More than 100 of Charlie Kirk’s supporters gathered Monday to mourn the assassination of the Turning Point founder in the town that kick-started his political career.
A policeman stood guard outside the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jackson, where the service was held.
“We have no fear,” Pastor David Bott told people in the packed pews. “No fear,” he said, even though there are “concerned folks outside the building who are worried about us.”
Kirk’s death, Bott said, revealed the actual cost of discipleship. “We see how high that cost can be,” Bott told mourners.
Bott prayed that Kirk’s assassin would repent. “He considered Charlie unworthy of life,” Bott said of the person who shot the conservative activist on Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University.
“What was really happening was this guy was coming to town to lead us.”
Judd Grossman
The pastor gave his sermon to members of his flock and visiting mourners unfamiliar with the Lutheran way. “My wife told me to pick familiar hymns,” he said while welcoming strangers.
Lynn Friess, wife of the late Foster Friess, who gave Kirk’s organization its first big check, was in the congregation. A day earlier, she announced that she would give $1 million “to support the thousands of new [Turning Point USA] chapters springing up across the country.”
“Foster always believed in Charlie’s vision and often said that helping Charlie build TPUSA was the best investment he ever made,” her Facebook post announcing the donation read.
Devastated
“I never met the man,” Bott said of Kirk. Nevertheless, upon learning of the assassination, “I found myself choked up.”
Many were similarly shocked.
Mourner Hort Spitzer said he had guided two late wives through cancer to their ends. Yet with Kirk, “I’ve never been so emotionally affected by someone’s death.”
Judd Grossman, who met Kirk when Foster Friess first brought the young activist to Jackson to make connections and raise funds, was equally devastated. He called the assassination the most momentous and consequential killing since those of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
“I definitely see him as probably the most dynamic leader in the conservative movement besides Trump,” Grossman said. “He was actually a leader of people. He could have been president.”
Among hymns, readings and prayers, Pastor Bott said Kirk had a powerful intellect.
“He simply asked people who disagreed with him questions,” Bott said. “That challenged his detractors to do something they weren’t used to — think.”
When challenged, the pastor said, Kirk “just responded with truth.”
Kirk had critics who said he was hateful, but Bott said the political activist’s trademark speeches on college campuses were polite and respectful.
Grossman got a sneak peek at Kirk’s passion, focus and dedication about 13 years ago. Foster Friess set up a lunch meeting among Kirk, Grossman and the late state Sen. Leland Christensen at the Wort Hotel in Jackson.
“When Foster invited me to something, it was always interesting,” Grossman said.
Didn’t finish his lunch
Despite not having any money, Grossman thought he and Christensen earned an invitation to support Kirk’s mission because of their conservative credentials.
“I felt puffed up,” Grossman said. Kirk was just a teen, Grossman remembered.
“I thought, ‘OK, here’s this young kid. Leland and I will mentor him, impart our wisdom about the deep roots of conservative philosophy. It will be great for the kid.’”
Grossman remembers seeing Kirk silhouetted in the large windows of the Wort, the world passing by on Jackson’s Broadway just outside.
Then began “five to 10 minutes of chit-chat,” Grossman said, “trying to tell him a little about Jackson Hole, the Tea Party.”
The two sensed something amiss. Kirk’s phone rang, he took the call and disappeared for a few minutes. Back at the table, he got to the point.
“I gotta go,” Kirk said, according to Grossman.
“He was gone,” Grossman said, “our meeting was cut short.”
As for the lunch, “I’m not sure he ate much of it at all.
“I was like ‘The nerve of this guy, he’s missing out on all this wisdom,’” Grossman recalled.
“It was kind of funny and a little embarrassing,” Grossman said in hindsight. “I thought I was a little more important than I [really] was.”
Grossman believed he and Christensen were there to pass the conservative torch to another generation.
“What was really happening was this guy was coming to town to lead us.”
“He [was] laser-focused,” Grossman said. “His job was to raise some money. He didn’t have any time to waste.
“It’s extra poignant now that his life has been cut short.”
With all due respect for the passion of those commenting on this article, I think they are missing the critical point – free speech! Would Mr. Kirk have celebrated the firing of those expressing anything less than adulation for his positions? Would Mr. Kirk have supported the US government being mobilized to suppress dissenting opinions?
How on earth can folks celebrate Kirk’s advocacy for bringing “both sides” debate to college campuses, while cheering the suppression of just such debate regarding the views he espoused while living?! “Bring it on” was his mantra, no? Such rejection of the basic concepts of free speech and open debate are a grave insult to the memory of the very man they seek to lionize. I suspect he would be ashamed of his “supporters”.
