September 11, 2025 • 8 mins
Senate candidate Nate Morris hosted conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at the Morris campaign rally launch on June 30th in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Mr. Morris spoke with Terry Meiners about Charlie Kirk's legacy, his visit in June, Kirk's Kentucky roots, and the battle for the soul of America.
Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Mr. Morris spoke with Terry Meiners about Charlie Kirk's legacy, his visit in June, Kirk's Kentucky roots, and the battle for the soul of America.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I think the world was pretty stunned by the assassination
of Charlie Kirk yesterday in Utah. He was here in
Kentucky not too long ago, a couple of months ago,
to help open the campaign of Nate Morris, who was
running for the US Senate here in Kentucky. He was
in Shepherdsville, Charlie Kirk was Nate Morris joins me. Now, Nate,
(00:20):
thank you. I know this is a heck of a
loss for you with your friend Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, it's awful, terry, and this is a national tragedy
and something you can't put into words. But you know,
today we're trying to stay focused on Charlie's life, what
he meant to this country, what he fought for every day,
what was important to him, which was his faith. He
(00:47):
was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior
for the Conservative movement, and it ended up costing him
his life. And Charlie, I know, was proud that he
had Kentucky roots, and that's one of the first things
obviously that he shared when we connected, is that he
(01:09):
was very proud of the people of Kentucky and just
how great of a people we are, and that's something
you don't forget when you first meet a guy like Charlie.
But I know he's in heaven now and and I
just I hope as a country we can stay focused
on what he's done to move a generation of Americans forward.
(01:31):
And he's forever immortalized now as someone who changed our country. Forever.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Tell me about his interaction with people when he was
with you on June thirtieth.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Terry, I've never seen anything like it, the energy that
he brings to a room, and it was electric. And
you know, I've had the opportunity to be around interesting
people and people that are famous or people that have
been in movies and things like that, but Charlie just
had something so extraordinary that you can't put into words,
a magnetism, and he chose to use his gifts to
(02:08):
move this country forward and to speak for a generation
of Americans that I think felt hopeless, that felt like
they didn't have a place in the country. And that day, Terry,
I know this has been reported, but you know, we
had fifteen hundred people show up on a Monday morning
leading into a holiday weekends. You know, there was a
(02:29):
line all the way around the block, and the sidewalk,
and I've never seen more enthusiasm for a young man
and for a leader. And you know what was so remarkable,
Terryus He took so much time with each person there
that day to make sure that anybody who wanted to
shake his hand, get a picture, get to talk to him.
(02:52):
And I was just so taken by the Kentuckians that
drove from all over the Commonwealth to come and see Charlie.
They just wanted to get a glimpse of him. They
just want to see him in person and hear his
message front and center.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
You mentioned Kentucky roots, what are they?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
He's he's got some family, cousins, and he lost a
member of his family recently in Kentucky. And and you know,
I know that when I introduced myself from the first
time we met, I said I was from Kentucky and
he said, he said, I got family there. He said,
Kentucky's are great people, he said, the pride of America.
(03:32):
And that's a comment you don't forget. And that's something
that always sticks with you when you meet somebody the
first time, particularly somewhat of Charlie's stature and the position
that he's speaking.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
From I'm hearing from a lot of voices online. Of
course people are of all, you know, they're pouring out
sorrow for his family, and then other folks are celebrating.
I mean, is free speech dead or people? Should people
be fearful of standing up and delivering their ainions for
fear that someone who takes issue but it will kill them.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I mean, Terry, We're living in really scary times right now.
I think, particularly for conservatives, for people that support our president,
that if you have a differing opinion, I believe the
radical left takes it's appropriate to say the things that
they're saying online, but also to incite violence. And we've
(04:25):
seen this from democratic leaders. We've seen this from leaders
on the left that they're perfectly fine with inciting violence.
And Terry, I know we had this conversation weeks ago,
but think about last year. Our president was almost assassinated twice.
You don't hear anything about that. You don't hear anyone
(04:45):
talk about that. You don't hear any precautions that are
being taken. You don't hear any tamping down at the
rhetoric that's directed at people that have a differing opinion,
people that are Christians, people that are conservatives, people that
have a different viewpoint from what mainstream media and the
left believes is appropriate. And as a country, we've got
(05:07):
to be able to have dialogue that's positive. But at
some point, Terry, you have to say, right now, we're
in a battle for the soul of this country and
this is a battle of good and evil, I believe,
and this, this incident yesterday, this tragedy, this assassination is
(05:28):
shaking this country to its core, and we need to
wake up and we need to say what's going on here.
And as conservatives and people that are fighting for what
we believe is right for this country, we can't be silenced.
We can't sit back. And that's what Charlie was so
incredible at doing. You know, Terry, he would walk into
these rooms, not have a friend in the room, and
(05:50):
he's willing to engage in debate and go toe to
toe with anyone. He wasn't a keyboard warrior that hid
behind an anonymous Twitter account. He wasn't speaking anonymously. He
probably said who he was and willing is was willing
to engage in that debate. I believe to move this
(06:10):
country forward, and the direction that it needed to go. Yes,
and for too many people have been scared to speak out.
