The Matt Walsh Show - September 11, 2025


America Will Never Be The Same After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination


Episode Stats

Length

13 minutes

Words per Minute

152.50566

Word Count

2,042

Sentence Count

187

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

5


Summary

Charlie Kirk was a man of many talents. He was a husband, a father, a friend, an activist, a fighter, and a force to be reckoned with. On this day in history, he leaves behind a family and friends who will forever miss him.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 We will not have a normal show today. I want to talk to you about what has happened over the past 24 hours.
00:00:06.900 I have a lot to say, and I also don't know what to say at the same time.
00:00:11.260 I'm devastated, heartbroken, and very, very angry.
00:00:16.600 And I'll try to talk through some of that today.
00:00:18.640 There is a lot of news breaking about this shooting and the hunt for the assassin.
00:00:22.540 As I record this, most of the reports that are coming in are unconfirmed.
00:00:26.700 So I'm not going to comment on any of those specifics until the details are confirmed.
00:00:31.940 But for now, I just want to talk about Charlie and who he was, the legacy that he leaves behind, and a little bit about where we go from here.
00:00:43.300 Now, last time I saw my friend Charlie Kirk in person was when I appeared with him on stage at the TPUSA Pastor Summit back in the spring.
00:00:52.200 And I spoke with him backstage beforehand and told him, as I had several times before, that I was incredibly impressed by this institution and this movement that he built.
00:01:04.180 But he wasn't interested in listening to me compliment him.
00:01:06.980 He deflected, as always, and started talking, asking me about myself and saying nice and encouraging things.
00:01:13.760 Because a few months before that, in the wake of Trump's victory, Charlie made a point of posting something on X to give me partial credit for helping Trump win.
00:01:25.140 And it was one of the very few times that I disagreed with something that Charlie said.
00:01:31.340 The truth is that he was the primary reason why Trump won.
00:01:36.160 And it was his organizing and advocacy and activism and mobilization that helped to turn the tide.
00:01:41.700 And yet he wanted to give the credit to other people, even people who didn't deserve it.
00:01:45.800 And that's the kind of guy that Charlie was.
00:01:48.080 A very rare type in the world today, even rarer in this business.
00:01:52.260 So it may seem like a small thing, but Charlie's desire to give other people credit, to point to and praise and lift up other people rather than himself,
00:02:01.400 is one of the most profound testaments to his character.
00:02:04.240 Charlie was a truly great man, great in personal virtue, great in achievement, great in his talents.
00:02:15.960 He was a builder, he was an organizer, he was a fighter, which is a rare combination in this movement.
00:02:22.300 You've got a bunch of big personalities who can inform, entertain, hold your attention on stage or in front of a camera.
00:02:28.400 And then you have the organizers who know how to orchestrate and build and harness those personalities and point them in the right direction.
00:02:36.580 Charlie was one of the only guys I ever knew who was truly great in both areas.
00:02:42.640 He was a one of a kind talent.
00:02:45.640 Everyone who knew him and so many who did not know him personally could tell that he was destined to be the president of the United States one day.
00:02:53.820 I would have been proud to vote for him.
00:02:56.940 Tens of millions of Americans felt the same way.
00:03:00.800 Charlie was brave.
00:03:02.180 He would go anywhere, talk to anyone.
00:03:04.620 He would debate anyone in any environment.
00:03:08.000 He trusted in his own vast rhetorical skill and in the rightness of his ideas.
00:03:13.920 And most of all, as a man of deep faith, he trusted in the Lord.
