One year ago today, conservative leader Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University while doing what he did best: extending an olive branch to students of a different political ideology and engaging in direct, unfiltered conversations with college audiences.
In tribute on the anniversary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a video honoring Kirk as one of the greatest conservative leaders of our time. Rubio lauded Kirk’s work encouraging young conservatives to pursue marriage, have and raise children, and reaffirm the simple truth that America is the greatest nation on Earth, truths that bear repeating. He added that the enemies of Charlie, and now our own enemies, are capable only of destruction; but like Charlie, we must resist that temptation and build great things together.
Charlie Kirk had a unique gift for articulating the good — the goodness of family, faith, and America.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 10, 2026
One year ago today, he was killed for it.
We’ll honor his legacy by building great things and holding to account the enemies of civilization. pic.twitter.com/nYooF7xua5
"And here was this voice that inspired a movement, a movement in which young Americans were told the highest calling we are called to is to be in a successful marriage and to raise productive children that taught them that ours was not a great country, but the greatest, most exceptional nation that has ever existed in the history of all of mankind," the Secretary of State said. "And that it's worth fighting for, it's worth defending, it's worth preserving, and it's worth passing on to the next generation. This was the mission and the work of Charlie Kirk. Five weeks ago our nation was robbed of this extraordinary champion."
"It is easy to destroy great things. It is far more difficult to make them," Rubio continued. "The enemies of civilization are only capable of the former. They are only capable of destroying great things. All they know is destruction. But we have built great things together. We have done it time and again. We know what we must do. And now we must do it."
Now is the time to carry on his legacy: to defend not just the good, the true, and the beautiful, but their application to American government, in defense of constitutional values, limited government, and the principles that make America free and prosperous. As conservatives know well, these values are under constant attack, and the momentum often favors those eager to cast them aside in pursuit of failed ideologies that lead only to tyranny and poverty.
Conservatives stand for the harder, better task. It is up to us to defend and build upon the gifts our Founding Fathers fought for and bestowed upon us. In doing so, we don’t just carry on the legacy of warriors like Charlie, but help secure freedom and prosperity for generations to come.
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