Charlie Kirk reflected on faith, family and entrepreneurship in his final interview
Just hours before he was assassinated on Sept. 10, Charlie Kirk sat on stage at the Restaurantology Summit in Salt Lake City for what would become his final interview.
The conversation, led by Andrew K. Smith, managing partner of Savory Fund, was meant to be a discussion about entrepreneurship, leadership and the growth of Turning Point USA. It turned into Kirk’s last recorded reflections on his work, family and his philosophy of life.
“He was full of life, he was optimistic,” Smith recalled on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”“He walked off stage and said, ‘How did I do?’ He wanted to know he did a good job. And I said, ‘Charlie, that was great.’ Within the hour, he was gone. We were in shock.”
Smith said there had initially been “kickback” from some in the restaurant industry about inviting Kirk, but the event turned hearts. “After that 35-minute conversation, I got a swarm of texts from people saying, ‘I didn’t know that about him, I didn’t know he was an entrepreneur like me.’ It actually changed their opinion of him entirely.”
During the interview, Kirk shared insights into the entrepreneurial grit needed to build organizations and his devotion to his family. He described Turning Point USA’s growth into a movement employing over 1,000 people and generating more than $140 million in combined revenue.
“I love building teams,” he said. “I know my skill set, managing day-to-day is not one of them. But vision, putting forward exactly how we’re going to get there, and being that life force, that’s what I do.”
Kirk also spoke candidly about his faith, insisting that no free society can survive without virtue, and that virtue requires grounding in God. He described his top priorities as “God, wife, kids, and network,” and stressed he wanted to be remembered for courage. “Courage is the ultimate virtue,” Kirk said. “Without it, there are no other virtues.”
For Smith, the final exchange was haunting. He asked Kirk to share a favorite quote that he lived by. “It will blow your mind,” Smith said. “You really felt the spirit he carried as a human, the optimism. That conversation will be something I remember for the rest of my life.”
Kirk left the stage at 11:23 a.m. He was shot less than an hour later.
