48.000 The only thing you can do is lie, right?

00:27:51.000 So the reason why I decided to testify.

00:27:54.000 It's not because I have some political bias.

00:27:56.000 It's because I was obviously there watching everything unfold in the trial, watching the mainstream media lie about Kyle, watching the prosecution peddle those lies in a so-called trial in the so-called justice system.

00:28:10.000 I knew that I not only had the eyewitness testimony, but I also had a lot of body cam footage.

00:28:17.000 Okay, there was body cam footage that the entire world didn't know existed of Kyle Rittenhouse de-escalating a situation with rioters outside of CarSource 2.

00:28:28.000 Remember that?

00:28:29.000 I do it. 0.82

00:28:30.000 And by the way, she was black. 0.57

00:28:34.000 And thank God for all these independent journalists, such as Elijah and Drew.

00:28:39.000 So give a round of applause to them for helping set me free because without these independent journalists, we would not be here today.

00:28:46.000 And Julio Rojas as well.

00:28:49.000 And I just wanted to end with this is this is what needs to be done because obviously thinking about this decision, thinking about should I do this?

00:28:58.000 Should I go forward?

00:28:59.000 Obviously, I'm a born-again Christian.

00:29:00.000 Jesus Christ receives all glory and honor to God for all of this.

00:29:06.000 But watching all this unfold, I mean, this is what I keep hearing, Charlie, in this particular conference, event, whatever you want to call it is.

00:29:14.000 It's no longer left or right.

00:29:16.000 It's good versus evil now.

00:29:17.000 Okay.

00:29:18.000 And so this is what people need to understand.

00:29:20.000 And I want to talk to people that identify on the left right now.

00:29:23.000 You may think you're on the right side of history, but that day is going to come where it's about, no, you either just obey or not.

00:29:29.000 And that's where we're heading.

00:29:30.000 So I want to just say this.

00:29:32.000 I hope what happened in this trial, the part that I was able to play and testify to the truth.

00:29:38.000 I hope that inspires every single one of you out here right now.

00:29:41.000 Because listen, there's so many people out here.

00:29:43.000 They're afraid to get canceled, afraid to get called a white supremacist, a racist, afraid to do the right thing.

00:29:50.000 But that's exactly what we need to do.

00:29:52.000 If you get put into position where nothing but fear fills your hearts, know that the opposite of that is to just do what is right and let God take care of the rest.

00:30:02.000 And look where we are right now.

00:30:06.000 Hey, Kyle, I just wanted to say this, though.

00:30:08.000 So that's pretty good advice.

00:30:10.000 Here's also some good advice too.

00:30:12.000 You and I met before in Kenosha before all this happened.

00:30:15.000 And I was talking to you.

00:30:17.000 You didn't know.

00:30:17.000 I had a gas mask on.

00:30:18.000 I was in disguise.

00:30:20.000 But while I was there, I was trying to talk to you and there was rioters trying to get out of the property.

00:30:25.000 What was our first interaction?

00:30:26.000 Like, what did you say to me?

00:30:29.000 I just got pepper sprayed.

00:30:31.000 Can you now leave?

00:30:32.000 Yeah, he's like, can you now leave?

00:30:33.000 And when a guy with an AR-15 in a riot asks you to leave, you probably should.

00:30:38.000 That's the other advice.

00:30:39.000 And guess what?

00:30:40.000 I didn't go for his gun, so I'm still here.

00:30:42.000 That's good advice as well, too.

00:30:44.000 That's good advice.

00:30:45.000 Don't try to steal a man's gun.

00:30:47.000 It's true, Story, but I'm going to say this.

00:30:49.000 I met this man, this young guy.

00:30:52.000 I met him, and his concern was, please leave, because he needed to go administer aid to people who had pepper sprayed him, people who were tearing down the city.

00:31:00.000 He went out and told me, you need to go because I need to go help other people.

00:31:05.000 And that shows character.

00:31:07.000 That shows restraint.

00:31:08.000 He didn't point a gun at me.

00:31:09.000 He didn't threaten me.

00:31:10.000 He didn't say anything.

00:31:11.000 Hey, I have a gun.

00:31:12.000 You need to leave because of that.

00:31:13.000 He just said, hey, I have a mission and I'm going to accomplish that mission.

00:31:16.000 I'm going to do that.

00:31:17.000 And that's what I saw that night.

00:31:18.000 That's what I saw the rest of the night.

