‘Have To Step Up’: RNC Chairman Reflects On Kirk’s Impact On Grassroots Mobilization

Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters reflected on the impact Charlie Kirk had on the conservative grassroots movement in an interview with the Daily Caller on Friday.

Kirk, age 31, was murdered on Wednesday while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University. The founder of Turning Point USA mobilized a one of a kind grassroots movement, winning over young Americans across the country. Gruters told the Caller about Kirk’s larger than life personality and the hole his death leaves in the conservative movement.

“You could call him the field general of the party,” Gruters told the Caller. “He was out there leading a movement with the younger generation that nobody’s come close to. I mean, the legacy that he’s left is undeniable. He was an absolute superstar, and it’s devastating for the party, the loss that we’re all going to feel for a long time, because a whole generation of people has lost somebody that’s easily recognizable as a result of his consistent effort to reach the younger generation through his podcast, through his visits to college campuses — he was unbelievable.”

Kirk grew Turning Point USA to be a presence on more than 3,500 college campuses and to have over 650,000 lifetime student members, the organization shares on their website. There are currently 300 full and part-time staff dedicated to their get out the vote efforts, recruiting new activists and training young people to become leaders in the party.

In the 2024 election, Kirk’s team barnstormed key swing states, working on registering Republican voters. It was an effort that impacted turnout for Trump and helped him win back the White House.

“His organization that he created with Turning Point was a game changer. They went and helped rally the troops, rally young voters, went to bat over and over again across the country. In some of these swing states, they supplemented the party’s efforts … and they’ve done a tremendous job,” Gruters said. 

The RNC chairman went on to call on members of the conservative movement to step up in memory of Kirk and the work he did for the movement. It’s a mission he says the RNC will help Turning Point fulfill.

“Now more than ever, I think people are going to have to step up. I don’t think anybody will ever come close to replicating what Charlie Kirk put in place, but I think Turning Point will live on,” Gruters told the Caller.

“I’ve already seen people talk about stepping up in both situations. Turning Point is a very strong organization that he built. And I think that’s going to move on, and we’ll continue to have them as a partner and as an ally, and even Ben Shapiro is raising his hand saying, I’m going to take up the mantle and start going to college campuses more.”

“That’s a start, but we’re going to need a lot of people to step up and raise your hand and be willing to do what Charlie Kirk did by himself,” the chairman told the Caller. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson’s ALP Donates $1 Million To Kirk Family, Launches Donation Site)

If you are a high school student, college student, or homeschooler and want to start a TPUSA chapter here is how:https://t.co/LcBe7vhCI6

— Alex Clark (@yoalexrapz) September 12, 2025

Trump announced Thursday that he will be awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom following his assassination. The president confirmed Kirk’s death on Wednesday after the Turning Point founder was shot in the neck while speaking to college students. During Kirk’s event, which had around 3,000 attendees, the university had assigned six campus police officers in addition to Kirk’s private security team to handle the event.

A university spokesperson told the Daily Caller the shot came from a building about 200 yards away.

🚨MUGSHOTS RELEASED: Tyler Robinson, 22, has been identified as the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah.

Robinson is currently in police custody. pic.twitter.com/JJ9b9zocPq

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 12, 2025

On Friday, the president and authorities confirmed that they had finally caught the alleged shooter. Officials revealed at a press conference that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was identified as the shooter and had been reported to authorities by a family friend.

At the press conference, authorities revealed that there were engravings in bullet casings from the rifle Robinson allegedly used containing a series of phrases such as “Hey fascist! Catch!,” “If you read this you are gay LMAO,” and “bella ciao.” The phrase “bella ciao” is the same as an Italian song that became a left-wing anthem during World War II, according to George Mason University.

“I thought he was a great communicator of conservative thought and ideas,” Gruters told the Caller of Kirk. “This whole thing is devastating, and I can’t say how sad I am, not for the impact that he had, but just for his family and for losing his life at 31 with two young children.”