Senator Marshall: Charlie Was A Person Who Filled Us With Hope
Senator Marshall Joins NewsNation to Discuss The Passing of Charlie Kirk
Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined NewsNation to discuss the tragic death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, his earliest beginnings, the legacy he leaves behind, and how Charlie’s campus activism broke the mold.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
On the emotions swirling around the shocking news:
“Well, you know, first, I just want to reach out to his family here and let them know that God comforts us when we’re crushed in spirit. I know that Charlie was a person of faith, and I know that God will be there for his family in this moment. And I just would share with you that my staff is crushed. That there’s a bastion of young conservatives here, as you can imagine, people out here, you know, follow Charlie. I mean, they are his age, they’re his generation, and they are absolutely crushed.
“He was a leader. He was the Pied Piper. I wonder about when Buddy Holly died; they say the music died. And I feel like, you know, the music died today for this conservative movement, and we’ll be back. But I really had that feeling he was, he was like a musician, only it was with his words and his inspiration.”
On Charlie Kirk’s beginnings on campus:
“I mean, this guy…he started a new movement. If you think he drops out of college, he’s in his 20s. He starts this Turning Point USA…and he takes on the entire establishment of woke universities. And kids were wondering, what’s going on here? What happened to my university? We talked about agriculture and engineering. All of a sudden, we’re talking about political discord or whatever. So these so youngsters today looked up to Charlie. He was leading this movement. The number of young Republican conservatives out there is just exploding right now. And he was one of those beacons out there that they looked up to.”
On what made Charlie Kirk so special:
“You know, he’s one of those people, sometimes people take from you, and he was a person that would actually fill you with hope. You know, I pray every morning as I’d be a messenger of hope. And he was one of those people who would give you hope as well. And it just was an inspiration for me, like that’s who I’m fighting for.
“He’s my children’s age, so that’s the generation, and now my grandkids. So his kids would be the same age as my grandkids. So he’s an inspiration that I knew that I was leaving this world better than I found it. And then we were back. We really were back again, and that being Conservative was okay, that fighting for traditional Kansas family values are once again okay.”
On what Senator Marshall thinks about the response to Charlie’s death:
“Yeah, you know, I’m still sorting it out like you are. For certain, there’s no place for political violence here. And I’m sitting there today, you know, looking in the mirror, you know, am I part of the problem here? Is that the case or not?
“And I’m not blaming social media, not blaming the national media, but they’re part of this too. You know, if it bleeds, it leads, type of thing, I’m not going to get on national news today if I say, ‘look, we had an incredible bipartisan prayer breakfast today, there was about 15, 17 of us there, a freshman member of Congress kind of shared their story of faith.’ That’s not national news.
“So I don’t know, how can we share this part that we can we can certainly disagree and fight like heck on the Senate floor, but I had the greatest amount of respect for my colleagues across the aisle. I don’t agree with them, but I’m wrestling with that today as well. What have I done to contribute to the political unrest across this country? And we condemn the violence part of it. I want to fight for what I believe is right, so I’m wrestling with that tonight.”
On looking inwards and reflecting on the day’s events:
“Yeah, I think the challenge is, how do I institute that? I mean, people back home want me fighting for them, that we feel like… that our constitutional rights are being infringed upon. And I am a fighter, but where do we draw the line? It’s tough. I’m looking for answers, just like you all, and it’s not about me; it’s certainly about this family.
“But 40 or 50 people would be murdered in this country today. 100 people are going to die from fentanyl poisoning. I mourn for all those people. I mourn for all the violence. Is it just that we need to go back to basics here? And first of all, we need fathers in people’s homes to keep these boys and girls in check. But how do we just stop all the violence? How do we stop the killing in our own country? And, and this is, you know, again, this is a horrible day.”
On how Charlie Kirk broke the mold:
“Charlie was the Pied Piper. That’s why I keep thinking of Buddy Holly, the day the music died, that I feel like. I just feel like it was a part of our heart that’s ripped out. And I think about my own, my own young sons, and they’re more conservative than I am… and that Charlie Kirk gave them a voice, that gave them an inspiration and example. I mean, this guy could have been president someday. He was young.”
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Contact: Payton Fuller
