Charlie Kirk is using religion to trick young conservatives

Right-wing media personality Charlie Kirk is turning to religion to level up his racism. The Turning Point USA founder used to call himself “secular,” but now he’s a radical right-wing Christian arguing against the First Amendment. His videos and speeches speak directly to young adults and that's what angers me the most. My guest this week is Dartmouth historian Randall Balmer. He explains what Kirk gets wrong about America and religion. Balmer's new book, “America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State,” is available now. Subscribe here on YouTube for more Standing Room Only, airing weekly Thursdays at 5 PM ET on YouTube. 🥳 Standing Room Only started as a newsletter. Join the party and get it in your inbox 2x a week by clicking here: https://www.salon.com/newsletter?utm_... 🤓 Read Amanda Marcotte's writing on Salon.com here: https://www.salon.com/writer/amanda_m... 👍 Follow Amanda on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandamarcot... ✌️ Support Salon’s mission—become a member: https://www.salon.com/premium?utm_sou... #standingroomonly #salon #salondotcom #amandamarcotte #randallbalmer #charliekirk #firstamendment #churchandstate