‘Would Have Been President’: Michael Knowles Praises Charlie Kirk’s ‘Generational’ Leadership

Daily Wire host Michael Knowles paid tribute to Charlie Kirk after the influential conservative commentator was assassinated while speaking at a college event in Utah on Wednesday.

Knowles said that Kirk — a 31-year-old Christian, husband, and father of two small children — had a “generational voice” and that “everybody” knew he was on a path to the presidency.

“Charlie was a big part of how President Trump was elected in 2024, and how he was elected in 2016, for that matter — a generational voice in politics,” Knowles said.

“The first thing that comes to my mind — beyond the sadness for his family, for his wife, for his young kids, his millions and millions of admirers and his many friends — is that Charlie Kirk would have been president,” Knowles added. “Charlie Kirk would have been president. His friends knew it, his many, many admirers knew it, and his enemies, to whom he was always so gracious, they knew it too. Everybody knew it.”

The Daily Wire host said that Kirk was extremely skilled, and “exemplified virtue” through his prudence, discipline, fairness, and willingness to engage with opposing viewpoints in hostile territory.

It was during another event where Kirk was willing to discuss politics with those who opposed his positions that the conservative commentator was assassinated. Kirk was quickly given medical attention and rushed to a hospital, but President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday afternoon that the “Great, and even Legendary” Kirk had died. Kirk’s death was confirmed by his organization, Turning Point USA.

Kirk burst onto the political scene after founding Turning Point USA in 2012 at just 18 years old. His organization has helped spur a conservative revival among young voters in the country, with Kirk playing a major part in President Trump’s 2024 re-election victory by registering voters on college campuses.

“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump said.

Despite his political success and fame, Kirk prioritized faith and family in his life. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and two children.