Charlie Kirk Today

Riley Gaines: February 18, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today

February 18, 2026 | 23:28

Join Riley Gaines as she breaks down the biggest news, challenges the mainstream narrative, and delivers fearless commentary on faith, culture, and politics. No spin. No censorship. Just the TRUTH.

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Charlie Kirk Today | Riley Gaines: February 18, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today | February 18, 2026

First, i
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Want to pay homage to the great rush limbaugh.
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It is the five year anniversary of russia's passing.
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It is five months since we last.
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Charlie and charlie loved rush.
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Charlie often on this show would remember rush
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And would pay tribute to rush and russian charlie.
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We're dear friends, actually, charlie, said on this show
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After rush's passing that rush limbaugh became
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A seven figure donor to the organization.
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He did it privately and quietly.
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That was the stipulation.
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And upon rush rush's passing,
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Catherine rush's
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Widow gave charlie permission to reveal that.
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Make that public.
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As charlie
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Wanted to honor, rush limbaugh and, in a very special way.
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And so i wanted to play just
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Quickly here at the outset, a clip from rush limbaugh
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Describing the first time that he met charlie kirk. 375
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I don't want to jinx him,
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But i'm just going to tell you
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They brought charlie kirk to the golf course
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To meet me about a month ago.
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He was in town to set up this turning point thing,
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And i spoke with him for about a half hour.
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This is the kind of guy,
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That you can see
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Really becoming big in politics as he gets older.
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It just has the the carriage, the personality, the charisma.
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I you may think this sounds weird,
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But i remember when bill clinton became
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President, people were saying that
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They just knew bill clinton
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Was going to be president someday in college.
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He just had that kind of ambition,
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And he impressed people
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In a way that he could tell you that people
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Are saying the same things about about charlie kirk.
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Well, rush was i'll i'll never forget
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When we started the show and charlie said that,
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You know, he he aspired to be more like rush limbaugh
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And that that was sort of a northern star for charlie.
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And then obviously that picture that you see on screen
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Was rush limbaugh.
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One of our events we honored rush with, with an award
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Down in, palm beach.
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And then
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Rush got to introduce president trump,
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One of our student action summits as well.
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And charlie went and picked him up, picked rush up.
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They drove in the car
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Back together and had a really long talk.
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And i just remember, being very jealous.
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I didn't get invited to go
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Along with charlie to go pick up rush.
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But charlie told me all about it, and how amazing it was.
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As you say, he modeled themself on it.
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That was one of charlie's great strengths.
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Is he had, you know, we had so many mentors.
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He had so many models, and he had no shame.
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Just his, the way, his way of attacking so many issues was.
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Okay, well, what does the best person at this do?
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And i'll just copy them.
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And so that's why you would see funny aspects of this.
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Like you'd always call him barack hussein obama
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Because rush limbaugh called him
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Barack hussein obama when he was listening to her
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In high school.
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Yeah, i think lady graham is also, well,
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He would have the same nicknames as rush
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Because rush was one of the best at it.
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Why wouldn't he copy him?
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Yeah.
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And, well, so here's to you, rush limbaugh.
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You are still the the the goat.
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The greatest to ever do it.
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Five years on, we missed rush limbaugh in this movement.
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And now with charlie gone, we miss charlie so much,
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From this movement. and,
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There will never be another like either of them.
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And so, we pay
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We pay tribute to the passing of rush
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And the passing of charlie at the same time,
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Two great friends
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To, great patriots, titans of their generations.
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And, we miss them dearly.
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He didn't get to be president, but he got to be a prophet.
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And a martyr, which are greater things.
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Yeah, and he helped elect a president.
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And, so there we are.
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Story one in the in the in the can, as it were.
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We want to turn our attention
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To what happened in rhode island.
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This is a terrible story at a youth hockey tournament
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Where a trans shooter turns out to be the father,
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Robert dorgan.
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He was born a male.
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Also went by roberta esposito as esposito.
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That's the new euphemism that they've been using in articles.
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He was a person who used two different name.
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That's a new euphemism.
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And i think,
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You know, we, well, listen, let's just play the clip
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Through 21.
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As for the suspect,
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But can you confirm whether something's a male
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Female you've heard that is a transgender person?
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Is that something that he has me.
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So what i can say right now that we have identified
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The person, the suspect by birth name.