Today Cynthia Lummis said that she no longer supports the First Amendment to the US Constitution. She is not fit to hold public office.
https://www.semafor.com/article/09/18/2025/kimmels-suspension-prompts-free-speech-republicans-to-reconsider-their-boundaries
It amazes me how so many people label Charlie Kirk a bigot and racist, but with 1000’s of his videos being posted online, not one person can refer to any video that supports their claim.
Rod, it’s easy to search for Charlie Kirk quotes that were offensive. They may not seem offensive to some Kirk followers, as what Kirk said agrees with them.
This is complete nonsense. It sounds like you’re just in a media bubble and haven’t been exposed to the many gross comments he’s made
I wonder if more than these “100 supporters of Charlie Kirk” attend church every time there is a school shooting……… Or just send “thoughts and prayers”.
Lionizing Charlie Kirk is comparable to awarding Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom. They were both purveyors of anger and divisiveness. Rush was perhaps the template upon which Kirk devised his platform. Debating with college students by using emotionally laden “factoids” provided by staff in a setting where he talked over and down to ill prepared adversaries. Of course, as with Limbaugh, the water carriers gleefully cheer when an opponent is dashed upon the rocky shoreline of blather and innuendo. Thus, a never diminishing audience of rapt supporters and sycophants, among them the current star hypocrite in the Whitehouse. Closing banks in honor of a “personality.” Sheesh.
As a Wyoming expat, I like to read wyofile to stay up to date with events back home. In all honesty, I usually skip articles focused on Jackson hole, not expecting to connect with the topics. But I was surprised by this headline, not knowing Kirk had roots in Jackson.
I am very impressed with Angus’ writing here. In a short piece, I think he communicated very clearly what kind of connections Kirk had, and the context of those roots within Wyoming’s political landscape. Nice work, and thank you for informing me.
Looks like the fake Christians won’t accept that their rhetoric is responsible for this shameful act.
WHAT?!?!?!?
Try thinking
Your tin foil hat is impressive! Where did you buy it… 40 years ago?
You should put one on, you would be more likely to be right.
Kirk was paid by Jackson billionaires to sew the wind of political zealotry and unfortunately harvested the whirlwind of hate.
I get this is your opinion.. but can you provide any reference with 1000’s of videos available online to support your opinion? Yeah… I know you can’t.
there have been many people pointing out his bigoted, hateful, and racist speech. just because you refuse to acknowledge them doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened.
Pastor Bott, who had never met Kirk, said that he found his speech’s on college campuses to be “polite and respectful “.
The problem is not how he said things, it is what he said.
Does the old term “silver tongued devil” ring a bell?
A lot depends on the opinions and interpretation by the reader of his owrds. We all judge everything by our own belifs.
I personally believe murdering a young father 9or anyone else) as very very wrong. No possible good can result form it.
I can’t believe people are making a martyr out of that racist bigot who advocated for christian nationalism. Oh wait, yes I can.
Imagine being more affected by a loud racist’s death than by the deaths of your *own two wives*. I can’t even.
That Charlie Kirk was assassinated is a tragedy. Nonetheless, he was a racist and an antisemite.
My gosh, how is this a news article worth printing? Can we stop with the hyperbole of the day nonsense? (“the most momentous and consequential killing since those of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy”?) I mean, please, Kirk was essentially a social media influencer and Troll, not much more. The gaslighting reflected in this article is astonishing. I guess Wyofile figured it better get on the “right” bandwagon here. Ask yourself, what is the purported news of this article? That a bunch of rich Jacksonites went to church to sing kumbaya for Kirk because they wanted to be seen and heard as being properly sad? Hopefully this kind of stuff gets put in the trash can annals of history sooner than later, and we can be left to focus on reality and other pressing matters that are actually important.
Perfectly said
Kirk was arguably the most effective political figure in America besides President Trump. Not just a pundit, but also the builder and leader of a movement. He was on track to run for president in the not too distant future. The assassin changed American history. This was definitely akin to the RFK and MLK assassinations. It is tragic for our country when the best and brightest among us are hunted and murdered.
I refuse to believe that the “best and brightest” of the republican party was someone who peddled white nationalist bigoted beliefs.
If that’s true, it shows how low the republican party has fallen.
I would challenge all of those who are making Kirk a hero to own what he said. Do all of you agree with the remarks he made about race, women, sexual orientation? I truly am puzzled. I thought we were an equality state.
Most of the alt-right chrump loving sycophants who post here would be in lockstep with what kirk presented. They are also the ones who claim wyofile discriminates against “conservative” view points and posts.
If you want others to mourn your idol, don’t idolize a bigoted white nationalist grifter.
Chuck, you say Kirk was a “bigoted white nationalist grifter”.
Someone killed him because they believed that, just as you do.
They killed him for disagreeing with him on societal/political opinions.
