The death of US conservative activist?Charlie Kirk could lead to a “further clampdown on universities” in the US, academics have warned.?
Kirk, who mobilised a generation of young, white, male college voters to support Donald Trump, has died aged 31 after being shot at Utah Valley University. His death raises questions about the future of student politics and his organisation, Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement at the University of Surrey, told 探花视频 that Kirk’s role in reshaping campus conservatism had been “particularly significant in the last election in 2024”.
“Traditionally, younger voters have gone with progressive candidates, particularly college-educated voters,” he said.
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“But somehow Kirk was able to connect. We’re at a time when young people get much of their news through social media – he was a big TikTok user – and he also had a very well-listened-to podcast. He was an expert in reaching them through these channels.”
Andrew Moran, head of politics and international relations at London Metropolitan University, added that Kirk “was able to bring large numbers of young people to the ideas of Donald Trump” and was instrumental in voter registration drives in swing states such as Arizona.
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Kirk first drew attention as a teenage dropout who founded TPUSA with backing from wealthy conservatives.
As he aged beyond his original student demographic, Kirk increasingly positioned himself as part of what Shanahan called “the next generation of Trumpism”.
His interventions on issues from trans rights to foreign policy “ratcheted up the tensions around student politics”, ensuring that his influence extended beyond campus conservatives.
Now Kirk’s death raises urgent questions about TPUSA’s future.?Moran predicted that Kirk’s death could energise the movement in the short term.
“If anything, it’ll be galvanised by this. Charlie Kirk was an extraordinarily charismatic figure, but there will be other people within the organisation, I’m sure, who will take it on and lead it.”
Both scholars also warned of heightened political pressure on universities in the wake of Kirk’s death.?
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Shanahan cautioned that “it could become very much more difficult to be a progressive academic or a student who is frankly not white, straight and conforming in the United States.”
Moran suggested “the Trump administration may use it as a tool to further attack America’s universities”, particularly if Kirk’s death is politicised.
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“Campuses will become even more politicised because of this,” he continued.?
“We’ve already seen that with Harvard...but this may well play into the Trump administration’s agenda around universities being led by the radical left and liberals. Finding out who’s responsible for carrying this act out...is going to be really important, because if it is somebody on the left, somebody identified as a radical, that will play completely into the Trump administration’s agenda.
“It will be used to further clamp down on universities in?the way that we’ve seen the administration accuse universities of not tackling antisemitism.”
Despite the turbulence, student engagement remains high.
“Students are as engaged as they have ever been,” Shanahan said, noting that debates are now framed across “two very loud sides” with little middle ground.
Moran agreed: “We make a mistake in assuming that all students are liberal. They’re not… religion and family values play an important part. I think we will see this continuing to be something that is not going to go away.”
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