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The birth name was robert dorgan.
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We have also
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Learned that the person does go by the name of roberta.
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Robert. roberta.
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What's the difference?
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It was even weirder because it's dorgan,
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But then apparently went by roberta esposito.
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So possibly i mean, obviously a clearly unwell person.
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And the daughter confirms it.
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Yeah. so.
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322 my father.
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What happened?
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Shot a family.
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What is that now?
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What was the reasoning of their family?
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Arguing he has mental health issues.
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So yes, she goes on
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To describe those mental health issues a little bit more.
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She says that, he had been struggling with, mental health
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For quite some time.
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She said, quote, he was very sick.
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I mean, it's horrifying, but we've really been
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We've just last week we were saying
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There have been a wave of transgenderism
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Related shootings, and we said there is likely to be more.
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This is a little different
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From some of the other ones we've seen.
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Because it wasn't a young person who,
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You know, was diverted into this when they were unwell.
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You know, in high school, it was,
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It seems like it was more of a midlife crisis
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Type thing, like, which is another type.
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But that's a threat as well.
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And. no, i mean,
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So we have images of this guy, i mean, obviously unwell,
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You know, roberta, this is,
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Posting pictures of, nails.
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If you can put that up, guys.
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The nails, like, you know, cosplaying as a woman.
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Wearing
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Tank tops like a woman, blue haired.
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I mean, this is this is, you know, you can
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You can feel this, like, andy know, posed to this image
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Of this gentleman,
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I guess, you know, baring his backside.
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It's.
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Something was off here.
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Well, i mean, the most dreadful thing
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Was just the day before someone said tim mcbride,
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A trans person in congress is a man.
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And he said, keep bashing us, but do not wonder why
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We go berserk.
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Yeah, i was responding to a kevin sorbo, tweet.
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Yeah, i was responding to a kevin sorbo, tweet.
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Real clear investigations,
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Something we've talked about on the show before,
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But it's bears repeating because it's so important.
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Surprising revival.
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Gen z men and highly educated lead return to religion.
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So this is something. yeah.
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There you go. there's the graphic right up there.
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This big news story.
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And i love this because it kind of drops off the last story.
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And i'll explain why you saw this guy.
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Robert duggan,
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Another trans shooter.
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Did you know that four out of ten liberal
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Young gen z liberal women are also
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That are religiously unaffiliated.
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So four out of ten are religiously unaffiliated
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And four out of ten also are lgbtq.
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That's again, this is quite, quite the lineup.
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That's gen z, young gen z women
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That are liberals, progressive four out of ten,
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Lgbtq four out of ten, religiously unaffiliated.
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But here's what's great.
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Young men are flocking
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Back to the churches, but they're not flocking back
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To mainline denominations.
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They're not flocking back to weak, watered down professions
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Of the christian faith.
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They want the hi, i'm so i
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No one who has ever like excitedly posted like i am.
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I'm excited to announce that i have been baptized into,
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You know, the evangelical lutheran church in america.
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Sorry, my dad zylka i got a dunk on them.
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So this is what this is what's fascinating.
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So they document a new report from chapman center
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On demographics and policy that a lot of the
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For the first time in decades.
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Pew research notes that in the u.s at least,
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Christianity has stopped stopped
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Its nosedive as more people begin to see the efficacy
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And the rewards of religious faith and practice.
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So where are they going?
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They are returning to
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Orthodox faith christian, orthodox, greek orthodox,
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Eastern orthodox, those those churches are booming
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Like almost 100% increase in new converts, catholic
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Churches, conservative catholic churches are booming.
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Conservative protestant churches are booming.
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Charismatic churches are booming.
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Those are all like high octane.
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Give it to me straight.
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The most interesting part to me
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Is that highly educated subset, because we should be frank.
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Charlie saw evidence of revival.
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We've seen evidence of revival.
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But like the big picture,
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It's not necessarily showing up in poland.
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It's that the decline has stopped
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And yet if you talk to people, if you're in dc, if you're in,
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For example,
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Like organized conservative circles, everyone can see that
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There is some there's like this revival
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That young people are joining and they're showing up.
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A lot more people see it on the ground.
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And what i think you're seeing is you're seeing
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A big preference shift among the biggest, kind of
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The cultural influencers, things that go downstream.