MANY on the left are literally joyful over Kirk’s assassination.
Do you think that pervasive and commonly found attitude is healthy, Chuck?
you have created multiple accounts here only to glaze yourself and try to win online arguments with complete strangers. forgive me if i don’t take your lack of honesty and integrity seriously chad/jack/doug.
the great replacement theory that kirk peddled is white nationalist thinking.
his comments on blacks being of lesser intelligence (kentaji brown jackson, and michelle obama) come straight from the klan’s playbook.
calling for bullying of artemis langford and others who supported her at UW shows his bigotry in full force.
he peddled his bigoted, racists, white nationalist views to the GOP and people like you swallowed it whole. he made money off these beliefs. that makes him a grifter.
in no way should he have been shot the way he was. but, in no way should he be held to a christ-like status like you people wish him to be.
he contributed to hatred and division. just like you try to do here with your multiple names. he’s not the first person who monetized hatred of others and he certainly won’t be the last.
people like you cheered the attack on paul pelosi and made off color jokes about it. people like you didn’t say a peep when melissa hortman and her husband were killed in minnesota. In fact, you people cheered mike lee’s callous statement on the matter. now, you people are wanting to force everyone to mourn your idol the same way that you do.
reflect on what you role you have played in the political divide instead of blaming those who don’t agree with you chad/jack/doug.
You didn’t answer the question, Chuck. You deflect and double down on how evil you think Charlie kirk was. You the break into whataboutisms to justify violence. Kirk was murdered for what he said and thought, and thats apparently just fine with “the left”.
“people like you” “you people”……..
You continually try to put me in a MAGA hat, Chuck.
I have never supported trump\maga, he\they live rent free in your mind and anyone you disagree with is immediately painted as “the Maga enemy”. Your ability to break free from your professional wrestling entertainment programming seems impossible.
there was never a justification for violence. you are, once again, being dishonest.
perhaps you should have one of your alter egos reread what i wrote. the rest of your response is nonsense.
CG: you say that “They killed him for disagreeing with him on societal/political opinions.” and you know this because you have a direct line of communication with the alleged assassin? and “MANY on the left are literally joyful over Kirk’s assassination” Hogwash. again, how have you gained this insight? Your comments reflect your opinion, and that’s OK, but give others the courtesy of stating their opinions. Doors open both ways, and that’s for a reason.
Violence has never resolved issues, but societal trends more and more toward hostility and divisiveness and I lay blame on social media and politicians for this, and that would include influencers such as Kirk. You can disagree if you like, that’s your right.
When I heard the news of Charlie Kirk’s shooting, I was sickened, repulsed, and saddened. I thought what are we coming to be in our country? I knew him as a conservative talking head. Since then as I’ve watched interviews of him, listened to his podcasts, I’ve come to understand how much of a religious extremist he was. A religious extremist thinks their way is the only way and the rest of the population must think how they do. He was insulting, holier than thou, and zeroed in on young people he could manipulate to the cause. Very smart tactic for the cause I might add. He seemed more respectful in interviews with adults. (If I sound cold, check out Joni Ernst and her mentality. I would assume some folks reading this would support her.) We need a leader more than ever in our country. Trump spews paranoid toxic propaganda and fear to manipulate good folks into supporting his agenda. Trumps comments after Kirk’s death only will divide our country even more. Not anyone, I’ll say it again-NOT ANYONE in my circle of folks (who are democrats, republicans, christians, free thinkers…) made light of the horrible act that day. I was arriving at my Maga, project 2025 friend’s house right when it happened and we both felt the same about the tragedy. Years ago, her and I agreed to disagree and we treat each other with respect. My opinion of Charlie Kirk does not in any way take away from the compassion I feel for his wife, his children, his family, and friends. I feel for all the folks who were there and who were watching even if I feel he and his supporters seem to be religious extremists. To compare him to Martin Luther King or Robert Kennedy is inappropriate because Charlie Kirk only stood by his opinions. To be a good leader, one must lead us all. That being said, he would not have been presidential material. RIP Charlie Kirk.
Quite the hagiography. But as historians know, all hagiographies must be taken with grains of salt, as they say far more about the authors and their agendas than about the subject. And the agendas do not involve truth. The truth is that Charlie Kirk was just another casualty in the increasingly hot, senseless, counter-revolutionary culture wars in which he was not only an active participant, but an instigator. What a sad state of affairs.
Well said, Robert!
Evidently, Bott is another person who, like Kirk, thinks that Black women don’t know how to think
That quote was taken out of context. But it is true that Judge Bbrown was a DEI choose as President Biden committed to choosing a black female justice even though they only make up 6% of the population and the Supreme Court already had a proportionate representation of blacks.