00:03:16.680 I don't know if he had Isaiah 41.10 written as a mantra in his house somewhere, but it certainly seemed to be written on his heart, at least.
00:03:25.340 Fear not, for I am with you.
00:03:26.720 Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
00:03:29.520 I will strengthen you.
00:03:31.180 Yes, I will help you.
00:03:32.860 I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
00:03:36.640 He knew that the Lord was with him, protecting him, guiding his thoughts and his words,
00:03:39.960 which is really the only way to explain Charlie's nearly supernatural ability to win every debate he ever had with anyone.
00:03:49.020 God had called him to this moment and blessed him as he rose to it again and again.
00:03:56.420 Charlie was a patriot.
00:03:58.780 He loved America.
00:03:59.620 He fought for her every day.
00:04:01.700 He died for her.
00:04:03.640 His central ambition was not for his own personal advancement, but for the well-being and flourishing of this country.
00:04:09.960 For Charlie, make America great again, that was not just a slogan on a hat.
00:04:14.140 It was his mission.
00:04:15.320 It was his great project.
00:04:17.600 And he did more to complete that mission than you could ever expect one man to do.
00:04:23.180 Most importantly of all, of course, Charlie was a husband and a father.
00:04:25.960 He loved his family dearly.
00:04:26.960 You didn't have to know him or ever meet him in person to know that about him.
00:04:30.740 It came across in everything he said and did.
00:04:33.040 This was clearly a man who cherished his family, would have died to make a better world for them,
00:04:39.260 and did.
00:04:42.400 And now he's gone.
00:04:44.100 We've seen him die right in front of our eyes on stage.
00:04:47.020 He died while trying to have a free and civil debate,
00:04:50.760 which is all that he ever did.
00:04:53.400 He didn't insult, he didn't defame, he didn't shout anyone down.
00:04:58.740 He invited everyone to come and speak to him, to prove him wrong.
00:05:03.500 And for that, they killed him.
00:05:04.780 I have to tell you that as a fellow conservative in the public eye,
00:05:12.880 you know, I always worried that it would come to this,
00:05:15.860 that eventually they would start killing us.
00:05:20.640 But I never thought it would be Charlie.
00:05:23.240 He was the nicest, most generous, and charitable of us.
00:05:29.360 Far less inflammatory than plenty of other people in this space, myself included.
00:05:33.760 And they killed him in spite of that.
00:05:39.200 Or not in spite, but because.
00:05:40.900 He was too effective, he was too widely beloved.
00:05:45.360 Especially among the younger generations.
00:05:48.480 So they killed him.
00:05:51.200 I can only be honest with you in this moment and tell you that
00:05:54.100 that I am sad, I am heartbroken,
00:05:58.980 and I am full of rage.
00:06:02.980 If you want a kumbaya message of unity and togetherness,
00:06:07.500 you will not get it from me.
00:06:11.820 Over the past 24 hours, I've seen some in the media,
00:06:14.860 some of the very same people who intentionally stoked murderous hatred
00:06:18.040 against people like Charlie Kirk and Charlie Kirk specifically.
00:06:22.800 Now saying that we need to turn down the temperature
00:06:25.120 and start having conversations.
00:06:30.100 Well, Charlie tried to have conversations with you on the left,
00:06:33.000 and you killed him for it.
00:06:36.940 You're killing us in our churches.
00:06:39.180 You tried to kill our president.
00:06:41.160 You killed one of our greatest advocates in Charlie Kirk.
00:06:44.040 You have been openly cheering for and celebrating
00:06:46.020 and encouraging and committing political violence for years.
00:06:48.540 Antifa, BLM, well-funded, highly orchestrated,
00:06:51.980 widespread movements based in and fueled by violence.
00:06:56.700 You made a hero out of Luigi Mangione.
00:07:00.260 And you celebrate Charlie's death even now.