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So if this was 20 years ago, you'd be saying, oh,
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All the highly educated are bailing on religion.
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And then that percolates downstream.
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It's kind of like
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It's actually kind of like the trans
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Epidemic that started with a few elites.
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And then now we're seeing it spread everywhere else.
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Well, we can see it.
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392 here's the graph.
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Weekly religious attendance by education.
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Graduate degrees
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Are actually the most likely to attend every week.
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Bachelor's degree.
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Just slightly below associate's degree.
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The lowest are high school graduates.
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Which is fascinating.
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Yeah.
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It's it's almost like
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And you see this with a lot of scientists
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Do a lot of scientists
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Have found faith, a lot of you know, the guy
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Who, cracked the human genome, devout christian.
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So this
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It doesn't
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Surprise me in the one sense because the gospels
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In the scriptures are as deep and as wide and as complex
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As you can go.
00:10:43.256 --> 00:10:44.458
You can take it as a one on one level,
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Which is deeply profound, certainly.
00:10:46.293 --> 00:10:48.261
But the deeper you go into scriptures,
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The more tie ins, the more parallels, the more
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The richness just expands and explodes,
00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:56.803
The deeper you're willing to go with it.
00:10:56.803 --> 00:10:58.205
And i think there's so much
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There's such rising awareness of just
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I remember 20 years ago, so much smugness
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Because people had grown up
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In such a culturally christian environment
00:11:07.414 --> 00:11:09.616
That could all be thrown away.
00:11:09.616 --> 00:11:10.817
It was like irrelevant. it was old fashioned.
00:11:10.817 --> 00:11:12.986
You know, we can use reason to do all these things.
00:11:12.986 --> 00:11:15.155
And the past 20 years have seen that total vindication of
00:11:15.155 --> 00:11:18.692
How important faith is as the scaffolding for life
00:11:18.692 --> 00:11:22.629
To make keep everything from going to hell, basically.
00:11:22.629 --> 00:11:25.432
Well, i think there was a
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And i think people took it for granted
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That the culture
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Was sort of stable in roughly approximately christian
00:11:28.902 --> 00:11:32.172
And therefore, if you didn't participate
00:11:32.172 --> 00:11:34.441
In a weekly service, for example,
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You would still go out into the world
00:11:36.443 --> 00:11:37.711
And it would still feel approximately christian
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Because all of society
00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:41.815
Is blessed by the christian faith,
00:11:41.815 --> 00:11:43.150
All of western society is blessed by people.
00:11:43.150 --> 00:11:45.752
I've seen families descent, like families disintegration.
00:11:45.752 --> 00:11:48.755
They're seen actually it is.
00:11:48.755 --> 00:11:50.857
You kind of need that.
00:11:50.857 --> 00:11:52.692
Like i said, that faith
00:11:52.692 --> 00:11:53.627
Scaffolding to really flourish to the maximum
00:11:53.627 --> 00:11:56.163
Of your abilities in many cases.
00:11:56.163 --> 00:11:57.430
And i think for a lot of people,
00:11:57.430 --> 00:11:58.698
That's the kernel of,
00:11:58.698 --> 00:11:59.666
Well, if it's so much better to have faith.
00:11:59.666 --> 00:12:02.269
I think that especially among the highly educated, helps
00:12:02.269 --> 00:12:04.437
Lead that process to, well, then
00:12:04.437 --> 00:12:07.307
Might it be true, actually.
00:12:07.307 --> 00:12:09.075
And then i think that
00:12:09.075 --> 00:12:10.343
Takes a lot of people into actual conversion.
00:12:10.343 --> 00:12:12.979
I think that's a story
00:12:12.979 --> 00:12:13.847
I've seen play out many times, 100%.
00:12:13.847 --> 00:12:16.116
And, we are going to hit the cnn doc hard.
00:12:16.116 --> 00:12:20.320
There was a there's a new piece that, cnn
00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:23.957
Just released this morning attacking the charlie kirk
00:12:23.957 --> 00:12:26.459
Memorial as sort of ground zero of christian nationalism
00:12:26.459 --> 00:12:29.996
Rising up as if, by the way, as if that was a
00:12:29.996 --> 00:12:32.132
If that gets to be a ground zero for any revival,
00:12:32.132 --> 00:12:34.968
Then god bless that memorial and we'll wear that with honor.
00:12:34.968 --> 00:12:38.338
Yeah, 100%.
