The Charlie Kirk Show - "We Always Lived as if it Was Our Last Day" — Erika Kirk and Megyn Kelly LIVE

00:00:03.000 My name is Charlie Kirk.

00:00:05.000 I run the largest pro-American student organization in the country fighting for the future of our republic.

00:00:11.000 My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth.

00:00:14.000 If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're going to end up miserable.

00:00:19.000 But if the most important thing is doing good, you'll end up purposeful.

00:00:24.000 College is a scam, everybody.

00:00:26.000 You got to stop sending your kids to college.

00:00:27.000 You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible.

00:00:31.000 Go start a Turning Point USA college chapter.

00:00:33.000 Go start a Turning Point USA high school chapter.

00:00:35.000 Go find out how your church can get involved.

00:00:37.000 Sign up and become an activist.

00:00:39.000 I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade.

00:00:41.000 Most important decision I ever made in my life.

00:00:43.000 And I encourage you to do the same.

00:00:45.000 Here I am.

00:00:46.000 Lord Museman.

00:00:48.000 Buckle up, everybody.

00:00:49.000 Here we go.

00:00:59.000 The Charlie Kirk Show is proudly sponsored by Preserve Gold, the leading gold and silver experts and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends, and viewers.

00:01:13.000 Let me ask you a question that my friends who have lost somebody say is the right question.

00:01:18.000 How are you doing today?

00:01:21.000 Well, we talked about earlier this week how it was an emotional week for me.

00:01:28.000 The firsts are always so interesting because the firsts are either like your first date, you know, your first kiss, your first, and then with loss, it's like the first birthday, the first holiday.

00:01:44.000 You know, it was Erica's birthday this week.

00:01:46.000 Yeah.

00:01:48.000 Happy birthday.

00:01:49.000 It was yours too, wasn't it?

00:01:52.000 There you go.

00:01:53.000 Happy birthday to you.

00:01:54.000 Thank you.

00:01:55.000 This is our birthday celebration together.

00:01:57.000 You guys are all just happening to be here while we have coffee.

00:02:02.000 But every day is different.

00:02:08.000 Let's sing happy birthday.

00:02:09.000 We sang to you last night.

00:02:11.000 I saw that.

00:02:13.000 Sorry two nights ago.

00:02:14.000 Why not?

00:02:14.000 May we.

00:02:16.000 Happy birthday to you.

00:02:21.000 Happy birthday to you.

00:02:26.000 Happy birthday, dear Erica.

00:02:32.000 Happy birthday to you.

00:02:37.000 Many more.

00:02:39.000 Many more.

00:02:40.000 I told myself I wasn't going to cry hard not to.

00:02:44.000 So this was the first one.

00:02:46.000 And you're right.

00:02:46.000 The first, and we're about to go into a season of firsts, which is always challenging.

00:02:50.000 And I know you can relate to this because you lost your father at a really young age.

00:02:57.000 Every day is different.

00:02:59.000 But I am so grateful that my husband, it was, he's hand-selected the village that surrounds me now.

00:03:09.000 You know, he built Turning Point USA, yes, and it's a machine, yes.

00:03:13.000 But he hand-picked all of the people that not only run the organization, but that were within our orbit, our closest orbit, the people that he loved and he trusted so much and that he knew without a shadow of a doubt, if something happened to him, that they would step up and they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and they would do what he knew they were born to do.

00:03:36.000 And they wouldn't be afraid.

00:03:38.000 They wouldn't cower.

00:03:40.000 They would take on the mission that he had instilled in them.

00:03:44.000 And so to be able to have that chosen family in that village that he helped literally hand pick, I could not do a fraction of a fraction.

00:03:55.000 They've been amazing.

00:03:55.000 Turning point is in such good hands.

00:03:58.000 Yes, obviously, with you as the CEO, but the team that you have around you, all of whom I've met, are good and decent and loving people who adored Charlie.

00:04:07.000 They loved him.

00:04:07.000 Adored him.

00:04:08.000 Loved him.

00:04:09.000 Let's go back before we get into your relationship with him and your future to you.

00:04:17.000 I think people are very curious about you.

00:04:19.000 I think they want to know more about you.

00:04:20.000 So I know that obviously you were Miss Arizona.

00:04:24.000 Hello?

00:04:25.000 Nicely done.

00:04:26.000 That's a very, very top selection.

00:04:30.000 And that you were a businesswoman in New York when you first got interested in Turning Point.

00:04:34.000 So what were you doing in New York?

00:04:37.000 So to go back a little bit further, I mean, right now, first and foremost, I'm a daughter to the king of the Most High.

00:04:46.000 That's the most important title, if you will.

00:04:52.000 And my husband, in August, before all this happened, he had an event where he had some donors at.

00:05:05.000 And one of the first questions they asked was, God forbid, if something happens to you, like, what would happen next to Turning Point?

00:05:18.000 And Charlie made a really interesting point.

00:05:20.000 He said, companies, you know, example, Apple, Macintosh.

00:05:28.000 He said they're founder-led.

00:05:32.000 He said, but what I have built is, will one day, if I'm not around, be vision-led.

00:05:39.000 And he had made mention at the end, like, you know, Erica will do a great job running it.

00:05:45.000 And when I watched that video this week, it really put into perspective my youth and what I went through growing up and what I witnessed, you know, my mom having her own company and being a single mother and watching her be the blueprint of, you know, I'm not afraid of raising my children alone because I saw my mom do that.

00:06:12.000 I'm not afraid of being a CEO because I saw my mom do that.

00:06:17.000 The only thing that I fear to be fully transparent with you is being out of the alignment of God's will because I feel like that is a very dangerous position to be in.

00:06:28.000 And so for me growing up, when I was in New York, it was one of those moments where I really trusted God.

00:06:37.000 That's where I needed to be.

00:06:38.000 I prayed on it at first because originally I was living in LA.

00:06:42.000 And I said, Lord, if this is where you need me to be, make it so clear.

00:06:47.000 Bought a one-way ticket to New York, one suitcase.

00:06:50.000 My mom was like, what are you going to do when you're there?

00:06:52.000 I was like, I'll figure it out once I get there.

00:06:54.000 I just know that's where the Lord needs me.

00:06:56.000 And so many people questioned that.

00:06:58.000 They said, you're such a strong Christian.

00:07:00.000 Why would you go to such a dark city?

00:07:03.000 And I said, the more that you take the light out of a dark place, the darker it gets.

00:07:07.000 So that's where I'm going.

00:07:09.000 And I was there.

00:07:11.000 Yeah, but when I moved to New York, my brother said, why would you want to move to New York?

00:07:15.000 And I said, it's the big city of dreams.

00:07:17.000 And he said, scary, nasty, wake up in the middle of the night screaming dreams.

00:07:23.000 So I get it.

00:07:25.000 So you were working in New York for a while, and then you went back to Arizona to apply for the Turning Point job?

00:07:31.000 So I was in New York.

00:07:33.000 I was casting director.

00:07:35.000 I was signed with a modeling agency.

00:07:38.000 I had just gotten my real estate license three months prior to meeting Charlie.

00:07:45.000 And rewind a little bit.

00:07:47.000 I went to Turning Point's office opening for their first building.

00:07:54.000 And Tyler was, he runs Turning Point Action now.

00:07:59.000 And he said, you need to meet the CEO.

00:08:03.000 I said, okay, great.

00:08:04.000 Met him very quickly, shook his hand, said, hi, nice to meet you.

00:08:08.000 Neither of us thought anything of it.

00:08:10.000 Looking back now, he apparently sat down with Tyler and said, We need to hire, or Tyler said, we need to hire her. 0.89

00:08:17.000 And he goes, mm-hmm.

