Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade says Charlie Kirk ‘was en route to running for president in a few years’ on first anniversary of conservative activist’s assassination
One year after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade and Rachel Campos-Duffy discussed what could have been next for the conservative activist.
During Thursday, September 10’s episode of Fox & Friends, the hosts suggested Kirk was on track for the White House.
Kilmeade predicted that Kirk was “en route to running for president in a few years.”
Headed for White House
Kilmeade said Kirk likely would have taken part in the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, which started Wednesday night.
“There’s no doubt about it, he would have been speaking last night. He would have been one of the featured speakers last night,” Kilmeade noted.
“I think he was en route to running for president in a few years,” Kilmeade added, to which Campos-Duffy agreed, “100.”
Vice president prospect
“He was just so equipped for it. He knew every step and every portion of it,” Kilmeade continued.
“The experience he had seen up close, being so close to [Donald] Trump, how to be president. There was no doubt about it, that was the path he was taking.”
Campos-Duffy said she could have seen Kirk running for vice president in 2028, potentially alongside current VP J.D. Vance.
“He was on track to maybe even being a vice president in a very near election, maybe even 2028,” she said.
“Because he was so tight with J.D.,” Kilmeade added.
Shutting down rhetoric
After Kirk was killed, Vance spoke out against people celebrating his death and urged those to tone down the political rhetoric.
“When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out. And h***, call their employer,” the vice president said at the time.
“We don’t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility. And there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.”
Working with young conservatives
Elsewhere in the segment, Campos-Duffy brought up Kirk’s work with young conservatives.
“He was tight with J.D., but also he was prepared. He understood how to reach the youth,” she noted.
Lawrence Jones also played footage of Kirk from July 2025 on Fox News, just months before his death.
In the interview, the Turning Point USA founder talked about trying to get more young people interested in conservatism.
“What we have brought into the political space is that we have made conservatism not just cool again, not just attractive again, but it’s appealing,” he said.
“People want to join it, they want to be part of it, and this is one of the major reasons why President Donald Trump was able to win the youth vote in Michigan, he was able to win the youth vote in Arizona, my home state,” Kirk added.