00:31:20.000 That's what I saw through the trial is a man who accomplished his mission that he stood up to the challenges that were before him.

00:31:25.000 You stood up to people, Kyle.

00:31:27.000 You stood up to evil.

00:31:28.000 You stood up and defended yourself and you did what was right, like you said.

00:31:32.000 And all of us in this room know, I know that you didn't want to be in that situation.

00:31:37.000 You told me that, right?

00:31:39.000 You said, I didn't, now looking back on it, you said on the show, you're like, I'd say being 2020.

00:31:46.000 Yeah, I know, but I'm saying, I'm looking at it and I'm going, But right now, guys, we're in a tough spot in this country.

00:31:52.000 Are we not?

00:31:53.000 In a very tough spot. 0.93

00:31:54.000 The most fair and free election in American history, COVID, the BLM rights, lots of stuff going on that went out there.

00:32:01.000 And we have challenges, censorship, everything.

00:32:04.000 But let Kyle be an example that even if you're young, even if you're 17, even if all the odds are against you, that every institution is against you, that the truth will set you free.

00:32:14.000 And that Kyle stood on the truth.

00:32:16.000 He lives by the truth.

00:32:17.000 He accomplished his mission.

00:32:18.000 And he's here today because he was brave enough to stand up to so many evil people.

00:32:22.000 And Kyle, I respect you.

00:32:24.000 I've come to appreciate you and love you as a friend.

00:32:27.000 But most importantly, I look up to you honestly and genuinely as a man who would do something and would step up to the plate when very few would.

00:32:35.000 I want to tell you that here.

00:32:36.000 Thank you, Elijah.

00:32:42.000 Hey, everybody, Charlie Kirk here.

00:32:43.000 People make a big deal out of New Year's resolutions, but I want you to commit to one right now.

00:32:48.000 Resolve to do something that will help make this country get its greatness again and get back on track, like supporting causes and companies that share our values.

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00:33:53.000 I believe, Kyle, firmly God had his hand all over you that night and also throughout the trial.

00:34:00.000 I really believe that.

00:34:01.000 Kyle, talk a little bit about that.

00:34:03.000 And has faith played a role in this journey for you?

00:34:07.000 Absolutely, God.

00:34:08.000 I believe God's been with me every day through the trial and every day since August 25th.

00:34:12.000 He's helped me get through this.

00:34:14.000 I pray to him every single night.

00:34:17.000 I pray for strength.

00:34:18.000 I never prayed for an acquittal.

00:34:20.000 I just prayed for the strength to get through whatever happens to me.

00:34:23.000 It's beautiful.

00:34:26.000 And I would, you know, and Kyle, when you came over and we sat down with Charlie, we did the interview before, you know, and I said this to you that I don't know if people realize this, but, you know, I was in the military.

00:34:40.000 I've had some weapons training.

00:34:42.000 I've worked with, you know, SEALs and everything else.

00:34:44.000 And I had guys reaching out to me saying, they watched that video and they said, I don't know if I could do that.

00:34:51.000 I don't know if I could do what he did.

00:34:52.000 And I said, and I said, well, Kyle, what kind of training did you have on that AR-15?

00:34:58.000 You've been through courses, were you certified?

00:35:00.000 So Kyle, tell us, what kind of training did you have with the AR-15 prior to that evening?

00:35:04.000 I didn't have much training with that rifle.

00:35:07.000 I probably put maybe like 500 rounds through it, but I'm not like a rifle expert or something.

00:35:14.000 I just knew how to like the basics of it.

00:35:16.000 Advanced training whatsoever prior to that evening.

00:35:20.000 And when I heard that, I said that was divine providence that kept you alive through that night and I firmly believe I I do firmly believe that it was also divine providence that brought people like Drew and Elijah Bg on the scene Julio, everyone who was there that night to be there, to get that footage of what happened out,

00:35:48.000 because then that carried forward so that God could be with you in the courthouse and then in that jury room where those 12 they were touched by that truth and they were touched by your actions and touched by the words that you gave on that stand, that you walked up there and said, I was not attacking people, I was defending my home.

00:36:13.000 Just wanted to give a quick shout out to Richie Mcguinis as well from Daily Caller and Jorge Ventura and the work that they did.

00:36:18.000 I know they're not up here, but but but Richie Man, with the testimony of Richie, of course yeah, and and and, just just being there, I mean i'm telling you, if God had not intervened, I like I swear the only other person who has as many cameras chasing them in a moment is Kim Kardashian.