00:08:19.000 And he's like, where does she live?

00:08:21.000 And Tyler said, New York.

00:08:22.000 He's like, okay.

00:08:24.000 I'm going to have a Fox News hit, and then I'm going to sit down with her and interview her in New York.

00:08:30.000 So, lo and behold, he comes to Manhattan, and I thought I was so career-minded.

00:08:37.000 My mother raised me to, and this is why I can relate a lot to the Manhattan mindset of a lot of young women where it's career-oriented. 0.99

00:08:51.000 Because my mom used to tell me, don't feel like you need to rely on a man for life and work.

00:09:00.000 And so, my mindset, my healthy marriage example was my grandparents.

00:09:07.000 But my mindset was career, career, career.

00:09:11.000 When I met Charlie, the only reason I sat down with him because I thought it was a consulting position for work.

00:09:18.000 I was not thinking, I did not date in Manhattan.

00:09:20.000 I saw the pits of hell of the dating pool through my roommates, and I was not touching that with any longest pole you can imagine. 0.99

00:09:30.000 I stayed far away from the dating pool in Manhattan.

00:09:33.000 So I viewed it as obviously the job interview that it was supposed to be.

00:09:38.000 And the Lord knew.

00:09:41.000 I just, Charlie, in some way, similar to how he sees things in a lot of people, in some way beautifully saved me from a huge mistake of putting career over family and career over husband because it's easy to do when, as a female, when you see Bright Lights Big City.

00:10:07.000 But he, the Lord used him.

00:10:11.000 The Lord used him for me.

00:10:12.000 How long did it take you to fall in love with him?

00:10:15.000 That's the funny thing: it was so interesting because when we were sitting there, I fell in love with how brilliant he was to be able to articulate what he believed in.

00:10:32.000 And when he said, I'm not going to hire you, I'm going to date you, I knew that was the Lord because there were so many times where I said, my future husband that's out there, he will literally, it will be the only reason why I look up is because the Lord says to look up, and that was something to look up to when someone's like, I'm going to date you.

00:10:56.000 And so I just, but honestly, it was the constant consistency of, I'm here for you, you know, the little texts in the morning.

00:11:06.000 And then it just continued to grow in a beautiful way.

00:11:09.000 So yes, love at first sight, yes, obviously.

00:11:12.000 But again, my mindset wasn't there.

00:11:14.000 His was.

00:11:15.000 So you think of it, you're in an interview.

00:11:17.000 You have to totally do a 180 of a mindset.

00:11:20.000 But honestly, where the depths of the love started was when we were playing basketball together at the gym, just shooting around together.

00:11:29.000 By the time we saw that video where he introduced you as his fiancé, and the two of you were staring at each other.

00:11:36.000 Oh, I was obsessed.

00:11:37.000 I'm still obsessed with that.

00:11:38.000 Break your gaze.

00:11:39.000 I mean, that's, I think, as the kids would say, hashtag goals for virtually everybody who wants love in their life.

00:11:46.000 So you did get married.

00:11:48.000 Yes.

00:11:49.000 You have two kids.

00:11:50.000 Two precious babies.

00:11:52.000 And you told me this in private, but how many kids did you guys want to have?

00:11:58.000 We wanted to have four.

00:12:01.000 Yeah.

00:12:03.000 And I was praying to God that I was pregnant when he got murdered.

00:12:08.000 Oh, wow.

00:12:10.000 I thought of that once, just like whether it was meant to be or whether we'd get news like that.

00:12:17.000 I was like, oh, goodness, that would be the ultimate blessing out of this catastrophe.

00:12:23.000 So now when I see young couples, I tell them, please, like, don't put it off.

00:12:32.000 Especially if you're a young woman, don't put it off.

00:12:34.000 You can always have a career.

00:12:36.000 You can always, you know, go back to work.

00:12:41.000 You can never just go back to having children.

00:12:44.000 And they grow so fast and so quickly.

00:12:46.000 But I just was praying.

00:12:50.000 Both of us were.

00:12:51.000 We were really excited to just expand our family.

00:12:54.000 Thank God you have the two.

00:12:56.000 I know.

00:12:56.000 Thank God.

00:12:57.000 You know, I know.

00:12:59.000 One day they'll find out right now they're just, you know, little loves.

00:13:02.000 One day they'll find out that they're Charlie Kirk's children and they'll know what that means.

00:13:18.000 We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries.

00:13:21.000 And today I want to point you to their podcast.

00:13:24.000 It's called Culture in Christianity, the Allen Jackson Podcast.

00:13:28.000 What makes it unique is Pastor Allen's biblical perspective.

00:13:31.000 He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today: gender confusion, abortion, immigration, Doge, Trump in the White House, issues in the church.

00:13:40.000 He doesn't just discuss the problems.

00:13:42.000 In every episode, he gives practical things we can do to make a difference.

00:13:46.000 His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies.

00:13:49.000 They've been great friends.

00:13:50.000 And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

00:13:52.000 Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world today.

00:13:59.000 The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging.

00:14:02.000 You could find it on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

00:14:06.000 Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.

00:14:08.000 Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture.

00:14:13.000 You can find out more about Pastor Allen and the ministry at alanjackson.com forward slash Charlie.

00:14:22.000 I wanted to ask you, Erica, because you are so faithful, whether you had any premonition that something was going to happen to Charlie.

00:14:32.000 I really do see you as connected, more so than the average, than the rest of us, to God.

00:14:38.000 And I just wondered, did you have any sort of a feeling?

00:14:43.000 We always, we, see, the thing is, is that I guess we just operate differently.

00:14:47.000 We always knew there were threats.

00:14:49.000 We always knew that there were people out there that hated us with deep, deep passion of hate.

00:14:58.000 But it didn't scare us.

00:15:01.000 Never, he was never afraid of that.

00:15:03.000 Neither was I. Obviously, we protect our children.

00:15:07.000 You know, we don't show their faces on the internet.

00:15:09.000 So that's very intentional.

00:15:11.000 But I think we lived our life in such a way where if that was our last day, it was our last day, like we always lived as if it was the last day.

00:15:22.000 That's why Charlie's speeches were so good.

00:15:26.000 Because he didn't know if that was going to be his last speech.

00:15:30.000 And he was so intentional about every word.

00:15:36.000 Every word had a meaning.

00:15:39.000 And every speech had a connection point for the students and for whoever he was speaking to.

00:15:46.000 And that's why he never missed the opportunity to weave the gospel into what he was saying.

00:15:50.000 That's what made him so much more powerful than the rest of us.

00:15:53.000 If you see the difference between Charlie Kirk and many of the right-wing pundits or commentators, it's that he supercharged the message that the rest of us were saying with biblical references, with faith-based wisdom, which made it ten times more powerful.

00:16:09.000 And people knew it.

00:16:11.000 It's one of the things we're all missing right now.

00:16:14.000 But to answer your question, we always knew there were threats.

00:16:19.000 We always knew that that could be a possibility.

00:16:23.000 But obviously, but we never lived in fear of when that day would be.

00:16:31.000 We just trusted the Lord every day.

00:16:36.000 You know, now, of course, in the wake of Charlie's death, many are living under threat.

00:16:41.000 I mean, the nutcases have gotten very loud and emboldened.

00:16:46.000 And I just wonder whether it was the kind of threat environment that you needed to actually worry that something could happen.

00:16:53.000 Or was it just the din of like, there are haters out there?

00:16:56.000 You get these nutcase letters sometimes.

00:16:58.000 You know, was it something like, no, it's actually getting really serious and we need to worry?