00:12:38.338 --> 00:12:39.439
And by the way, our society, detached
00:12:39.439 --> 00:12:43.543
From the christian faith, is like a flower in a vase.
00:12:43.543 --> 00:12:48.215
It might look beautiful for a short time,
00:12:48.215 --> 00:12:50.517
But if it's disconnected from the roots, it will die.
00:12:50.517 --> 00:12:53.720
It will wither.
00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:54.521
And the same is true
00:12:54.521 --> 00:12:55.589
For the american culture, for western civilization
00:12:55.589 --> 00:12:58.525
Writ large, that if we do not reestablish
00:12:58.525 --> 00:13:01.494
A connection with the root,
00:13:01.494 --> 00:13:02.896
The tree will wither, the fruit will be bad.
00:13:02.896 --> 00:13:05.498
So we need our faith.
00:13:05.498 --> 00:13:06.633
So this is one of the most important positive signs
00:13:06.633 --> 00:13:10.537
That you could see in the news today
00:13:10.537 --> 00:13:12.606
That young people, especially young men,
00:13:12.606 --> 00:13:14.507
Because i believe young women will follow young men
00:13:14.507 --> 00:13:18.111
Going back to church, wanting to get married, wanting
00:13:18.111 --> 00:13:20.480
To have families, wanting to build a life of purpose
00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.949
Is one of the truly most positive signs
00:13:22.949 --> 00:13:25.218
That you could see in any news clipping across the landscape
00:13:25.218 --> 00:13:29.322
Of the media.
00:13:29.322 --> 00:13:30.290
The fact that it won't get more press
00:13:30.290 --> 00:13:31.591
Coverage is a darn shame, but we are going to cover it
00:13:31.591 --> 00:13:33.827
Here because it's truly important.
00:13:33.827 --> 00:13:35.195
It's something charlie poured his life into,
00:13:35.195 --> 00:13:37.697
And i'm so glad to see real, clear investigations highlight
00:13:37.697 --> 00:13:41.134
This truly important development.
00:13:41.134 --> 00:13:43.003
More. we want more.
00:13:43.003 --> 00:13:45.572
We'll be right back.
00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:49.000
We'll be right back.
00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:54.990
Riley
00:13:55.224 --> 00:13:56.191
Gaines, welcome back to the charlie kirk show.
00:13:56.191 --> 00:13:58.594
Good to see you.
00:13:58.594 --> 00:14:00.596
How are you?
00:14:00.596 --> 00:14:01.664
We're doing well.
00:14:01.664 --> 00:14:02.498
We're recovering this story, though.
00:14:02.498 --> 00:14:04.199
And i thought of you because you are one
00:14:04.199 --> 00:14:06.502
Of the leading voices when it comes to.
00:14:06.502 --> 00:14:09.238
I would say, the mental illness of the trans insanity
00:14:09.238 --> 00:14:12.775
That has taken over women's sports,
00:14:12.775 --> 00:14:14.476
That has taken over so many aspects
00:14:14.476 --> 00:14:16.145
Of our public dialog and discourse.
00:14:16.145 --> 00:14:18.380
And now we're seeing this repeated, troubling,
00:14:18.380 --> 00:14:22.017
You know, one after the other, incidents of shootings
00:14:22.017 --> 00:14:24.920
Involving trans shooters.
00:14:24.920 --> 00:14:26.455
And it's kind of like, when are we going to actually
00:14:26.455 --> 00:14:30.459
Raise the alarm, call it what it is
00:14:30.459 --> 00:14:32.194
That this is an epidemic of trans violence.
00:14:32.194 --> 00:14:34.496
I wanted to get your opinion
00:14:34.496 --> 00:14:35.731
On this, of how we even got here.
00:14:35.731 --> 00:14:37.866
You know, i said i joked with you, riley.
00:14:37.866 --> 00:14:40.369
I said, you're not you're not a doctor.
00:14:40.369 --> 00:14:41.870
But you know, you know, but you've
00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:42.972
You've been studying this issue.
00:14:42.972 --> 00:14:44.039
Your response was beautiful.
00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:46.041
So maybe let's start there.
00:14:46.041 --> 00:14:48.010
Yeah.
00:14:48.010 --> 00:14:49.178
Well, when we were talking on the phone today, you did.
