Charlie Kirk: A conservative’s view on the fallout from a momentous crime

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at American conservative magazine National Review

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A photograph of Charlie Kirk is seen in a makeshift memorial outside of the headquarters of Turning Point USA on September 16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
A photograph of Charlie Kirk is seen in a makeshift memorial outside of the headquarters of Turning Point USA on September 16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

On today’s Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan talks to Michael Brendan Dougherty, senior writer at National Review, about the murder of right wing activist and Christian nationalist Charlie Kirk and the vociferous reaction that has exposed and deepened America’s political divides.

Michael talks about Kirk’s significant influence on young conservatives, the media’s portrayal of Kirk before and after his killing and the impact on U.S. political discourse.

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