00:07:02.220 It's too late to turn the temperature down.
00:07:07.120 This is not a time to hold hands.
00:07:08.760 It's a time for justice.
00:07:09.980 This is a time for good to fight back against evil.
00:07:13.500 It is time for the righteous to prevail
00:07:15.940 for the sake of our country
00:07:18.280 and for our families and our children
00:07:20.200 and for Charlie.
00:07:23.820 Many of you have seen all the myriad posts
00:07:26.240 and videos from leftist demons
00:07:28.440 celebrating Charlie's death
00:07:30.760 I know we want to tell ourselves
00:07:33.600 that these are fringe voices
00:07:35.260 but they aren't.
00:07:39.000 There's a very large group of people out there
00:07:41.080 who want us dead.
00:07:43.500 Even in Congress,
00:07:44.580 they tried to have a moment of silence
00:07:46.120 after Charlie's passing
00:07:47.180 but Democrats jeered and heckled.
00:07:50.360 In Congress,
00:07:51.980 this is who they are.
00:07:55.120 Not on the fringes,
00:07:56.720 in the main.
00:07:57.460 They could not possibly
00:08:00.300 make themselves
00:08:01.300 any clearer about it.
00:08:03.920 But I do want to say this.
00:08:07.380 When I see these rodents
00:08:10.220 gloating now
00:08:11.100 over the death of my friend,
00:08:13.140 I'm,
00:08:13.460 of course, disgusted by it.
00:08:17.540 Yet also,
00:08:18.500 I truly see it
00:08:19.580 as a powerful tribute
00:08:20.820 to Charlie's life and work.
00:08:23.740 Charlie had many friends
00:08:25.080 who loved him dearly,
00:08:25.860 many fans who adored and admired him.
00:08:28.280 That's without a doubt
00:08:29.220 the greatest testament
00:08:30.960 to the sort of man he was.
00:08:32.000 No question about it.
00:08:32.840 But as a true culture warrior,
00:08:35.700 it must be said
00:08:36.780 that the evil gloating
00:08:38.760 of his enemies
00:08:39.520 are accolades
00:08:40.980 in their own right.
00:08:43.380 May we all be so successful
00:08:45.500 and productive
00:08:46.320 that our enemies
00:08:47.260 celebrate when we die.
00:08:50.240 May we all be so devastating
00:08:51.860 to the leftist project
00:08:53.020 that they long
00:08:54.480 for our demise.
00:08:56.620 May we all fight
00:08:57.560 so hard
00:08:58.140 and so effectively
00:08:58.880 that they have no choice
00:08:59.900 but to try to kill us.
00:09:02.460 May our lives
00:09:03.620 be a problem
00:09:04.480 for these people
00:09:05.480 and our deaths
00:09:07.500 a relief.
00:09:10.540 Let them dance
00:09:11.380 on my grave
00:09:12.180 as they dance
00:09:12.720 on Charlie's.
00:09:13.280 Then I will know
00:09:13.760 that I did my duty.
00:09:16.700 Our opponents
00:09:17.520 should be happy
00:09:18.520 when we leave the ring.
00:09:19.720 If they aren't,
00:09:20.800 then we didn't punch
00:09:21.560 hard enough.
00:09:24.260 Charlie punched
00:09:25.000 harder than anyone.
00:09:26.420 He did it with a smile.
00:09:27.780 He did it through speech
00:09:28.780 and debate.
00:09:30.520 He did it non-violently.
00:09:34.080 But he was a devastating
00:09:35.280 fighter all the same.
00:09:37.840 And his opponents
00:09:38.700 are overjoyed
00:09:39.700 because they think
00:09:41.900 they've gotten rid of him.
00:09:44.540 But they're wrong.
00:09:46.220 They have gravely
00:09:47.540 misjudged the situation.
00:09:49.100 They're wrong.
00:09:51.560 The only thing
00:09:52.420 more powerful
00:09:53.040 than a living fighter
00:09:54.180 is a martyred one.
00:09:57.040 In life,
00:09:57.940 Charlie motivated
00:09:59.280 and rallied us
00:10:00.240 to put on the armor
00:10:01.000 of God
00:10:01.460 and fight
00:10:02.100 for what we believe in.
00:10:03.700 In death,
00:10:04.300 he motivates
00:10:04.820 and rallies us
00:10:05.520 all the more.
00:10:06.180 I want to be very clear
00:10:10.000 that we will not
00:10:11.060 back down
00:10:11.880 after this.
00:10:12.700 We will not
00:10:13.280 shrink away
00:10:13.960 or go into hiding.
00:10:15.820 We will not
00:10:16.580 fall silent.