00:36:34.000 Okay, this guy had.

00:36:35.000 This guy had it.

00:36:36.000 He had the FBI and 4K.

00:36:38.000 I mean i'm jealous, right.

00:36:39.000 So it's like.

00:36:40.000 I mean he had every angle, every sidestep, people from all different political leanings.

00:36:44.000 I've never seen any event in in history of that that was getting that little mainstream media coverage, that had that many angles and that many pieces of evidence.

00:36:53.000 God's got your back Kyle, and he's got you destined for mighty things in this world.

00:36:58.000 This is just the beginning.

00:37:03.000 Now so many people ask Kyle and we touched on this a little bit earlier so you won, you're free.

00:37:10.000 Um, and to the great disgust of so many different people, to give an idea of what Kyle still has to go through, is that the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee congressman, Jerry Nadler, want to talk about this Kyle, the one that's calling for a DOJ investigation against me and completely lied on that twitter post.

00:37:30.000 Yeah, that guy, oh god.

00:37:33.000 So what are your thoughts on that Kyle?

00:37:34.000 You get free by a jury, your peers, and I would urge him to go back, watch the trial and look at the facts before he tweets.

00:37:46.000 That's the same Jerry Nadler that told Fleckus that, and the penguins.

00:37:52.000 It's a myth.

00:37:54.000 So Jerry Nadler is calling into a do for a DOJ investigation into and the DOJ already investigated me, i'm sure they did and you got exonerated.

00:38:05.000 But what is more important and Kyle, you can comment on this at you know, at your choosing, the rest of the panel, I know Will, will love to talk about this is that they keep on mentioning this on tv in a really bizarre way.

00:38:17.000 It's almost like an incantation, Kyle Rittenhouse, who brought a gun across state lines.

00:38:22.000 It's like, wait a second.

00:38:23.000 Why are they saying that?

00:38:24.000 Why are they saying that, Kyle?

00:38:26.000 You know that's a good question.

00:38:27.000 I have no idea, but it's just false.

00:38:29.000 That gun was in Wisconsin and it never left Wisconsin.

00:38:33.000 So I don't know what they're saying by that.

00:38:35.000 Well, and so it's not obviously it's a lie, but the more important point is that we know everybody that they want to come for our guns.

00:38:46.000 And we know that they're going to try to pass federal legislation and try to build consensus saying, you know what the real problem is?

00:38:53.000 This is what they say in Chicago all the time.

00:38:55.000 Anyone from Chicago, by the way?

00:38:57.000 Oh, 14 of you.

00:38:58.000 Welcome.

00:39:00.000 So I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago.

00:39:02.000 They say all of Chicago gun violence, 825 homicides a year, is because of state lines from Indiana gun laws.

00:39:07.000 What they're trying to do, everybody, is destroy states that have allowed themselves to have better gun laws and then be able to have federal gun registration.

00:39:16.000 Kyle, do you think the Second Amendment plays any role into this?

00:39:20.000 Do you think that there was broader things at play?

00:39:22.000 Well, I think my trial was an example of them trying to come after our Second Amendment rights, a right to defend ourselves and trying to take our weapons.

00:39:34.000 And Drew or Elijah, comment on this.

00:39:36.000 Talk about how they wanted this to try to be a reference point to try to build a consensus for federal gun laws.

00:39:44.000 Well, first, I'd like to say this.

00:39:46.000 We were only happened to be able to cover Kenosha, the riot, so quickly because we were in Chicago covering another riot as the other riot broke out.

00:39:54.000 And I have a confession.

00:39:55.000 I want to make this to you here.

00:39:57.000 I had to cross state lines to get to Kenosha as well.

00:40:00.000 Yeah, I know.

00:40:01.000 It's crazy.

00:40:02.000 People do that.

00:40:03.000 People do it, guys.

00:40:04.000 How many people cross state lines to come to America Fest?

00:40:06.000 How dare you?

00:40:07.000 Oh, wow.

00:40:08.000 Oh, no.

00:40:09.000 They're all on the list now.

00:40:10.000 How many of you carry weapons across state lines?

00:40:13.000 A lot of hands went up.

00:40:14.000 And to show you really what that even means, guys, like Kenosha, it's like a 45-minute car ride out of central Chicago, right?

00:40:19.000 We're not talking about anything crazy out there.

00:40:22.000 But honestly, what I knew about this, and people might not know this, but I've told you, is, you know, I had just saw my mom pass away right before this had happened.

