How Charlie Kirk remade Gen Z

Charlie Kirk redefined how politics, political media, and Gen Z culture worked for his followers, allies, and political opponents. | Andri Tambunan/AFP via Getty Images In the hours and days after Charlie Kirk’s killing, the breadth of people — particularly younger ones — sharing grief and shock on newsfeeds, Instagram stories, or TikTok livestreams might have been surprising. They were not just avowed conservatives or loyal Trump voters, but seemingly apolitical people: old classmates or hometown friends who never posted much about current events — until now. For liberals or people i