We Are All Charlie Kirk
alexandra buxbaum | AZ, United States
Photographer: alexandra buxbaum
Exhibit Title: We Are All Charlie Kirk
Location: AZ, United States
Since the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in Provo, Utah, on September 10, 2025, the organization has been inundated with requests to join. Tens of thousands have contacted TPUSA about getting involved, including an estimated 54,000 high school and college students seeking to start or join chapters. For many young conservatives, Kirk’s death represents the most significant public�'figure loss of their lifetime.
AmericaFest, TPUSA’s annual December conference at the Phoenix Convention Center, reflected that surge of energy. The event sold out early, drawing 50% more attendees than the previous year, and 80% of registrants had never attended a TPUSA event before. Kirk’s death has galvanized the movement, accelerating chapter growth on campuses as Republican leaders push to expand TPUSA’s presence into K–12 schools.
Kirk had long served as a unifying figure on the American right, blending politics and religion, he has been eulogized by supporters as a martyr, and many conservatives see this moment as an opportunity to reinvigorate the movement he helped build and advance a vision of conservative Christian values nationwide.
I covered AmericaFest in 2024, and the shift in just one year was striking. Last year’s conference was dominated by imagery and messaging centered on Donald Trump, with Elon Musk appearing as a secondary figure. The expo hall reflected that focus, with vendors selling Trump�'themed shirts, hats, posters, and other merchandise.
AmericaFest 2025, by contrast, revolved almost entirely around Charlie Kirk. The expo hall offered virtually almost none of the items that had been so prominent the year before. The conference center itself was covered in massive murals of Kirk, one stretching nearly 50 feet, and attendees wore an almost even mix of red “Make America Great Again” hats and “Make America Charlie Kirk” hats. The crowd itself looked different too: the conference was noticeably more packed, with a far larger presence of younger, college�'aged attendees than in 2024.
The transformation raises a larger question: could this moment become the catalyst for a generational shift toward the ideas and agenda Kirk championed?
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