00:17:03.000 Or was it just the din of like, no, I mean, you would see, obviously, leading up to that, there was several shootings.

00:17:10.000 There were several individuals with guns on campus.

00:17:13.000 So you knew that the threat was there and things were starting to heat up.

00:17:18.000 But again, it wasn't anything that you would think any different.

00:17:25.000 No, no.

00:17:26.000 And I know that the morning he died, he went back into your room.

00:17:29.000 He had slept in your daughter's room because he got up in the middle of the night and she got up in the middle of the night and there was a switcher room.

00:17:35.000 We've all been there.

00:17:36.000 Yeah.

00:17:37.000 But he came back into your room and he got his necklace and he got his wedding ring, right?

00:17:41.000 And his necklace had a cross on it and it had St. Michael's medal.

00:17:46.000 Yeah.

00:17:46.000 I wear it every day.

00:17:47.000 It's right here.

00:17:48.000 Wow.

00:17:50.000 Oh, it's so beautiful.

00:17:51.000 Yeah.

00:17:52.000 And Erica, help me understand.

00:17:55.000 I genuinely don't understand.

00:17:56.000 I've asked Frank Durek this.

00:17:58.000 I've asked everyone I can ask this question. 0.92

00:18:01.000 I don't understand how you can be wearing your cross and your St. Michael's Medal and be shot to death.

00:18:07.000 I feel as Charlie felt that that's armor.

00:18:11.000 You know, we wear that to protect us and we believe God will protect us.

00:18:15.000 how have you squared that?

00:18:23.000 The Lord is so powerful and we're not meant to understand all of his ways.

00:18:32.000 But there's mercy in that, knowing that God uses evil for good.

00:18:39.000 I don't know what exactly that is.

00:18:45.000 But I do know that the Lord will use it.

00:18:47.000 And if that means revival, the Lord, I told people, I said, I have never found more comfort in the statement, thy will be done.

00:19:02.000 Explain that, why?

00:19:04.000 Because it shows that control is an absolute illusion.

00:19:11.000 The Lord knows the number of hairs on our head, and he knows the number of our days.

00:19:19.000 And that's why Charlie was so intentional of making sure everyone knew that their role in life was so important and that you guys are all the missing puzzle piece to this whole story.

00:19:33.000 And we used to explain it when we would have dinner sometimes about how when you look at a tapestry on one side you see all of these hanging threads and it doesn't make any sense.

00:19:47.000 They're all different colored threads all over the place.

00:19:50.000 But when you turn that tapestry around, you see how beautifully woven together and how intentional every thread is to that tapestry.

00:20:02.000 And yes, I fully believe that you put on the full armor of God every single day.

00:20:09.000 I mean, henceforth, all of my bracelets and rings, like everything has meaning to me, and that's why I always wear my bracelets, always wear my rings, always wear my necklaces.

00:20:20.000 And it's one of those things where we will never understand God's ways fully.

00:20:28.000 We're not meant to.

00:20:30.000 We wouldn't be, our mortal brains would not be able to even compute what he has designed and put together.

00:20:40.000 But what I do know is that the Lord spoke through Charlie in so many ways.

00:20:53.000 And I still feel so deeply connected to him.

00:21:00.000 And I know that the Lord used such evil to bring about something that will eventually come to good.

00:21:09.000 It's already started.

00:21:11.000 You've seen it.

00:21:17.000 I am a big believer in signs.

00:21:21.000 You know, I think when you lose somebody, if you ask for a sign, do you guys believe in signs?

00:21:26.000 Have you gotten any from him?

00:21:29.000 You know, it's so interesting.

00:21:30.000 When we first started dating, this is personal, but I share it only because maybe it'll be a sign for you to know that Charlie's with you in something.

00:21:43.000 When we first started dating, we would walk, we were walking to dinner one night, and this happened a lot.

00:21:49.000 The lights would start to flicker.

00:21:52.000 And he'd look up at the light and be like, you know, it's so weird.

00:21:54.000 This happens to me a lot.

00:21:55.000 And I was like, really?

00:21:56.000 He's like, yeah.

00:21:57.000 So our whole dating and whole marriage, anytime we'd be in a room and a light started to flicker, he would just look at me and wink.

00:22:05.000 It was like our little thing.

00:22:06.000 It's power.

00:22:08.000 It's a total frequency thing.

00:22:11.000 And so the night everything happened when we were in Utah, I was in a hotel room by myself, in the bedroom portion by myself.

00:22:22.000 And the bathroom light was on, and it just was a strobe light all night.

00:22:27.000 Just flick.

00:22:28.000 And I was like, part of me couldn't sleep because it was a strobe light.

00:22:31.000 The other part of me couldn't sleep because of how just my world has just crumbled and the other part of me couldn't sleep because I was like, baby, I feel you.

00:22:38.000 I know you're here.

00:22:40.000 So that was, you know, some signs.

00:22:43.000 But another sign, too, is just my daughter, you know, just saying little things.

00:22:48.000 And like, let me see you.

00:22:51.000 Is she starting to get it?

00:22:56.000 I, yes and no.

00:23:02.000 We talk about heaven.

00:23:04.000 I make it really exciting.

00:23:06.000 I tell her, Daddy had so much fun today.

00:23:09.000 Everyone who has written letters and sent gifts to my children, thank you.

00:23:14.000 I tell her, my son, he's only a year and a half, but I tell both of them, Daddy is telling all of his friends to send you gifts and letters.

00:23:25.000 And, you know, Daddy is orchestrating from heaven to make sure that you always feel so loved.

00:23:31.000 And the other day she was like, tell me about Daddy's day in heaven.

00:23:35.000 So just we talk about that at night.

00:23:38.000 And then sometimes I'll say, well, tell me what you think he did in heaven today.

00:23:42.000 And we just, I just try to make it exciting because it is.

00:23:47.000 It is heaven is heaven's our home.

00:23:53.000 And so I just want her to know that Daddy is having so much fun and building a place for her and our family in heaven.

00:24:03.000 How do you, yeah.

00:24:11.000 I know that you haven't watched the video and you shouldn't watch the video.

00:24:15.000 You've never watched that video.

00:24:16.000 And you don't want the kids to watch the video.

00:24:18.000 Yeah.

00:24:19.000 But how are you going to handle it when they get older, Erica, and they start to learn about the haters?

00:24:24.000 Right?

00:24:24.000 Because there does have to come the time where that needs to be put in the proper perspective.

00:24:29.000 Charlie was so tough.

00:24:32.000 It was hard to get him rattled about these attacks.

00:24:36.000 But, and I can speak to this, having my own children, two of whom are backstage, you know, there comes a time where you have to sort of help your kids understand the terrible negative messages that are out there about someone they deeply love.

00:24:52.000 Have you thought about that at all?

00:24:53.000 Like, how are you going to walk them into that?

00:24:57.000 You know, I first and foremost want my children to have a childhood.

00:25:02.000 So that's another reason why I don't put them on the internet.

00:25:04.000 It's another reason why I don't expose them to certain screen time.

00:25:09.000 I've said it before, some of the shows, the only shows they would watch is Charlie, Bob Ross, because he has a very nap-inducing voice.

00:25:20.000 And then, you know, every now and then it would be some of Charlie's events.

00:25:26.000 But I want them to be children first. 0.97

00:25:28.000 And I want to teach them so much about God and Jesus so that when they do get older and they do see the hate, they also understand how much good is still out there.

00:25:43.000 And they also understand that they could be the antidote to the evil.

00:25:49.000 And they can pray for those people and not be afraid.

00:25:52.000 I'd never want them to be afraid.

