TPUSA Confirms Leaked Charlie Kirk Text Messages About Conflicts with Donors

In the weeks following the tragic assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, conservatives across the country have been united in mourning — while also searching for answers about what may have been happening in the final months of his life.

Among the most discussed questions: whether Kirk’s views on Israel had shifted in any meaningful way before his death.

For years, Kirk was one of Israel’s most vocal advocates in conservative circles — a defender of the Jewish state’s right to exist and a critic of antisemitism. But according to people close to him, Kirk was also beginning to wrestle with complex questions about U.S.-Israel relations and the direction of Israel’s military strategy.

Those discussions gained national attention this week when commentator Candace Owens released what she claimed were private text exchanges showing Kirk expressing frustration with certain donors.

In one message, Kirk allegedly wrote:

“Just lost another huge Jewish donor. $2 million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker [Carlson]. I’m thinking of inviting Candace.”

Another read:

“Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes. I cannot and will not be bullied like this … Leaving me no choice but to leave the pro Israel cause.”

Owens’ publication of the texts sparked immediate controversy — with critics calling the release opportunistic and inflammatory — but Turning Point USA later confirmed the authenticity of the messages.

On Tuesday’s episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet addressed the uproar directly.

“I want to take the start of this show to address some of the things that have been going around in public, namely about a group text chain that has been made known and released by Candace Owens,” Kolvet said. “And I just want to address it head-on, because that was a text grab, a screen grab, that I had shared with people. So it is authentic, and I want to go into it, because I actually am really excited that the truth is out there.”

Kolvet and co-host Blake Neff said they had remained relatively quiet about the assassination itself due to the ongoing federal investigation, emphasizing that they didn’t want emotional commentary to compromise the case.

Turning to the texts, Kolvet described Kirk’s words as consistent with his broader worldview.

“Charlie was adamantly free speech, and I am not personally going to impugn anybody’s character who is asking questions and looking for answers,” Kolvet said. “And I will say that that text chain is consistent with public frustrations that he voiced many times.”

He added that Kirk’s perspective on Israel was complex — neither a rejection of his past support nor a sudden ideological break.

“What is the truth about the way Charlie felt about Israel? Well, it’s complicated, and it’s nuanced, and it’s something Charlie was wrestling with for months, and it’s probably somewhere between the Bibi letter and the group text,” Kolvet said.

That “Bibi letter” refers to a heartfelt message Kirk wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing admiration for Israel’s resilience and moral clarity — a letter that surfaced publicly after his death.

Neff agreed that Kirk’s private comments aligned with his public beliefs.

“I don’t even think there’s ‘a between’ about it,” Neff said. “I think those are extremely consistent with the exact same worldview. Charlie was not hiding things from people.”

As the investigation into Kirk’s assassination continues, allies say the focus should remain on honoring his legacy — a legacy of unapologetic conservatism, fearless advocacy, and a willingness to confront difficult questions that others avoided.