"Kirk first proved his clout in Trump 2.0 during bruising confirmation battles for some of Trump's more controversial Cabinet picks, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. His pressure campaign was credited with swaying skeptical Republicans, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who ultimately voted for Hegseth before announcing her retirement. (Ernst's allies insist the decision was her own.)"
"Zoom out: Kirk derived his power from his close proximity to Trump. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at age 18 and built it into a youth-organizing juggernaut - registering voters in swing states and staging campus events nationwide, like the one in Utah disrupted by his assassination. That work connected him to major donors and ultimately to Trump's inner circle. He even joined the personnel vetting process after Trump's November victory, playing what Bannon described as an "incalculable" role in staffing decisions."
"Still, those early fights established Kirk as a powerful conduit for the base's frustration - a figure lawmakers worried could unleash real political heat. "If Charlie had not gotten the word to people that, 'hey, we're all in on this,' you would have had a lot more elected officials gone wobbly," Bannon, another enforcer, told Axios of key confirmation fights this year."
Charlie Kirk operated as a leading MAGA media influencer who mobilized grassroots energy and pressured Republican lawmakers. He influenced confirmation fights for controversial Trump Cabinet picks, including Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard, and was credited with swaying skeptical senators such as Joni Ernst. He experienced defeats, for example failing to convince Sen. Thom Tillis to back Ed Martin. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012, built a national youth-organizing network, connected with major donors, and joined Trump's personnel vetting process. That proximity to Trump and organizational reach enabled him to function as a conduit for the base's frustration.
Read at Axios
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