00:25:55.000 But I want them to also see that that evil is because they or their parents or their loved ones is actually doing something to make a difference.

00:26:07.000 Because if you're not getting attacked or slandered or whatever else out there, you're just looking a lot like the rest of the world.

00:26:17.000 And I want them to know that that's okay.

00:26:21.000 You know, I have been called so many names.

00:26:25.000 I have been slandered and none of that means anything to me.

00:26:31.000 It's all just noise.

00:26:33.000 It's crazy.

00:26:34.000 No, it's unbelievable.

00:26:36.000 Watching people turn on you has been one of the most unexpected, strange, terrible things.

00:26:43.000 You know what, Degan?

00:26:44.000 And I know you get this because you have a very, you have a thick skin and a soft heart.

00:26:49.000 The thing is, is that the more that people, and it gets outlandish more and more crazy as time goes on because there's just a void that apparently needs to be filled.

00:26:59.000 But I'm okay with the world not understanding me.

00:27:03.000 I'm okay with that.

00:27:06.000 I'm okay with the, you know, I don't want to look like the world.

00:27:13.000 As Christians, we're called to be in the world, not of it. 0.74

00:27:17.000 And if they could understand me, then I'm not doing something right.

00:27:22.000 Well said.

00:27:28.000 We're honored to be partnering with Alan Jackson Ministries.

00:27:31.000 And today, I want to point you to their podcast.

00:27:33.000 It's called Culture in Christianity, the Alan Jackson Podcast.

00:27:37.000 What makes it unique is Pastor Alan's biblical perspective.

00:27:40.000 He takes the truth from the Bible and applies it to issues we're facing today.

00:27:44.000 Gender confusion, abortion, immigration, Doge, Trump in the White House, issues in the church.

00:27:49.000 He doesn't just discuss the problems.

00:27:51.000 In every episode, he gives practical things we can do to make a difference.

00:27:55.000 His guests have incredible expertise and powerful testimonies.

00:27:58.000 They've been great friends.

00:27:59.000 And now you can hear from Charlie in his own words.

00:28:02.000 Each episode will make you recognize the power of your faith and how God can use your life to impact our world today.

00:28:08.000 The Culture and Christianity podcast is informative and encouraging.

00:28:11.000 You could find it on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

00:28:15.000 Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.

00:28:17.000 Alan Jackson Ministries is working hard to bring biblical truth back into our culture.

00:28:22.000 You can find out more about Pastor Alan and the ministry at alanjackson.com forward slash Charlie.

00:28:31.000 Forgive me.

00:28:32.000 Did you see people didn't understand the hug that you and JD had?

00:28:37.000 They went to the weirdest places, Erica.

00:28:39.000 Oh my gosh.

00:28:40.000 You guys, please.

00:28:43.000 So for those of you who know me, I never, I'm a very, I love, I hug is like, you're an intense hugger.

00:28:51.000 Whoever is like hating on a hug needs a hug themselves.

00:28:54.000 I will give you a free hug anytime you want a hug.

00:28:58.000 My love language is touch, if you will.

00:29:00.000 But seriously, that hug.

00:29:02.000 So I will give you a play-by-play.

00:29:05.000 They just played the emotional video.

00:29:08.000 I'm walking over.

00:29:09.000 He's walking over.

00:29:11.000 I'm starting to cry.

00:29:12.000 He says, he's so proud of you.

00:29:15.000 And I say, God bless you.

00:29:16.000 And I touch the back of his head.

00:29:18.000 Anyone who I've hugged, that I have touched the back of your head when I hug you, I always say, God bless you.

00:29:25.000 That's just me.

00:29:27.000 If you want to take that out of context, go right ahead.

00:29:29.000 Again, that to me shows that you need a hug more than anyone else.

00:29:33.000 So if anyone... 1.00

00:29:34.000 They were acting like you touched the back of his ass. 1.00

00:29:40.000 I feel like I wouldn't get as much hate if I did that versus. 0.99

00:29:43.000 But no, seriously, so now when I go and hug people, I'll bring them back in and be like, I obviously didn't give you the right hug.

00:29:49.000 Like, come, let me touch the back of my head.

00:29:51.000 Let's go.

00:29:51.000 I don't know what to do with my hair.

00:29:52.000 I can't touch the head.

00:29:53.000 What can I touch?

00:29:55.000 I know.

00:29:56.000 Not me.

00:29:56.000 I've always like, if you touch the back of my head, I'm like, oh, she's feeling the extensions.

00:30:01.000 Damn. 0.99

00:30:02.000 That's another thing. 1.00

00:30:03.000 People think my hair is fake.

00:30:04.000 It is very real.

00:30:05.000 My hairstylist told me your hair is real.

00:30:07.000 She was like, oh, no, that's all real.

00:30:09.000 This is real.

00:30:10.000 I love some women. 1.00

00:30:12.000 They like come and touch the back of my head.

00:30:14.000 I'm like, what are you doing?

00:30:15.000 They're feeling.

00:30:17.000 And they're patting the weave.

00:30:19.000 I know.

00:30:20.000 How is that real?

00:30:21.000 Have you just been growing it out your whole life?

00:30:25.000 We want to know.

00:30:26.000 My mother.

00:30:28.000 Okay, so I loved sports growing up.

00:30:32.000 I was the my I started playing basketball when I was five.

00:30:37.000 My first coach, he was Charles Barkley of all people, which is amazing to have as your five-year-old YMCA coach.

00:30:46.000 Good to see you with your little Charles Barkley doll.

00:30:48.000 That was great.

00:30:49.000 He's an awesome man.

00:30:50.000 His daughter was a dear friend.

00:30:53.000 And so I loved sports.

00:30:56.000 And my mom, I was swimming all the time.

00:30:58.000 I was always super active.

00:31:00.000 And since my mom worked, I was always at the Boys and Girls Club.

00:31:05.000 Always.

00:31:06.000 And I was the last kid to get picked up from the Boys and Girls Club every single day.

00:31:11.000 And the poor counselor or whatever you want to call him that had to stand with me waiting for my mom to pick me up every day.

00:31:18.000 I loved sports.

00:31:19.000 I loved basketball so much.

00:31:22.000 It was such a good escape for me as a child.

00:31:25.000 And I remember my hair from swimming was so ratted because I have very coarse hair and my mom hated combing my hair.

00:31:35.000 And so her solution was a bowl cut Straight across, traumatizing.

00:31:43.000 To this point, my hairdresser knows when we get a trim, it is literally like a fraction of my hair.

00:31:52.000 I will never have hair shorter than my shoulders.

00:31:55.000 Charlie loved my hair, though.

00:31:57.000 He just loved how long it was.

00:31:59.000 So, what you're saying is you have long, thick, coarse hair that takes you a while to grow out and take care of, and you're not black or named Michelle Obama.

00:32:08.000 Just fascinating that can happen.

00:32:10.000 With all the conspiracy theories out there, I'm not going to touch that one either.

00:32:16.000 Hopefully, you haven't been paying too much attention to the news cycle, but they know what I'm talking about.

00:32:20.000 No, but my hair, to get back to that, is something that I just, it was, I'm not going to cut it.

00:32:30.000 I'm not going to, you know, Charlie liked it long.

00:32:32.000 He liked it.

00:32:32.000 He liked it long, and here we are.

00:32:35.000 But my mom, if you ask my mom, she'll tell you it's when you grew up from the standpoint of a Lebanese Italian background, and you're supposed to shave your kids' head when they're two, and then it's supposed to grow back really thick after that.

00:32:51.000 I was a product of the shaved head, so if you would like to try that on your two-year-old, unsolicited advice.