00:40:32.000 And when I saw Joseph Rosenbaum, you know, dying, I knew he was dying.

00:40:36.000 People were trying to save his life.

00:40:38.000 And, you know, and I looked at the situation and I saw the people that were shot.

00:40:42.000 I interviewed Kyle before.

00:40:44.000 I knew what was happening.

00:40:44.000 I knew it was clear-cut self-defense.

00:40:46.000 I didn't know if Kyle was a Democrat or Republican, what his politics were anything.

00:40:50.000 I just, I saw someone use self-defense.

00:40:54.000 But I called the CEO of my company, Tyler Cardin, and I said, hey, man, I'm walking back.

00:40:58.000 And I said, I said, dude, hey, something bad just happened.

00:41:02.000 And I'm going to let you know that they're going to try to paint this as a lie. 0.98

00:41:07.000 They're going to say he was a white supremacist, but he shot white people. 0.86

00:41:10.000 And I knew what the narrative was going to be.

00:41:12.000 Can we not predict the narratives already?

00:41:13.000 Like, do we not know?

00:41:15.000 It's basically what the truth is.

00:41:16.000 Just do the opposite.

00:41:18.000 So if the truth is red, then they go blue.

00:41:20.000 And that says something.

00:41:21.000 Listen, I just, I want to say this is, you know, it wasn't just Kyle Rittenhouse on trial.

00:41:27.000 It was every single one of you.

00:41:29.000 You agree with that, Kyle?

00:41:30.000 100%.

00:41:31.000 It wasn't just Kyle on trial.

00:41:32.000 It's every single one of you.

00:41:33.000 Listen, if they can do this to Kyle, you're an adult now, but at the time, a kid that's just trying to live his life protecting his community.

00:41:44.000 Look at all the constitutional rights and freedoms that we get to live with here in the United States.

00:41:50.000 They're all being subverted.

00:41:51.000 Free speech, Second Amendment.

00:41:53.000 You go down the list.

00:41:55.000 Today it's Kyle Rittenhouse.

00:41:56.000 Tomorrow it's you.

00:41:57.000 This is why it's important for you guys to engage in your own communities, wherever you are, respectively.

00:42:02.000 This is why it's important to not be asleep.

00:42:04.000 This is why it's important to not just even rely on me, Elijah, Charlie Kirk, or Jack Pasilva.

00:42:11.000 This is you.

00:42:12.000 This is why we're here to get you guys engaged because today, yesterday it's Kyle.

00:42:16.000 Today it's you and every single one of you.

00:42:18.000 So I hope you guys are emboldened by what we've been able to do.

00:42:22.000 And you guys can take this, be inspired, and go to your own communities and do what needs to be done in the power of Christ.

00:42:29.000 So, Kyle, closing thoughts, you reflect back on this year, lessons you want to share with this audience, lessons for fellow 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds here.

00:42:41.000 You have lived a lifetime of pressure, stress, backlash, intimidation.

00:42:49.000 What do you have to share especially for the fellow members of your generation?

00:42:54.000 Always be humble and look at the positive in life and focus on today, not tomorrow.

00:43:00.000 You can only live one day at a time.

00:43:03.000 Amen.

00:43:05.000 And I'll just say one thing to the mainstream media that doesn't want us to have this panel, that doesn't want America Fest to exist, guess what?

00:43:18.000 We do exist.

00:43:19.000 We are going to be here.

00:43:21.000 And the next time that you try to turn another situation like Kyle Rittenhouse or someone else, you are going to have to go through Turning Point USA and Human Events and Drew Hernandez and Elijah Schaefer and Charlie Kirk and the Blaze and tens and thousands of patriots.

00:43:39.000 Every single one of us is going to be standing in your way.

00:43:44.000 And one last thing for all the media watching.

00:43:51.000 Kyle Rittenhouse is about to be super rich, so you better be careful about what you write.

00:43:55.000 God bless you guys.

00:43:56.000 Thank you so much.

00:44:00.000 Thank you so much for listening, everybody.

00:44:02.000 Email us your thoughts as always, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:44:04.000 God bless you guys.

00:44:05.000 Speak to you soon.

00:44:08.000 For more on many of these stories and news you can trust, go to CharlieKirk dot com.

The Charlie Kirk Show - January 04, 2022

How Citizen Journalism Saved Kyle Rittenhouse’s Life—LIVE from Americafest

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