00:14:49.178 --> 00:14:51.280
You said you're not a doctor.
00:14:51.280 --> 00:14:52.481
And i said, well, andrew, you don't have to be a doctor
00:14:52.481 --> 00:14:55.084
To understand, number one, the basis of the issue, right?
00:14:55.084 --> 00:14:58.020
Gender ideology as a whole, the harm that it's causing,
00:14:58.020 --> 00:15:00.956
The destruction that it's causing.
00:15:00.956 --> 00:15:02.891
And now what we've seen the death literal,
00:15:02.891 --> 00:15:05.627
I mean, how innocent lives
00:15:05.627 --> 00:15:07.229
Are being prematurely taken from this planet.
00:15:07.229 --> 00:15:09.298
Charlie kirk being one of those,
00:15:09.298 --> 00:15:12.234
We saw in nashville my backyard, where three
00:15:12.234 --> 00:15:14.837
Little nine year olds, i think three adults as well.
00:15:14.837 --> 00:15:17.573
In that scenario, we saw, obviously,
00:15:17.573 --> 00:15:20.142
What happened in canada, what happened in minneapolis,
00:15:20.142 --> 00:15:22.544
And just in rhode island this week.
00:15:22.544 --> 00:15:24.279
This is a very destructive, mental illness, disease,
00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:28.050
As you said, epidemic, social epidemic and contagion
00:15:28.050 --> 00:15:31.086
That is infecting plaguing society.
00:15:31.086 --> 00:15:33.489
You don't have to be a doctor to speak to this.
00:15:33.489 --> 00:15:35.891
And you ask why, right?
00:15:35.891 --> 00:15:37.559
Which is the million dollar question.
00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:39.028
But i think pretty plainly, pretty simply,
00:15:39.028 --> 00:15:41.497
And at least how i understand.
00:15:41.497 --> 00:15:42.931
I think there's a couple routes you could go here,
00:15:42.931 --> 00:15:45.734
But i think,
00:15:45.734 --> 00:15:46.869
What would resonate with most people is the problem.
00:15:46.869 --> 00:15:50.339
This is the problem
00:15:50.339 --> 00:15:51.607
With the affirmation model that we have been seen being used,
00:15:51.607 --> 00:15:54.510
Whether it's
00:15:54.510 --> 00:15:55.310
The medicalization side of things,
00:15:55.310 --> 00:15:56.512
Whether it's the respecting pronouns
00:15:56.512 --> 00:15:59.048
That this is the problem.
00:15:59.048 --> 00:16:00.282
Because think about what we are affirming by being accepting
00:16:00.282 --> 00:16:04.787
And affirming of this,
00:16:04.787 --> 00:16:05.921
We are really only deepening the eventual damage
00:16:05.921 --> 00:16:10.025
That is lurking underneath the surface.
00:16:10.025 --> 00:16:12.961
That's the message that they're receiving,
00:16:12.961 --> 00:16:14.329
Is that they're correct to feel as if they're born wrong.
00:16:14.329 --> 00:16:16.899
So it's a really horrible, horrible thing.
00:16:17.800 --> 00:16:20.602
Prayers to the family of the victims.
00:16:20.602 --> 00:16:22.905
And i think it just leads with the question of,
00:16:22.905 --> 00:16:25.307
You know, how many more times do we have to see this?
00:16:25.307 --> 00:16:28.243
What has to be done? what is the answer?
00:16:28.243 --> 00:16:30.846
I can tell you what the answer is not.
00:16:30.846 --> 00:16:32.681
The answer is not gun control.
00:16:32.681 --> 00:16:35.017
Because guess what?
00:16:35.017 --> 00:16:35.784
In canada and in rhode island,
00:16:35.784 --> 00:16:37.052
Where both of these atrocities in the past week took place,
00:16:37.052 --> 00:16:39.755
There are already strict gun laws.
00:16:39.755 --> 00:16:42.124
Okay, so so gun control, that would not have worked
00:16:42.124 --> 00:16:46.128
Because criminals, they don't trouble themselves
00:16:46.128 --> 00:16:49.064
With the laws, right, by enforcing gun laws.
00:16:49.064 --> 00:16:51.967
Really, what you're doing is keeping the guns out of hands
00:16:51.967 --> 00:16:54.903
Of good people to prevent these tragedies.