00:32:57.000 Does it work on the 55-year-old?

00:32:59.000 I have no idea.

00:33:00.000 You guys tell me.

00:33:01.000 I don't know.

00:33:02.000 Am I going to try?

00:33:04.000 You know, you raised the issue of.

00:33:05.000 If you see a shaved head by December, you know why.

00:33:08.000 Oh, yeah.

00:33:09.000 We all look like Britney Spears.

00:33:10.000 The headline, well, they went full skin head. 0.88

00:33:12.000 Right.

00:33:12.000 Yeah.

00:33:13.000 There you go.

00:33:13.000 And are listening to Nick White.

00:33:14.000 That's the last thing.

00:33:15.000 That'll be.

00:33:15.000 Yeah.

00:33:16.000 It's a no.

00:33:20.000 While we're on the subject, because you really were a very strong female athlete, can I ask you your position on that? 0.98

00:33:25.000 Because this is obviously a dominant thing.

00:33:29.000 We had Megan Rapino in the news just this week saying people are, they don't really mean it.

00:33:33.000 They don't actually have an objection to men playing in women's sports.

00:33:36.000 They're just using it as an issue.

00:33:38.000 She made all her money.

00:33:39.000 She's sitting pretty.

00:33:40.000 But she wants your daughter to play against boys. 1.00

00:33:42.000 Your thoughts on it?

00:33:45.000 So, well, you can take this as a twofold.

00:33:50.000 So if you're looking at it from the sports angle, where you're playing up against men, I mean, I know this has been said before, but then what's the point of female sports? 1.00

00:34:06.000 But to me, being an idiot, I played in college. 0.99

00:34:11.000 I worked so hard for that scholarship. 1.00

00:34:15.000 I knew my strengths as a point guard.

00:34:17.000 I hated driving the lane always.

00:34:20.000 I always shot the three.

00:34:21.000 That was like my thing.

00:34:23.000 I'm not driving to have someone who's like 6'7 just not happening. 1.00

00:34:28.000 She said it.

00:34:32.000 So for me, sports has a very special place in my heart.

00:34:38.000 But as a mom now and watching my daughter compete, it's just, I know they say, you know, life isn't fair.

00:34:50.000 I get that.

00:34:52.000 Life's not fair.

00:34:54.000 But there's certain things that are really special.

00:35:00.000 And women's sports is one of them. 0.55

00:35:02.000 And it's really, some people look down on it.

00:35:04.000 Some people think it's not.

00:35:05.000 But you know, those girls have worked so hard for their position. 1.00

00:35:09.000 And to have it taken away from them by someone who couldn't rank in their own sport, then field, it's demoralizing.

00:35:21.000 And it also weighs on the whole topic of being a woman, being proud to be a woman, being proud to be a strong female athlete.

00:35:31.000 And I wouldn't want that taken away from anybody.

00:35:34.000 That's right, having the glorious chance of accomplishment.

00:35:36.000 I mean, we'll never win if we're playing against biological boys. 0.92

00:35:40.000 We'll never have that glorious feeling of crossing the finish line first or being the one who has the game winning shot because it's always going to go to a man.

00:35:47.000 It's just one of the basic things.

00:35:49.000 We always talk about the unfairness of it and the safety of it, but just think about that, like the glorious feeling of winning, which I never had because I wasn't an athlete.

00:35:57.000 But you had it.

00:35:58.000 I don't know.

00:35:59.000 I feel like politics somewhat is form of an athletic feat.

00:36:02.000 So there's.

00:36:04.000 You know, I had it like when Don Lemon got fired.

00:36:08.000 Charlie's coming out with a book.

00:36:10.000 Yeah.

00:36:11.000 He's coming out with a book, Stop in the Name of God, which is a great title. 0.99

00:36:15.000 Stop in the Name of God.

00:36:16.000 And what is it about?

00:36:17.000 Took him a year and a half to write it.

00:36:19.000 And this book, I mean, when I'm reading it, I'm like, I did not even know you knew that.

00:36:26.000 It is so powerful.

00:36:29.000 Overarching theme of it is the power of honoring the Sabbath and the importance of rest.

00:36:36.000 And reading this, and I even brought one of his journals with me to read out of it because the thing that's so interesting about reading this book and reading this journal, and I know a lot of you that are Christians will understand this.

00:36:49.000 They tell you that when you read the Bible, it's the living word of God, and it is.

00:36:54.000 And you see the Lord in technicolor when you read the Bible and you actually understand those words.

00:37:04.000 And so for me, reading Charlie's journals and reading this book, it's like he's, I mean, he's still, he's present with the Lord, but it feels like he's still fully here.

00:37:20.000 And that's what's so powerful about this book.

00:37:22.000 And I watched him as a wife completely transform into an already, I mean, he was already amazing and incredible, but it totally elevated him when he was honoring the Sabbath and when he really took that seriously, that time to rest seriously.

00:37:41.000 And I just can't help but think, like, everything, and to go to your point of signs, I don't think anything is by coincidence, but to have this be his last book and to him totally master what it means to rest with the Lord, it's all for us full circle now because it's the ultimate Sabbath where he is right now.

00:38:05.000 When did you get to read it?

00:38:07.000 When?

00:38:08.000 as much as I can, driving into the office or...

00:38:11.000 You know what I mean?

00:38:11.000 Was it written in its entirety before Charlie died?

00:38:14.000 Yes.

00:38:15.000 It was.

00:38:15.000 Yes, it was.

00:38:16.000 He finished writing this, I believe, in July, June or July of this year.

00:38:21.000 So you had read it?

00:38:24.000 But to read it in a book format and not an email format that he would send me is night and day difference, yeah.

00:38:31.000 What are the pages that are folded up?

00:38:32.000 The one that I, well, all of them are amazing, but the one that I wanted to read was the part about sleeping because Charlie, his adrenaline was always going, and it was very hard for him to turn his brain off at night.

00:38:46.000 Henceforth, snacks at like 2 a.m.

00:38:50.000 Did you tell me olives and bananas?

00:38:52.000 Not together.

00:38:54.000 Not together, but you know, but it was like even snacking in a healthy manner.

00:38:57.000 Almonds, yeah.

00:38:59.000 Also, we do have to discuss the fact that you said he only had mint chocolate chip ice cream once a year.

00:39:04.000 Twice.

00:39:05.000 Twice.

00:39:06.000 Fourth of July on his birthday.

00:39:07.000 And no ice cream any other day.

00:39:10.000 His self-control and self-discipline was phenomenal.

00:39:14.000 And to the point, too, where when I was pregnant, 70% of the reason why no one saw me when I was pregnant was because of this situation.

00:39:22.000 The other 30% was because I just was with my babies.

00:39:26.000 But 70% of it was, I'm really hungry.

00:39:31.000 I think I, should I have a milkshake?

00:39:32.000 Baby, get that milkshake. 0.68

00:39:34.000 But I don't know if I should have that milkshake.

00:39:36.000 You need the milkshake.

00:39:37.000 I'm going to go and get you that milkshake.

00:39:38.000 Do you want a hot fudge Sunday too?

00:39:40.000 I'm going to get the In-N-Out burger.

00:39:41.000 No questions.

00:39:42.000 I'll be right back.

00:39:43.000 Animal style.

00:39:44.000 So he'd come home.

00:39:46.000 He loved it because he loved driving around at night.

00:39:48.000 So he'd come home with the In-N-Out burger, animal style, protein stuff, whatever mixed in with the hot fudge Sunday, the chocolate shake.

00:39:55.000 And he would be so excited to give it to me and watch me eat it.

