Kirk's death leaves a difficult void to fill.
Written by: David, Deep Tide TechFlow
On September 10, a bullet ended the life of one of the most influential Bitcoin evangelists in the United States.
31-year-old Charlie Kirk may not be the most well-known name in the crypto space; he is not a developer, not an exchange founder, and not a crypto fund manager.
But he may be the most effective person in spreading the idea of Bitcoin to young Americans.
As the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization influential on thousands of campuses, Kirk brought the idea that "Bitcoin is a currency of freedom" to millions of college students who had never encountered cryptocurrency before.
"Every student should at least understand how Bitcoin works," Kirk said during a campus speech in 2024, "If you don't understand, just wait to be ruled by those who do."
On the afternoon he fell, at Utah Valley University, he was answering students' questions about the issue of mass shootings in America. Ironically, just minutes later, he himself became the latest victim of this issue.
After the incident, many lamented that Kirk was one of the few mainstream voices that truly understood Bitcoin. This is a significant loss for crypto evangelism.
Bitcoin Missionary
Why was Charlie Kirk able to draw the attention of millions of young people to Bitcoin?
In 2012, at just 18 years old, Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA with Bill Montgomery, an organization focused on promoting conservative ideas on campuses. After more than a decade of development, according to the organization's official website, TPUSA has established branches in over 3,000 high schools and universities across the United States, with more than 650,000 lifetime student members.
Kirk's signature event is the "Prove Me Wrong" campus debate, inviting dissenting students to challenge his views face-to-face.
Originally, these debates focused on traditional political issues—free speech, gun rights, immigration policy. But as the 2024 election cycle approached, a new theme frequently appeared in Kirk's discourse: Bitcoin.
Kirk's brilliance lies in the fact that he did not promote Bitcoin as an investment or technology but integrated it into his existing political narrative.
"Cryptocurrency and Christians are two threats to the New World Order," Kirk said in his broadcast. In his context, "New World Order" represents the globalist control he opposes, and being a "threat" means defending freedom.
"You can have a currency that is not controlled by the federal government, which is direct competition to the U.S. Treasury, and it should be." For his audience, this way of expressing it immediately resonates; this is not a discussion about blockchain technology but a struggle between personal freedom and government control.
In campus debates, when students ask about inflation and the cost of living, Kirk naturally introduces Bitcoin:
"Your generation is facing the most severe currency devaluation in history. The 21 million cap on Bitcoin means no one can print money at will to dilute your wealth."
He uses the economic pressures that students feel, such as student loans, housing prices, and inflation, to make Bitcoin part of the solution.
During the 2024 election cycle, Kirk took this narrative to new heights.
According to TheStreet report, "Kirk vigorously promoted pro-cryptocurrency policies at student events, often describing digital assets as intergenerational hedges against inflation and regulation."
This ability to transform technical issues into a battle for freedom allowed liberal arts students, who had no interest in programming, to start paying attention to Bitcoin.
Three Key Crypto Views
"Bitcoin is more honest than the dollar."
One of the most impactful points in Kirk's crypto discourse comes from a statement he made in his broadcast: "In some ways, Bitcoin has more integrity than the U.S. dollar."
According to Media Matters' report, he elaborated: "From being able to know how many Bitcoins exist, to the ledger, to blockchain technology."
This point cleverly avoids technical details and appeals directly to moral judgment. Kirk compares Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million to the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing policies, helping young people understand that this is not just a technical difference but a matter of integrity.
"If you don't understand, just wait to be ruled by those who do."
During the 2024 election cycle, Kirk positioned cryptocurrency as an economic weapon for the younger generation. He often described digital assets as intergenerational hedges against inflation and regulation.
In his narrative framework, the traditional financial system is depicted as a game unfavorable to young people, while Bitcoin represents a whole new opportunity.
Thus, the article opens with the highly shareable phrase: if you don't understand, just wait to be ruled by those who do; it also elevates crypto to the level of an intergenerational wealth defense battle.