00:16:54.903 --> 00:16:57.706
So horrible rule, right?
00:16:57.706 --> 00:17:00.442
Yeah. and you said the family of the victims.
00:17:00.442 --> 00:17:02.878
That's his family.
00:17:02.878 --> 00:17:03.946
So he killed his son.
00:17:03.946 --> 00:17:05.447
His son was a senior
00:17:05.447 --> 00:17:07.382
In high school and the mother of his son.
00:17:07.382 --> 00:17:09.785
And, i said, wow.
00:17:09.785 --> 00:17:11.220
At one point when you're talking
00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:12.387
Because you basically, verbatim took a line of charlie's
00:17:12.387 --> 00:17:16.258
From 2023 after another one of these incidents had happened.
00:17:16.258 --> 00:17:19.528
I'm going to go ahead and play that clip. 378
00:17:19.528 --> 00:17:22.531
Trans people have been
00:17:22.998 --> 00:17:24.166
Made into kind of the sacred cow of american politics.
00:17:24.166 --> 00:17:27.136
You can't question it.
00:17:27.603 --> 00:17:30.239
You can't criticize it.
00:17:30.239 --> 00:17:33.408
They believe they can threaten whoever they want.
00:17:33.408 --> 00:17:35.010
This is the ultimate top of the impression olympics.
00:17:35.010 --> 00:17:37.913
How many dead kids
00:17:37.913 --> 00:17:38.680
Is it going to take for us to say
00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:39.681
We probably gone too far here
00:17:39.681 --> 00:17:40.782
And we should just ask a couple questions.
00:17:40.782 --> 00:17:43.585
How many mass shootings have to happen?
00:17:44.386 --> 00:17:46.955
Well, we probably say, wait a second.
00:17:46.955 --> 00:17:48.323
You know, we just calm down.
00:17:48.323 --> 00:17:50.692
Whatever the diagnosis is, how many incidents
00:17:50.692 --> 00:17:52.761
Is it going to take before we stop pouring
00:17:52.761 --> 00:17:54.963
Xyz down these people?
00:17:54.963 --> 00:17:56.365
How many,
00:17:56.365 --> 00:17:57.432
Hormone replacement therapy, this cocktail of drugs
00:17:57.432 --> 00:18:00.135
That we are giving the most unstable people in our society.
00:18:00.135 --> 00:18:03.605
Yeah.
00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:04.706
First, let me just say it's so
00:18:04.706 --> 00:18:07.409
Hard to listen to a video of charlie kirk.
00:18:08.277 --> 00:18:11.346
Honestly, i don't know.
00:18:11.346 --> 00:18:14.316
I know some people have found comfort
00:18:14.316 --> 00:18:16.251
In watching clips of his, but i really haven't.
00:18:16.251 --> 00:18:18.987
It's been really, like, difficult to listen in,
00:18:18.987 --> 00:18:21.957
Especially this clip, and listening to him speak to
00:18:21.957 --> 00:18:24.893
What would ultimately and prematurely take his life.
00:18:24.893 --> 00:18:28.597
What?
00:18:28.830 --> 00:18:29.631
Just say a really horrible thing.
00:18:29.631 --> 00:18:31.500
But yeah, i'm talking about the ssl, ssl rise.
00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:34.736
I think that's another reason why we haven't seen,
00:18:34.736 --> 00:18:37.339
Especially those who call themselves
00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:39.007
Health care professionals.
00:18:39.007 --> 00:18:40.776
Really question
00:18:40.776 --> 00:18:42.844
Administering synthetic and unnatural chemicals
00:18:42.844 --> 00:18:45.080
And substances so those who identify as trans,
00:18:45.080 --> 00:18:47.249
Because it opens it, it opens the door for broader questions
00:18:47.249 --> 00:18:51.553
To those ssri scenarios,
00:18:51.553 --> 00:18:55.958
You know, antidepressant medication
00:18:55.958 --> 00:18:58.927
That are overly diagnosed and overly prescribed.
00:18:58.927 --> 00:19:02.664
Now, that is not me saying that antidepressants aren't
00:19:02.664 --> 00:19:06.034
Useful and beneficial for some people,
00:19:06.034 --> 00:19:08.337
But they are being prescribed at an alarming rate,
00:19:08.337 --> 00:19:11.907
Especially to people among my generation.