00:39:59.000 But that was because he was living vicariously through me.

00:40:02.000 So no joke, I got to like 190 pounds.

00:40:05.000 I was like, I am literally going to weigh more than you by the end of this pregnancy.

00:40:09.000 And he'd be like, baby, you look great.

00:40:11.000 You look, don't worry about that.

00:40:13.000 That's just baby weight.

00:40:14.000 I mean, granted, it does go away.

00:40:15.000 It takes a long time.

00:40:16.000 He's sitting there eating his olives.

00:40:17.000 No, no, he's just watching me.

00:40:18.000 And I'm like, I will enjoy this hot fudge Sunday while you wish that you could have.

00:40:23.000 But he was so self-disciplined and he was so good about eating.

00:40:27.000 He was biohacking, it was his love language of being healthy, eating clean.

00:40:32.000 He could not operate on fast food the way that he was in general.

00:40:37.000 Like, that's why he never drank.

00:40:38.000 That's why he never, it wasn't from, you know, a motive of I'm better than whoever.

00:40:44.000 It was from the motive of, I need to operate as if I'm going to war every single day, and I can't operate on this type of food.

00:40:53.000 And speaking of the sleep, that's very important.

00:40:55.000 Right.

00:40:55.000 So the sleep was important because I was like, he loved his sleep.

00:40:59.000 And something that I was very intentional about is when he came home, I would always let him sleep in, always on the weekends.

00:41:07.000 I would take the kids, go for a walk, whatever it took, and I would want him to wake up when it was time to wake up because I knew how important rest was for him.

00:41:14.000 And so when I read this in the book, I just, it was on my heart to share it with you because the title of it says, Jesus Slept, Elijah Slept, and so can you.

00:41:26.000 And he said, so start tonight, close the laptop, power down the phone, let the dishes wait, pull the shades, dim the lights, and give your body permission to do what it was created to do, to rest.

00:41:41.000 Let your bed become an altar of trust as your head touches the pillow and whisper to God, I release it all to you.

00:41:50.000 You don't need to check one more email.

00:41:51.000 You don't need to prove anything.

00:41:53.000 You don't need to carry the weight of the world.

00:41:54.000 It already has a Savior.

00:41:57.000 And it's not you.

00:41:58.000 Sleep is not a distraction from your purpose.

00:42:01.000 It is part of your purpose.

00:42:03.000 It is a sacred rhythm that restores your mind, heals your body, and quiets your soul.

00:42:08.000 The Sabbath is your weekly reminder that you are not a machine.

00:42:12.000 You are a beloved child.

00:42:14.000 And children sleep well when they know their Father is near.

00:42:19.000 So go ahead, embrace the gift.

00:42:21.000 Make your Sabbath a day not just of rest, but of sleep.

00:42:25.000 Deep, joyful, and replenishing sleep.

00:42:28.000 You're allowed.

00:42:29.000 And more than that, you're invited.

00:42:31.000 Rest isn't weakness, it's worship.

00:42:34.000 And tomorrow will be better because you trusted God enough to rest today.

00:42:38.000 Wow.

00:42:40.000 And he was keeping the Sabbath.

00:42:43.000 He was.

00:42:44.000 So, with that, since today is his Sabbath, I wanted to read to you from his journal.

00:42:52.000 Oh, wow.

00:42:53.000 Is that it right there?

00:42:54.000 Yeah.

00:42:55.000 Wow.

00:42:56.000 His handwriting.

00:42:58.000 A note that he wrote to himself to honor the Sabbath.

00:43:04.000 He said, Dear Lord, thank you for a wonderful week.

00:43:09.000 Thank you for your endless protection and provision.

00:43:13.000 Father God, thank you for your mercy and grace.

00:43:17.000 Lord, I did better this week despite the challenges of travel.

00:43:21.000 I miss my wife.

00:43:24.000 It's hard to be away from her for a few days.

00:43:27.000 Thank you for giving us a roadmap of what it means to be obedient and put Christ first.

00:43:33.000 Lord, I have realized the following.

00:43:36.000 The battle against the mind is Satan's playground.

00:43:40.000 He dwells and prowls to destroy.

00:43:43.000 The more in alignment we walk in your command and teachings, the more joy and blessing we experience.

00:43:52.000 Lord, thank you for showing us the way, the truth, and the life.

00:43:57.000 Thank you for blessing our organization.

00:44:01.000 I pray for resolution amongst the divides that Satan is attempting.

00:44:06.000 Lord, we pray for blessing for the people who feel they have been wronged.

00:44:11.000 Father God, we ask for your guidance, wisdom, and direction, your comfort and your healing.

00:44:23.000 We love you, Lord.

00:44:25.000 Thank you for another Sabbath.

00:44:27.000 CK.

00:44:30.000 Wow.

00:44:38.000 Erica, I know you touched on it earlier, but one of the reactions I have to hearing that is, like, I get angry.

00:44:50.000 How can that man have been taken?

00:44:53.000 How he was all goodness.

00:44:56.000 The left who are bastardizing his memory have no idea what they're talking about.

00:45:00.000 Charlie was all goodness.

00:45:04.000 I know we can't understand God's plan, but have you had bouts of anger?

00:45:08.000 You know, I think about what the kids are going to miss, what you got gypped out of, what poor Charlie now is going to miss.

00:45:16.000 And I feel angry.

00:45:17.000 Sadness, of course, obviously, but yes, against the accused shooter, but just I know you don't ever feel angry against God, but I kind of do.

00:45:29.000 I understand.

00:45:30.000 How do you make sense of that?

00:45:31.000 And do you have any anger when you think about it towards the Lord, but in general?

00:45:38.000 The enemy would love for me to be angry.

00:45:41.000 He would love it.

00:45:43.000 He would love it.

00:45:48.000 Because it would distract me from building what Charlie entrusted to me.

00:45:54.000 Raising our babies.

00:45:58.000 Turning point.

00:46:00.000 Being there for the team.

00:46:03.000 Being there for what the future holds.

00:46:06.000 And if I had any amount of anger in my heart and spirit, the Lord would not be able to use me.

00:46:12.000 And every single day, just how Charlie did, stood on stage, he would say, here I am, Lord, use me.

00:46:18.000 And if I had that anger in my heart, that foothold from the enemy, he wouldn't be able to.

00:46:27.000 I know at Charlie's Memorial, right across the way here, there was that extraordinary moment where you forgave his accused killer.

00:46:39.000 And I mean, I looked and I said, that's the most powerful, strongest thing I've ever seen anybody do in my life.

00:46:46.000 And then somebody helped me understand because I thought I could never do it.

00:46:49.000 I could never do it.

00:46:50.000 And somebody said to me, forgiveness is an action, not an emotion.

00:46:55.000 And I was like, okay, that's getting me closer to feeling like I could do it if I don't actually have to feel loving in my heart toward the person.

00:47:04.000 But I wonder, like, how do you, if you could say something to him, if you could, like, if you say something to his parents, like, what would it be?

00:47:13.000 Would it be anger?

00:47:14.000 Would it be sympathy?

00:47:16.000 What would it be?

00:47:18.000 That's a good question.

00:47:21.000 It wouldn't be.

00:47:24.000 It wouldn't be sympathy.

00:47:26.000 wouldn't be anger.

00:47:41.000 How do you put this?

00:47:44.000 Anything that I could ever wish upon him or that family would pale in comparison of the justice of God.

00:48:02.000 And so I would look at them almost like, I'm so glad I'm not you.

00:48:15.000 I am so glad I'm not you.

00:48:19.000 And I pray that you figure out a way to be right with the Lord, but our God is, our God is sovereign, but he's also very just.