00:10:17.980 We will not
00:10:18.720 walk in fear.
00:10:21.160 We will stand
00:10:22.080 taller and prouder
00:10:23.160 than we ever have
00:10:23.960 and be louder
00:10:24.600 and bolder
00:10:25.220 than we've ever been
00:10:25.920 and fight harder
00:10:27.120 than we've ever fought.
00:10:31.380 You know,
00:10:31.880 they think they can
00:10:32.400 kill the movement
00:10:33.060 by killing us,
00:10:33.880 but in the entire
00:10:34.500 history of the world,
00:10:36.080 that strategy
00:10:37.180 has never worked.
00:10:39.400 And it won't work now.
00:10:41.040 I promise you that.
00:10:44.400 You can kill a man.
00:10:45.740 You can shoot him
00:10:46.340 in the neck on stage.
00:10:47.420 You can spill his blood
00:10:48.460 for the whole world to see,
00:10:50.240 but you cannot kill a cause.
00:10:53.440 Especially when that cause
00:10:54.420 is nothing else
00:10:55.020 but love of God,
00:10:55.840 love of country,
00:10:56.480 love of family.
00:10:57.540 That causes truth.
00:11:00.600 You can't kill the truth.
00:11:04.500 No matter how many of us
00:11:06.060 you shoot,
00:11:07.140 you cannot kill it.
00:11:10.120 You know,
00:11:10.700 many of us
00:11:11.400 conservatives
00:11:12.880 on the public stage
00:11:14.120 have seen the
00:11:15.080 death threats
00:11:16.240 and death wishes
00:11:16.820 over the last
00:11:18.180 several hours.
00:11:19.960 Leftists across
00:11:20.700 social media
00:11:21.260 are making their wish list
00:11:22.760 of who they'd like
00:11:23.440 to see assassinated next.
00:11:26.000 You know,
00:11:26.440 I've seen my name
00:11:27.040 on the list.
00:11:29.360 Benz is on it.
00:11:30.540 Many other names.
00:11:31.200 I do think
00:11:34.080 the chances
00:11:34.520 of a copycat event
00:11:35.540 are very high.
00:11:36.760 I do.
00:11:39.020 And that's why
00:11:39.840 I feel that
00:11:40.680 it's important
00:11:41.160 for me to say
00:11:41.880 that
00:11:42.160 I'm not going
00:11:44.360 to back down.
00:11:45.800 I'm not going
00:11:46.460 to hide.
00:11:47.620 None of us will.
00:11:48.960 None of us.
00:11:51.120 Because if we
00:11:51.780 back down,
00:11:52.300 then the demons
00:11:52.760 who killed Charlie
00:11:53.440 will win,
00:11:53.940 and they cannot win.
00:11:55.900 They will not win.
00:11:56.880 A day before
00:12:00.840 his death,
00:12:01.500 Charlie posted
00:12:01.980 a picture of Irina,
00:12:03.080 the young woman
00:12:03.600 who was killed
00:12:04.120 on the light rail
00:12:04.720 in Charlotte.
00:12:06.380 And he added
00:12:07.020 a short caption,
00:12:09.460 America will never
00:12:10.280 be the same.
00:12:11.440 He wrote.
00:12:13.840 Amen.
00:12:15.460 You had no idea
00:12:16.400 how right you were,
00:12:17.660 my friend.
00:12:19.700 America will never
00:12:20.420 be the same.
00:12:22.500 It will be better.
00:12:23.480 Thanks in large
00:12:26.660 part to your work,
00:12:27.560 your legacy,
00:12:28.160 your example,
00:12:28.780 America will
00:12:29.220 ultimately be a
00:12:29.800 better place.
00:12:30.240 But there's a lot
00:12:30.740 more to be done
00:12:31.300 in the meantime.
00:12:33.000 The fight continues.
00:12:36.240 You finished
00:12:36.880 your race,
00:12:37.800 Charlie.
00:12:38.140 You fought the
00:12:38.580 good fight.
00:12:39.040 You kept the faith.
00:12:40.660 And now we'll
00:12:41.340 take it from here.
00:12:44.340 And we won't
00:12:44.960 give up until
00:12:45.420 the work is done.
00:12:46.640 And you can rest
00:12:47.280 in peace knowing
00:12:48.120 that.
00:12:50.080 Godspeed.
00:12:53.900 Godspeed.
00:12:55.400 Godspeed.
00:12:56.500 Godspeed.
00:12:57.720 Godspeed.
00:12:57.980 Godspeed.
00:12:59.740 Godspeed.
00:13:00.560 Godspeed.
00:13:01.840 Godspeed.
00:13:03.280 Godspeed.
00:13:06.040 Godspeed.
00:13:13.300 Godspeed.
00:13:13.480 Godspeed.
00:13:14.100 Godspeed.
00:13:14.340 Godspeed.
00:13:15.180 Godspeed.
00:13:15.940 Godspeed.
00:13:17.000 Godspeed.
00:13:17.800 Godspeed.
00:13:22.620 Godspeed.