Zoë Schiffer: So, where will traditional right-wing media such as Fox News stay? Is this an alternative, or is it working in synchronization?
Jake Lahut: I think this is more of a thing. Fox’s show was dominated by Kirk’s assassination last night. I think that for many Mainstay Fox personality, people like Charlie Kirk, I think in the wider cinematic universe of America’s turning point, these young characters are very important, and in fact, I think many more mature conservative media TV hosts can build that audience and start introducing their people every night in their bed at home. It’s just an interesting thing, too, because Democrats have been trying to do the version for a while, and as we mentioned earlier, traditional wisdom believes that Democrats will always have the advantage of young voters. So, I think it’s very interesting to see what turning point the United States will be. Then, to what extent can this door he opened be occupied by a character with a different form, another charm, more extreme on some issues. So there is a very legitimate, almost a power vacuum opened here, because he is a peculiar figure in this aspect of conservative politics.
Zoë Schiffer: Absolutely. Therefore, creating a new branch of right-wing media targeting young audiences is definitely a key part of Kirk’s legacy. And, he has left legacy throughout politics, such as his remarks about trans people, immigrants, and abortion rights. These things really come out to me. Talk to me, he might have left that brand.
Jake Lahut: Yes, I think branding has seen some contradictions after this horrible event. Of course, he was portrayed almost Christmas after his death, and I think part of it is that he is an organizer rather than a candidate, so he never got this kind of scrutiny or had to really make tough choices in policy. He is always focusing on the economy, fundraising and voter turnout. So I think now he is remembered for his sincere commitment to freedom of debate and wants to have face-to-face interactions with people who may never talk to each other or disagree with politics. But, for example, he had many words about gun control, for example, effectively, worth a certain degree of gun death to explain what he said here to protect the Second Amendment. He was asked once if one of her 10-year-old daughters had been sexually assaulted and pregnant at the time, and if he wanted her to deliver her pregnancy? He basically said yes, there had to be a baby there. Another area where he might have the biggest impact, to increase rapidly, is his view of the purpose of college and young adults, which is very different from what we usually hear from young people involved in politics. His positive vision for young people to go to college. Now, this vision works for women, like you should go to college just to find a husband, and that’s pretty much it. But he offers the point: “Hey, actually, you’re told in the U.S. that your career is busy and grinding are the most important. I’m actually here to tell you that there’s only one family and a child.” And we’ve seen a recent poll from NBC News where Z Gen Gen Men ranked kids first, and no other crowds. And Gen Z women list other issues in having a stable career, mental health and all of these things. So it’s a bondage to his legacy that I think is worth tracking, because he’s really just a sensation on a college campus. And I don’t think anyone will replace the role immediately, but if we want to understand how he really changes our politics, rather than looking at an election or a series of quotes he gives, I’ll see that there are a lot of young people who really appreciate this guy, you might really know a lot of them, but you just heard a lot from them, but until this happened, it could be very long, it could be very long, it could be very long, it’s a long memory.
Zoë Schiffer: Jack, thank you very much for joining me today.
Jake Lahut: Thank you very much, Zoë.
Zoë Schiffer: That’s our performance today. We will link to all the stories we talked about in the show notes. Adriana Tapia made this episode. Macrosound’s Amar Lal mixed this episode. Kate Osborn is our executive producer. Condé Nast’s global audio head is Chris Bannon, and Katie Drummond is the global editorial director of Wired.