00:48:34.000 We serve him.

00:48:35.000 Very just-filled God.

00:48:39.000 So I really have nothing to say to any of them.

00:48:45.000 Yeah, nor do you need to.

00:48:48.000 Never.

00:48:48.000 You mentioned in your remarks at Charlie's funeral that you pointed out the irony that the accused shooter is exactly the kind of person who Charlie meant to help.

00:48:58.000 Yes.

00:48:58.000 I mean, that's kind of what he dedicated his life to doing.

00:49:01.000 He did.

00:49:01.000 Is trying to reach disaffected young men who had been forgotten by a system or worse than forgotten, remembered and told that they're terrible and to blame for everything.

00:49:11.000 And those messages for years now have really materially, seriously affected the health and mental well-being of a generation of young men who need turning point.

00:49:22.000 And so that's a huge responsibility for you.

00:49:26.000 Like, it's not just, oh, we have a great political organization and it's a really big thing and people love it.

00:49:32.000 You actually have to go about the business of saving an entire generation, in particular of young men, but young women too.

00:49:40.000 How are you going to do that?

00:49:43.000 I mean, I think everybody wants to know without Charlie, how are you going to do that?

00:49:50.000 A few things.

00:49:52.000 First, Charlie would say, I want to save the lost boys of the West.

00:49:59.000 That was on his, he had a to-do list, and that was on the top point of the to-do list.

00:50:08.000 That he had, he has that piece of paper still on his desk at his office.

00:50:15.000 But what's so powerful about all of this is that Charlie was so focused on the family.

00:50:22.000 He didn't believe that it was up to the government to raise your kids.

00:50:29.000 He wanted to not only empower the students, but also the parents.

00:50:34.000 And something that you've done so beautifully, Megan, is that your children, you've raised them with the truth and understanding the importance of loving this country.

00:50:45.000 You might not agree with everything that the government does.

00:50:48.000 That's life.

00:50:49.000 It's the government.

00:50:51.000 But you still love this country.

00:50:54.000 And so your babies even started turning point chapters.

00:50:59.000 But it's also because you as a parent saw how important that was.

00:51:03.000 And I think that's what's so special about Turning Point USA is that when we have these events, especially America Fest, it is so family oriented.

00:51:13.000 We're not out there trying to raise your kid.

00:51:16.000 We're trying to reaffirm what you've been telling them this whole time.

00:51:19.000 We're trying to reaffirm to them that there is a space for you.

00:51:24.000 We are here for the civil discourse.

00:51:26.000 We are here for the debates.

00:51:27.000 We are here for the dialogue.

00:51:29.000 We are here for the freedom of speech.

00:51:32.000 That's our role.

00:51:34.000 Save Western civilization.

00:51:38.000 But what Charlie loved, and him being a parent also, was that he wanted to inspire the parents to show their kids what true north is and then say, you have a home at Turning Point that will help fuel that even more.

00:51:54.000 And so that's how I view us being able to help.

00:51:57.000 Charlie spoke very frankly to young men.

00:52:00.000 He did it on my show many times.

00:52:02.000 And one of my favorite clips of him is the dating advice one.

00:52:06.000 Right?

00:52:06.000 Do you know the clip I mean where he said, you got to pay on the first date to the guys.

00:52:11.000 When you are courting a woman, he said, when you are courting, yes.

00:52:15.000 He was very sweet to those guys. 0.53

00:52:16.000 He says, you seem like nice guys, but it's absolutely ridiculous that you're talking about not paying.

00:52:20.000 Right.

00:52:20.000 So let me ask you the other side of it.

00:52:22.000 What's your advice to young women who get asked out by young men?

00:52:28.000 Well, stay away from hookup culture.

00:52:31.000 Don't just date to date.

00:52:33.000 If a guy wants to take you to drinks instead of dinner, that's a huge red flag.

00:52:38.000 If they don't want to go to church with you and have brunch afterwards, another huge red flag.

00:52:43.000 Don't introduce them to your family until you know without a shadow of a doubt that might be the man that you're going to marry.

00:52:51.000 And don't treat your boyfriend like your husband.

00:52:55.000 Don't treat your boyfriend like your fiancé.

00:52:58.000 Treat them like your boyfriend.

00:53:00.000 Treat your fiancé like your fiancé and your husband like your husband.

00:53:04.000 And I think that when you stay focused on the Lord and the lane that he has you in, which is a stream of significance, keep swimming in that.

00:53:15.000 The man that's supposed to be with you will not detract you from the Lord.

00:53:19.000 He'll enhance your focus on the Lord.

00:53:22.000 And he will help be there to build with you, to love on you, to be there for your family.

00:53:27.000 He won't tear you away from your family.

00:53:29.000 He won't challenge your beliefs in a way that makes you question the Lord and what you know in your heart to be true.

00:53:39.000 He'll love you so well, just like my Charlie did.

00:53:42.000 And he'll be a compliment to you in such a beautiful way.

00:53:47.000 And you'll be equally yoked where you're not having to compete and you're not having to strive.

00:53:54.000 The two of you are in lockstep and you're building something beautiful for the kingdom.

00:54:00.000 And it's powerful.

00:54:04.000 If I could, just a quick addendum. 1.00

00:54:07.000 Don't be a slut. 1.00

00:54:11.000 Right. 1.00

00:54:12.000 Just that too.

00:54:14.000 Note to self.

00:54:15.000 Note to self.

00:54:16.000 Right.

00:54:16.000 All right.

00:54:17.000 Now, in the time we have left, I've got to ask you this.

00:54:21.000 Turning point played a massive role in the past election, in the presidential election.

00:54:27.000 Massive role.

00:54:28.000 I know.

00:54:29.000 And so we have to talk about what Turning Point may or may not do in 26, and most importantly, in 28, and why is it get behind JD Vance?

00:54:40.000 Let's start with midterms first before we start jumping to 28.

00:54:44.000 And let's enjoy the fact that we do have Donald Trump in office and we worked really hard.

00:54:48.000 Let's enjoy that fact.

00:54:49.000 We worked really hard to make that happen.

00:54:51.000 My husband did.

00:54:53.000 So I just want to enjoy that for a minute before we start jumping ahead.

00:54:57.000 But my husband, like I said, built a machine.

00:55:04.000 And some of the secret sauce within that was that he loved the students.

00:55:13.000 But also he loved empowering them to know that they could make a difference and how important voting was.

00:55:21.000 And when you see these pictures of him when he first started Turning Point USA, he was so bought into his own mission.

00:55:28.000 He wasn't, you know, in an office cubicle while the students were out in an event. 0.97

00:55:34.000 He was there wearing his lanyard with his little name tag and a big gov sucks button and socialism sucks button. 0.82

00:55:45.000 And he believed in the mission so much.

00:55:49.000 And for lack of a better term, he knew that the unsexy work was what it took to save elections, which is tennis shoes and clipboards and speaking to your neighbors, knocking on doors, being involved with your community, not being afraid to explain to people why you believe what you believe.

00:56:12.000 And nothing is changing at Turning Point USA or Turning Point Action.

00:56:16.000 If anything, it's just continuing to grow.

00:56:17.000 I mean, you've seen the numbers of how many chapters and churches, and it's been phenomenal.

00:56:23.000 And yes, there is a structure of quality over quantity, but the 26 midterms, obviously we'll be focusing heavily on Arizona.

00:56:35.000 It's our home state.

00:56:39.000 But the thing I love the most, especially about, and if you guys have ever been to our campus, if you have not, I really suggest you come by.

00:56:49.000 We have a building that's specifically for the Turning Point Action building.