00:19:11.907 --> 00:19:14.676
And when you look at things
00:19:14.676 --> 00:19:16.845
And going back to talking about administering
00:19:16.845 --> 00:19:18.780
These, these chemicals and hormones,
00:19:18.780 --> 00:19:20.649
To minors or adults for that matter,
00:19:20.649 --> 00:19:22.851
When you look at the effects of something like testosterone,
00:19:22.851 --> 00:19:25.320
What that has, increased impulsivity, increased
00:19:25.320 --> 00:19:29.157
Aggression, short temper, it really only magnifies
00:19:29.157 --> 00:19:32.995
The issues that are there as opposed to to creating
00:19:32.995 --> 00:19:35.998
New ones or diminishing them.
00:19:35.998 --> 00:19:37.232
It magnifies those underlying things.
00:19:37.232 --> 00:19:39.801
So again, when you're talking about which is a commonality,
00:19:39.801 --> 00:19:42.437
Someone with underlying mood disorders such as ocd,
00:19:42.437 --> 00:19:45.974
Such as bipolar disorder or obsessive or, adhd,
00:19:45.974 --> 00:19:49.711
Whatever it is, depression, anxiety,
00:19:49.711 --> 00:19:51.880
That's what's being magnified here.
00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:53.448
And again, i think a large part of why
00:19:53.448 --> 00:19:55.017
We're seeing so many horrible tragedies committed.
00:19:55.017 --> 00:19:58.987
Yeah.
00:19:59.221 --> 00:19:59.488
And you
00:19:59.488 --> 00:20:00.689
Asked a question earlier, you said, what is the solution?
00:20:00.689 --> 00:20:02.457
Well, we know the solution isn't to affirm a disease
00:20:02.457 --> 00:20:06.295
And say, yes, you can have more and more of your own disease,
00:20:06.295 --> 00:20:09.298
Your own situation.
00:20:09.298 --> 00:20:11.066
Now adults are going to choose what they're going to choose.
00:20:11.066 --> 00:20:13.535
We do have freedom in this country.
00:20:13.535 --> 00:20:14.970
They're going to choose.
00:20:14.970 --> 00:20:16.672
But one of the storylines that we saw this morning
00:20:15.570 --> 00:20:18.907
That i think is tied into this when we talk about solutions,
00:20:18.907 --> 00:20:22.277
Is the rise in faith.
00:20:22.277 --> 00:20:23.779
And it's not
00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:24.579
This is not
00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:25.814
The kids are not flocking back to watered down christianity.
00:20:25.814 --> 00:20:28.083
They're they're flocking back to the old, the good, the true,
00:20:28.083 --> 00:20:31.420
Those face that have stood the test of time for millennia.
00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:34.856
And the the protestant churches, maybe newer,
00:20:34.856 --> 00:20:37.726
But that that are preaching a strong gospel, a masculine
00:20:37.726 --> 00:20:40.429
Gospel, a a you know, it
00:20:40.429 --> 00:20:43.398
Just straightforward, unapologetic
00:20:43.398 --> 00:20:46.268
Gospel of jesus christ that, i believe is what you're
00:20:46.268 --> 00:20:49.404
Starting to see in culture.
00:20:49.404 --> 00:20:51.406
Is this pushback to this destabilization,
00:20:51.406 --> 00:20:54.276
This social societal anarchy that we're seeing,
00:20:54.276 --> 00:20:56.978
And maybe speak to that rightly,
00:20:56.978 --> 00:20:58.347
Because you're a christian, you're seeing this
00:20:58.347 --> 00:20:59.781
With young people that you speak to.
00:20:59.781 --> 00:21:02.284
What is the mechanism?
00:21:02.284 --> 00:21:03.518
Why are people
00:21:03.518 --> 00:21:04.653
Flocking back to the faith, especially young people?
00:21:04.653 --> 00:21:07.389
Well, i think when when analyzing religion
00:21:07.389 --> 00:21:11.660
And, and i'll just speak pretty personally here,
00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:14.696
I feel a total sense of serenity and calmness
00:21:14.696 --> 00:21:17.966
And security and confidence in the stance
00:21:17.966 --> 00:21:20.836
That i've taken despite
00:21:20.836 --> 00:21:22.404
The constant attacks or death threats that are hurled my way.
00:21:22.404 --> 00:21:26.241
And honestly, charlie was this way too.
