A year after his assassination, Fox News personalities are reportedly reflecting on what might have been for Charlie Kirk, with Brian Kilmeade and Rachel Campos-Duffy agreeing Thursday that the Turning Point USA founder was well on his way to national office before his life was cut short.
Speaking on Fox & Friends alongside co-host Lawrence Jones, the pair marked the anniversary of Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University, noting that classes were canceled there for the day out of respect. Turning Point USA is set to hold a memorial ceremony that evening, an event that has stirred some protest activity among students but goes forward regardless.
Kilmeade said there was no doubt in his mind Kirk would have shared the stage at President Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas this week had he lived, calling him a lock to have been one of the event’s featured speakers. He went further, predicting Kirk was on a clear path toward running for president himself within a matter of years.
Campos-Duffy agreed wholeheartedly, and Kilmeade elaborated that Kirk had the political instincts and firsthand experience, forged by his closeness to Trump, to understand exactly what the presidency required.
Campos-Duffy floated an alternative timeline, suggesting Kirk might have first landed on a national ticket as a vice-presidential pick, possibly even replacing JD Vance as soon as 2028, pointing to Kirk’s tight relationship with the current vice president as evidence he was already positioned near the top of the party.
Beyond the political calculus, Campos-Duffy praised Kirk’s knack for connecting with younger voters, crediting his campus-focused strategy for helping build enthusiasm among a demographic Republicans have historically struggled to reach. Jones then rolled footage from a Fox News interview with Kirk recorded in July 2025, just months before he was killed, in which Kirk described his mission as making conservatism feel “cool again,” crediting that shift with helping Trump win over young voters in swing states like Michigan and Arizona.
The segment closed out a morning of remembrance across conservative media, as hosts and allies alike grappled with the loss of a figure many believe was still just getting started.