00:56:52.000 And it is one of my favorite buildings to go into because I feel the heartbeat of Charlie in there from a strategy standpoint because it's a literal, it's like a war room in there.

00:57:01.000 They have the polling and they have the strategy laid out and they have the door knockers.

00:57:07.000 It's really, really powerful to witness.

00:57:10.000 And I can just see Charlie being like, knock on that one more door, one more door.

00:57:18.000 Talk to that neighbor one more time.

00:57:20.000 And so we are thrilled to be able to still make massive impacts and inroads with the upcoming elections.

00:57:27.000 And the team that Charlie built, I tell you what, I would bet on them any day.

00:57:34.000 Always.

00:57:35.000 You mentioned, I mentioned JD, you mentioned Trump.

00:57:37.000 Can you just give us a minute on them?

00:57:39.000 Because from afar, it has looked like they've been so there for you.

00:57:44.000 Yes.

00:57:45.000 And you know, I don't think most people were surprised to see JD do it, but everyone says Trump has no empathy. 0.98

00:57:52.000 He's a nasty guy. 0.99

00:57:55.000 He's a mean guy. 1.00

00:57:56.000 He's a Nazi. 0.99

00:57:57.000 Pick your term.

00:57:59.000 I saw him with you at the Presidential Medal of Freedom when he awarded it to Charlie posthumously.

00:58:04.000 Can you just tell us a little bit about how they've been behind the scenes in this whole thing?

00:58:08.000 Charlie and President Trump had a really special relationship.

00:58:15.000 It was one that some people would understand, others wouldn't.

00:58:20.000 At some times, it was fatherly son, but at other times it was this mutual deep respect of being able to build in a way where Trump understood building in Manhattan and building across the country and across the world architecturally.

00:58:40.000 And he also, Charlie understood building with Turning Point USA and his ability to see things that other people couldn't really see, especially in other people.

00:58:54.000 But what Charlie really appreciated about President Trump is that no matter what anyone says about him, he is so mission focused.

00:59:05.000 He's so laser focused.

00:59:06.000 And Charlie was the same way.

00:59:09.000 And he admired so much the president's tenacity to keep going, especially after January 6th, when no one wanted anything to do with him.

00:59:20.000 Charlie said, I got your back, and he meant it.

00:59:24.000 And in moments like that really put into perspective the human aspect of politics, you can go down the rabbit hole of slandering someone, but at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, the most important thing is that you realize that we're all just doing our best here with our one life that we have.

00:59:47.000 And the president was so good to Charlie from the standpoint of he didn't look down to Charlie.

00:59:54.000 He appreciated his ability to be able to mobilize the youth, but also to share the message of how amazing the country we live in.

01:00:05.000 Yes, we have faults.

01:00:07.000 Anything with humans have faults.

01:00:08.000 We're all sinful.

01:00:10.000 But he appreciated that Charlie was always there for him, and he was always there for Charlie.

01:00:14.000 And the president has always had a very soft spot in my heart because I got to witness that he wasn't just the president to my husband.

01:00:22.000 He was a friend.

01:00:24.000 And I'll never forget that.

01:00:26.000 And JD and Usha have been incredibly supportive.

01:00:30.000 It's been really nice to see.

01:00:32.000 And I look forward to you guys throwing the full weight of Turning Point behind them in about three years.

01:00:38.000 Am I being subtle?

01:00:40.000 No, don't worry.

01:00:41.000 It's already, you know, it's in the works.

01:00:43.000 But that was a thing that my husband was very direct about.

01:00:48.000 It was, interestingly enough, one of the last few conversations we had was how intentional he was about supporting JD for 28.

01:00:56.000 Yeah, he was totally behind JD.

01:00:58.000 And he was largely responsible for Trump picking JD.

01:01:01.000 That's true.

01:01:02.000 Okay, here's another one.

01:01:04.000 Charlie said on the record, Erica is way more conservative than I am.

01:01:10.000 Way more.

01:01:12.000 How so?

01:01:15.000 Well, first and foremost, we were always very in alignment with, obviously, a lot of things.

01:01:25.000 But there were certain things where we made sure that I a little in the beginning, and Andrew Colvet can attest to this.

01:01:34.000 It was an immigration side of things that I had a different viewpoint on.

01:01:40.000 And then he was like, I see that point.

01:01:42.000 It was a long time ago with student visa-related topics.

01:01:47.000 But other than that, we were in alignment with a lot of things.

01:01:51.000 I was just a little bit more direct behind the scenes about it, but we were always in lockstep with one another.

01:01:58.000 So people hoping for a turning point to go conservative light now that's not happening.

01:02:06.000 We are not Turning Point USA is now becoming feminized, let me tell you that.

01:02:10.000 That is not going to happen.

01:02:11.000 Awesome.

01:02:12.000 Never.

01:02:13.000 No, we have a great team.

01:02:15.000 We have a phenomenal group of people that are.

01:02:22.000 That's what's so amazing, too, about Turning Point is that after all this happened, we didn't have a mass firing.

01:02:30.000 We didn't have mass exodus.

01:02:32.000 We didn't have any issues internally.

01:02:35.000 Everyone, we grieved.

01:02:38.000 But we were able to pull off an unbelievable memorial service.

01:02:45.000 It was incredible.

01:02:46.000 But that just is a testament to the team.

01:02:48.000 I mean, that's not normal.

01:02:51.000 That is the Holy Spirit moving within the organization.

01:02:55.000 And now more than ever, I see the strength of the organization because people aren't just there to write emails.

01:03:06.000 And that's why the age of the individuals that work at the office, everyone's so young.

01:03:12.000 Charlie didn't care if you went to college.

01:03:14.000 He actually preferred that you didn't.

01:03:16.000 He'd hire you right out of high school.

01:03:18.000 But the organization itself is so healthy and the culture is so healthy.

01:03:26.000 And our chapters, and the students, and the field program, and the Charlie Kirk show, and the events team, and everyone that is a part of the organization goes back to that tapestry of, yeah, there's a bunch of threads, but woven together, the organization is phenomenal.

01:03:44.000 So, no, we are not weakening at all.

01:03:47.000 We are not becoming feminized at all.

01:03:49.000 If anything, we're being more emboldened, and we will carry on my husband's legacy in a way that no one could even have imagined, and will make it everything he could have ever dreamed of and more.

01:03:58.000 Amen.

01:04:00.000 Amen.

01:04:02.000 God bless you.

01:04:03.000 God bless your children.

01:04:05.000 God bless Turning Point USA.

01:04:07.000 And you let all of us know if you need anything.

01:04:10.000 Prayers.

01:04:11.000 Prayers would mean everything.

01:04:13.000 You got it.

01:04:14.000 Wisdom and discernment and protection.

01:04:17.000 And just pray for our country.

01:04:18.000 Pray for our leaders.

01:04:20.000 Pray for people that you don't agree with.

01:04:23.000 You don't have to like them, but just pray for them.

01:04:27.000 Pray that the Lord softens their heart.

01:04:29.000 Pray that the Lord has his will be done and justice always prevails.

01:04:34.000 And just pray that we're on it.

01:04:38.000 We love you.

01:04:39.000 I love you.

01:04:40.000 And we love Erica.

01:04:42.000 Thank you.

01:04:44.000 Don't forget to buy the book.

01:04:45.000 Stop in the name of God.

01:04:47.000 You can get it now.

01:04:48.000 Thank you.

01:04:49.000 Thank you so much.

The Charlie Kirk Show - November 30, 2025

"We Always Lived as if it Was Our Last Day" — Erika Kirk and Megyn Kelly LIVE

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