Mike Lee

Political activist Charlie Kirk was killed nearly a year ago, and as the anniversary approaches, so do the eulogies.

His divisive debates delighted conservatives but angered liberals, making him a sweetheart among Washington’s most MAGA politicians. Senator Mike Lee, the right-wing Utah Republican, said Tuesday that Kirk would’ve become president.

“He’d have been the most effective and successful conservative politician in more than a century,” Lee wrote on X. “So they killed him.”

Only one suspect, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been charged with Kirk’s killing, and authorities believe he acted alone. His alleged motives haven’t yet been discussed in court—his case was just allowed Tuesday to proceed to trial—but officials say Kirk’s rhetoric was a factor. The activist used his large audience to promote controversial opinions, including that the Second Amendment is worth the gun deaths its critics say it causes.

Kirk’s supporters have accused his detractors of exploiting his statements, but many of his most contentious comments catapulted him into the national spotlight.

“It's clear to see that Charlie's voice has not silenced,” President Donald Trump said at an April event held by Kirk’s activist group. “It's roaring and roaring back louder, frankly, than ever before.”