00:21:26.241 --> 00:21:28.777
And i think that was very
00:21:28.777 --> 00:21:30.112
Evident in how he conducted himself,
00:21:30.112 --> 00:21:31.613
How he's still willing
00:21:31.613 --> 00:21:32.614
To go out there knowing that threats existed.
00:21:32.614 --> 00:21:35.217
It's because he knew that
00:21:35.217 --> 00:21:36.318
What he was fighting for was the hope
00:21:36.318 --> 00:21:38.220
And the promise of eternal life.
00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:39.988
That is the only place you will ever find satisfaction.
00:21:39.988 --> 00:21:42.657
And i think oftentimes, especially
00:21:42.657 --> 00:21:44.126
When dissecting gender ideology,
00:21:44.126 --> 00:21:46.862
These people are desperately looking for their identity.
00:21:46.862 --> 00:21:49.898
They're looking for a place to find that identity.
00:21:49.898 --> 00:21:52.200
Well, i know as a christian
00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:54.503
That the only place that you will find pure and total
00:21:54.503 --> 00:21:57.839
Satisfaction is in placing your identity in christ.
00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:01.009
And i think a lot of
00:22:01.009 --> 00:22:02.077
A lot of young people are becoming to understand
00:22:02.077 --> 00:22:05.313
That they're realizing this.
00:22:05.313 --> 00:22:06.515
And in that you're seeing a shift back to,
00:22:06.515 --> 00:22:09.551
Developing that relationship with christ, seeking salvation.
00:22:09.551 --> 00:22:12.988
And a large part of
00:22:12.988 --> 00:22:13.955
That is, is the legacy that charlie kirk left.
00:22:13.955 --> 00:22:16.525
And honestly, like, i hate talking about it
00:22:16.525 --> 00:22:18.326
Like this because it seems as if,
00:22:18.326 --> 00:22:20.562
You know, in speaking of the good things
00:22:20.562 --> 00:22:22.631
That happened following charlie's
00:22:22.631 --> 00:22:23.832
Death, selfishly, like, i'd rather him still be here.
00:22:23.832 --> 00:22:27.936
But it was one of the
00:22:28.437 --> 00:22:30.305
Consequences that we saw this revival,
00:22:30.305 --> 00:22:33.575
Especially of young people going to church that sunday
00:22:33.575 --> 00:22:36.244
After charlie kirk's assassination.
00:22:36.244 --> 00:22:38.246
I mean, there was no empty seat.
00:22:38.246 --> 00:22:40.682
People felt a conviction, a calling to go back,
00:22:40.682 --> 00:22:44.619
To open their bible,
00:22:44.619 --> 00:22:45.787
To maybe buy a bible for the first time in their life.
00:22:45.787 --> 00:22:48.223
That's a really special thing.
00:22:48.223 --> 00:22:49.458
And it's, again,
00:22:49.458 --> 00:22:50.659
It's the kind of life that charlie kirk lived.
00:22:50.659 --> 00:22:52.861
So we're seeing a lot of inspiration in that,
00:22:52.861 --> 00:22:56.498
I think, especially in my generation.
00:22:56.498 --> 00:22:58.200
Yeah. well said. and, i'm with you.
00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:00.535
To be honest,
00:23:00.535 --> 00:23:01.536
It's hard for me to watch charlie clips,
00:23:01.536 --> 00:23:03.505
You know, the team in the audience.
00:23:03.505 --> 00:23:05.507
I know that it means a lot to
00:23:05.507 --> 00:23:06.608
People out there to see them, but for me, it it
00:23:06.608 --> 00:23:10.045
It doesn't get easier.
00:23:10.512 --> 00:23:11.746
So i'm with you, riley gaines, thank you so much for coming.
00:23:11.746 --> 00:23:14.950
You are uniquely positioned to talk about this issue.
00:23:14.950 --> 00:23:17.819
So god bless you.
00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:18.787
Keep safe and we'll talk to you again soon.
00:23:18.787 --> 00:23:20.856
Thanks for everything
00:23:20.856 --> 00:23:21.890
You're doing out there, too, with our students.
00:23:21.890 --> 00:23:23.058
You're doing a great job. yeah. of course. thank you to.
00:23:23.058 --> 00:23:23.058

Riley Gaines: February 18, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today

February 18, 2026 | 23:28

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