How Charlie Kirks assassination changed the way conservatives approach hostile opponents

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk built his public persona around confronting political opponents face-to-face, often in settings where disagreement and hostility were expected.

Now, one year after his assassination, conservative media personalities and influencers are still wrestling with how to keep themselves safe while also sparking conversations with the other side. Some say Kirk's death has made them more cautious about security, while others feel more determined to keep showing up despite the danger.

INSIDE CHARLIE KIRKS EFFORT TO DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATIVE VOICES

For TPUSA reporter Savanah Hernandez, the answer is both, as she strives to cover important stories while also keeping herself safe.

"I do feel myself, as a woman, I was awarded a little bit more ability to go and cover various events or talk to certain people without the threat of violence. But after Charlie's assassination, all of that changed," Hernandez told Fox News Digital.

Hernandez recalled that during one of the first events she covered after Kirk's assassination, which was a protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, someone realized she was with TPUSA and proceeded to "light a MAGA hat on fire" and put it in front of her face. Months later, in April 2026, Hernandez was physically assaulted while reporting outside an ICE facility in Minnesota.

"As a journalist, I always want to get the story. I always want to get the shot. I always wanted to show my audience exactly what's going on, but, unfortunately, the reality of potentially dying on the street is something that I am very well aware of, as are all of my friends," Hernandez told Fox News Digital.

Daily Wire co-founder and host of "The Ben Shapiro Show" Ben Shapiro told Fox News Digital that while he has had round-the-clock security for years, Kirk's assassination changed how he approaches certain events.

"What I did say in the aftermath is I would never again do an outdoor event. Outdoor events are inherently riskier, very, very difficult to secure," Shapiro told Fox News Digital.

Shapiro said that while his team takes precautions to secure events, such as requiring tickets and using metal detectors, he knows that "you can't bring the risk all the way down to zero."

ERIKA KIRK URGES CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS NOT TO BACK DOWN IN FIRST SCHOOL YEAR SINCE CHARLIE'S ASSASSINATION

Michael Knowles, host of "The Michael Knowles Show," warned of "two opposite errors" that some could make in the wake of Kirk's assassination. The first, he told Fox News Digital, is to "take security so seriously that you never do anything," thus handing your opponents a victory "because they've shut you up." The second, is to "not take security seriously at all, in which case the left can shut you up by killing you."

"I think what Charlie endeavored to do and what we all endeavor to do is to have a prudent middle ground where we take the security seriously, but we don't allow the left to intimidate us into shutting up," Knowles told Fox News Digital.

Knowles recalled that he was set to appear alongside Kirk at an event slated to take place at the University of Minnesota 12 days after the TPUSA founde