Kirk also linked this issue to broader political struggles. He said on his broadcast: "We have $35 trillion in debt. Whether you like it or not, cryptocurrency is happening, and Donald Trump is on the right side of cryptocurrency."
He pointed out that politicians opposing cryptocurrency are "controlled by big banks," framing this as a grassroots struggle against vested interests.
"Bitcoin can save national debt."
Kirk's most radical and controversial view emerged in July 2025. According to a video interview posted by The Bitcoin Conference on X platform, Charlie Kirk stated that Bitcoin could pay off national debt and cover deficit losses.
Although this view is highly controversial from an economic standpoint, it successfully elevated Bitcoin from a personal investment tool to a national strategic asset.
This echoes the Trump administration's proposal to establish a "national Bitcoin strategic reserve," which Kirk reported on his website, stating that Bitcoin's price surged after Trump announced the establishment of the strategic reserve.
The three core points above form the foundation of Kirk's crypto evangelism:
Bitcoin is more honest than the dollar, giving it moral superiority; promoting intergenerational justice, turning crypto into a weapon for young people; saving debt, aligning with the president's spirit.
From Campus to the White House
Kirk's close relationship with the Trump family is no secret. According to The New York Times, Kirk has a close relationship with Donald Trump Jr., which gives him a direct channel to influence policy.
And on the issue of cryptocurrency, this influence has produced tangible results.
On July 27, 2024, Trump delivered a historic speech at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville. Kirk retweeted this moment on his X account: "President Trump said at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference that America will become the cryptocurrency capital of the Earth and the world's Bitcoin superpower."
This was not just a retweet; Kirk's organization Turning Point Action made cryptocurrency policy one of the key issues for mobilizing young voters throughout the 2024 election cycle.
More importantly, Kirk helped mainstream the concept of a "national Bitcoin strategic reserve."
In March 2025, when Trump officially announced this plan, Kirk wrote on his website article: "After years of corrupt attacks from the Biden administration, the U.S. crypto reserve will elevate this critical industry."
Before the 2024 election, Kirk conducted a campus tour titled "You're Being Brainwashed." Public data shows that this tour visited about 25 college campuses and generated approximately 2 billion viral impressions on social media. Forbes reported that this tour was praised for playing a "key role" in helping Trump get elected.
Notably, Kirk even indirectly participated in personnel decisions of the Trump administration. According to Forbes report, Kirk assisted the elected president in selecting government leadership positions, including cabinet positions. Although there is no direct evidence that he influenced cryptocurrency-related appointments, his overall influence cannot be ignored.
By incorporating Bitcoin into a broader conservative agenda, Kirk not only expanded the audience for cryptocurrency but also changed the political discourse surrounding it. This is a double-edged sword; while it brought mainstream attention and political support, it also dragged cryptocurrency into America's increasingly polarized political environment.
Crypto Education, a Long and Winding Road
Kirk's death leaves a difficult void to fill.
His position was extremely unique; he was neither a technical expert nor a financial tycoon, but a political activist with a vast youth network who genuinely believed in Bitcoin.
In 2016, he was the youngest speaker at the Republican National Convention, and in 2020, he was also a keynote speaker; Wikipedia shows that his podcast frequently ranks in the top ten of Apple News.
This combination of mainstream political status, genuine belief in Bitcoin, and broad influence is nearly unmatched in the American political spectrum.
Looking back at Kirk's success, it at least proves one point: getting the mainstream to accept Bitcoin requires not more technical white papers, but better storytellers.
In being shot while discussing the impact of gun violence, Kirk may also be reminding everyone of a fact: in today's highly polarized environment in America, being a public advocate comes with real risks. When technical issues are drawn into fierce ideological battles, advocates may become targets.
Kirk is gone, but the questions he raised remain: how can Bitcoin truly become mainstream?
This question, Kirk can no longer answer. But the question he raised with his life is worth pondering for everyone concerned about the future of cryptocurrency.
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