Key Takeaways:
- A Vision Realized: Moreno remembered Kirk as a young man with an audacious idea—mobilizing students to defend America’s future—that grew into Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s most influential conservative groups.
- Political Targeting: He called Kirk’s murder a “political assassination,” blaming the attack on left-wing hostility toward free speech and conservative thought.
- Fight for Liberty: Moreno warned that Republicans and conservatives are being “hunted” for their beliefs, stressing the need for courage to defend American values and debate in the public square.
On Fox News Channel’s Ingraham Angle Wednesday night, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) reacted to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk with a somber warning.
“I’m actually going to be honest, probably, like a lot of people who knew Charlie, I don’t think I’ve processed completely,” Moreno said. He recalled first meeting Kirk when he was just a kid with a big dream. “He had this big idea that he’s going to transform young people, make them engage in the future of this country. And I got the opportunity to see him grow this little idea into this incredible organization.”
That “little idea” became Turning Point USA—an entrepreneurial success story that reshaped American politics by mobilizing young conservatives and breaking the left’s monopoly on college campuses. Kirk’s vision empowered a new generation to embrace free enterprise, limited government, and American exceptionalism.
But Moreno was blunt about the price Kirk paid for that vision. “Republicans and conservatives are being hunted right now,” he warned. “This is a political assassination. This was a lunatic hunted because of his views, because of his willingness to share his opinions, which is what the left fears more than anything else, because they have no opinions.”
Moreno’s words cut through the noise: Kirk’s murder wasn’t random—it was a direct attack on free speech and conservative values. And as America mourns, it’s a sobering reminder that the fight for liberty isn’t theoretical. It’s real, it’s costly, and it demands courage.