The battle for Charlie Kirk’s legacy

**Justin Webb** (0:00)
Charlie Kirk was an almost mythical figure to the Trump administration. He had an uncanny ability, they believed, to speak to and to understand the ambitions of young people. And he was praised repeatedly by the president for his role in delivering him the White House. And after Charlie Kirk was killed almost a year ago, Donald Trump called him a hero.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:21)
And so on that terrible day, September 10th, 2025, our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal.
He's a martyr now for American freedom. I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk and neither now will history.

**Justin Webb** (0:48)
But now almost a year since Charlie Kirk's death and with the trial beginning of the man accused of killing him, the battle for his legacy is in full swing at a moment when the Republicans' grip on young voters could itself be weakening. So has Charlie Kirk's legacy been hijacked? Do Republicans still know what young people want? And what does it all mean for the midterms? Welcome to Americast.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:13)
Americast.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:14)
Americast from BBC News.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:16)
You hear that sound? Oh, I think when I hear that sound, it reminds me of money.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:21)
We didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. This is a big cover-up and this administration is engaged in it.

**Justin Webb** (1:29)
This guy has Trump derangement syndrome.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:31)
I have four words for you.

**SPEAKER_8** (1:34)
Turn the volume up.

**Justin Webb** (1:41)
Hello, it's Justin talking to you from the fair city of Bath in the west of England.

**Anthony Zurcher** (1:46)
Lovely bath. It is Anthony here in the not-so-fair city of Washington DC, where it feels like a swamp.

**Justin Webb** (1:52)
Now, we're kicking off this week with this really interesting business of not just Charlie Kirk and who he was, and the fact that the trial is taking place, Anthony, but actually this weird and really rather unpleasant battle that there is about his legacy, but also these crazy conspiracy theories about why he was killed in the first place. So the trial is going on. Tyler Robinson is the man who's accused of shooting him. You remember that happened at this university in Utah.
We should begin, I suppose, with what we know actually about that trial, because I'm right in thinking, aren't I, Anthony, that this is a preliminary stage of it, and the issue that they're trying to get to at the moment is whether or not it can be a potential death penalty trial. Is that, am I right in thinking there?

**Anthony Zurcher** (2:45)
Yeah, that's exactly what's happening. This is a preliminary measure. It's essentially like a five day mini trial where the prosecutors are presenting their evidence, not to a jury, but to the presiding judge in this case, and the judge will decide whether aggravated murder charges are appropriate here. They're presenting evidence, they're presenting videos, they're presenting testimony.
In fact, they're going to play some of the interview with Lance Twigg, who was Tyler Robinson's romantic partner, and he was one who ultimately turned Robinson in, and is cooperating with the prosecution. There's going to be video of the murder played out in court. All of this is being live streamed, so we're going to be able to keep track of what's going on inside the courtroom. This is happening in Provo, Utah, and Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, has been in attendance. She has a lawyer there who has been occasionally interjecting. So this is essentially a preview into what the trial will be, and giving us a little hint of what kind of a case the prosecution has.

**Justin Webb** (3:53)
Right. So, I mean, when we say preliminary, there is real stuff happening. I mean, these are real arguments, and they're arguments that obviously could have a huge impact on the case itself. But they're also the first opportunities, I suppose, for us to hear some evidence, and for Charlie Kirk's family, and indeed his widow, to come face-to-face with this man who's accused of shooting him.

**Anthony Zurcher** (4:17)
Right. And so it's a preview, because as you mentioned, there are so many conspiracy theories floating around now within the right-wing movement that Charlie Kirk created. This, in theory, might dispel some of them, but it also, if things aren't presented clearly, or if not all of the evidence is allowed to be aired during this preliminary hearing, it might fan some of the flames of the conspiracy theories. And you have to remember the importance of Charlie Kirk.
We talked about this after he was killed last year, but he was a central figure in the conservative youth movement. And even more than that, he was a central figure in Donald Trump's re-election campaign, in his turning point organization, essentially took over the ground game for the Republican Party in the run up to the November 2024 presidential election. And he was a big reason why the youth vote, which normally Democrats dominate, ended up breaking to Donald Trump, at least among young white males, and certainly the margins overall much closer than they normally are.