Following the fatal shooting of Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise joined Newell Normand to talk about his friendship with Kirk and how he saw the 31-year-old come to emerge as a political star in the GOP.
“I'm sad, I'm angry. But I also think it's important that we remember how powerful a person Charlie was in such a short time," Scalise says. "I mean, 31 years old…He started a movement.”
Famously known for holding debates with those who opposed his viewpoint on college campuses, Scalise points out that Kirk never finished college himself.
“He walked away from college because he didn't feel he was getting the kind of education…It was more of an indoctrination, and he was surely ahead of his time on calling that out,” Scalise explains. “He said I'm not going to be a part of this, I'm going to go and do something about it ... and as an 18-year-old.”
After dropping out of college, Kirk went on to found Turning Point USA, one of the largest political advocacy groups in the country.
“He brought so many young people into the political movement and not just people that agreed with him,” Scalise says. “He cherished the debate.”
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Congressman Scalise, who was targeted, shot, and almost killed in an assassination attempt in 2017, shares his thoughts regarding those who responded to Kirk’s murder, calling it justified due to his rhetoric.
“This is where sunlight is the best disinfectant. Anybody who dares to go and celebrate the death of any other human being at a moment like this— let them be known,” Scalise says. “Maybe somebody around them will put a mirror in front of them and say, think about what you're saying and doing... Why do you have so much hate in your heart? That you would celebrate the fact that somebody was murdered for what they believe in in America? Is that really what you think this country should be?”
Scalise represents Louisiana’s 1st district and expresses his belief that the United States is built on the right to disagree without fear of violence.
“The greatest thing about this country is that we can disagree with each other. We can speak out against our government. We can go to the ballot box and make our statement there; that's where we settle our differences. We're not going to be a third-world nation. We should never allow this to be okay,” Scalise states.”
“It's a sad time,” Sclaise concludes, “And there's a lot of anger. But it's also a time—and I think Charlie, of all people, would appreciate this—where we should pray.”
For the full interview between Newell Normand and Steve Scalise, click the player above or the link here.