Terry and totally wasn't one of them.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Yeah. Well, he also listened to the people on the
other side. He would he would hear what they have
to say and say, well, here's what I think. And
he would oftentimes run that through his prism as a Christian,
and sometimes they would agree to disagree. But it never
got to violence that I would see from any of
the videos I've watched.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Well, obviously I don't know if you saw this, Terry,
but just before we got on, I think the Wall
Street Journal and I tweeted about this a moment ago,
the Wall Street Journals reporting that there was possibly a
transactivist that carved something into these into these casings of
the bullets. And you know, this is another conversation that
(07:04):
we're having, and I believe we need to continue to
have in society about people that are mentally ill, and
we need to call it out for what it is
and stop sugarcoating it, stopped putting it aside. You know,
just two weeks ago we had a transgender shooter kill children,
(07:24):
and the left will not say what that is and
will not say that this person is mentally ill, and
as a country, we need to have the fortitude and
we need to have the conviction to call it for
what it is.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
I've seen the reporting in there in the last hour
or so. Yes, I'm curious to see if law enforcement
is able to find the shooter. I understand they found
a weapon, but it seems like there certainly they'll put
enough resources into this to ultimately find a shooter and
we can finally get an answer as to why.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I hope so, Terry, and this this is a tragedy
that didn't have to happen and should never happen in
this country. And this was a wonderful person that was
taken from us, that gave up his life to serve
this country and to fight for what he believed in
(08:18):
and to fight for people that were not having a
voice in this country. And it shouldn't be that way.
We should have the ability as a country to have
dialogue and be able to disagree. But Terry, I think
we've moved beyond a point of that, and I think,
as I said, I think this is now a battle
of good and evil, and good has to win.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Nate Morris, sorry to talk to you on this particular
difficult subject, but I appreciate the time today you bet
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Terry, thank you,
I think the world was pretty stunned by the assassination
of Charlie Kirk yesterday in Utah. He was here in
Kentucky not too long ago, a couple of months ago,
to help open the campaign of Nate Morris, who was
running for the US Senate here in Kentucky. He was
in Shepherdsville, Charlie Kirk was Nate Morris joins me. Now, Nate,
(00:20):
thank you. I know this is a heck of a
loss for you with your friend Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, it's awful, terry, and this is a national tragedy
and something you can't put into words. But you know,
today we're trying to stay focused on Charlie's life, what
he meant to this country, what he fought for every day,
what was important to him, which was his faith. He
(00:47):
was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior
for the Conservative movement, and it ended up costing him
his life. And Charlie, I know, was proud that he
had Kentucky roots, and that's one of the first things
obviously that he shared when we connected, is that he
(01:09):
was very proud of the people of Kentucky and just
how great of a people we are, and that's something
you don't forget when you first meet a guy like Charlie.
But I know he's in heaven now and and I
just I hope as a country we can stay focused
on what he's done to move a generation of Americans forward.
(01:31):
And he's forever immortalized now as someone who changed our country. Forever.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Tell me about his interaction with people when he was
with you on June thirtieth.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Terry, I've never seen anything like it, the energy that
he brings to a room, and it was electric. And
you know, I've had the opportunity to be around interesting
people and people that are famous or people that have
been in movies and things like that, but Charlie just
had something so extraordinary that you can't put into words,
a magnetism, and he chose to use his gifts to
(02:08):
move this country forward and to speak for a generation
of Americans that I think felt hopeless, that felt like
they didn't have a place in the country. And that day, Terry,
I know this has been reported, but you know, we
had fifteen hundred people show up on a Monday morning
leading into a holiday weekends. You know, there was a
(02:29):
line all the way around the block, and the sidewalk,
and I've never seen more enthusiasm for a young man
and for a leader. And you know what was so remarkable,
Terryus He took so much time with each person there
that day to make sure that anybody who wanted to
shake his hand, get a picture, get to talk to him.
(02:52):
And I was just so taken by the Kentuckians that
drove from all over the Commonwealth to come and see Charlie.
They just wanted to get a glimpse of him. They
just want to see him in person and hear his
message front and center.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
You mentioned Kentucky roots, what are they?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
He's he's got some family, cousins, and he lost a
member of his family recently in Kentucky. And and you know,
I know that when I introduced myself from the first
time we met, I said I was from Kentucky and
he said, he said, I got family there. He said,
Kentucky's are great people, he said, the pride of America.
(03:32):
And that's a comment you don't forget. And that's something
that always sticks with you when you meet somebody the
first time, particularly somewhat of Charlie's stature and the position
that he's speaking.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
From I'm hearing from a lot of voices online. Of
course people are of all, you know, they're pouring out
sorrow for his family, and then other folks are celebrating.
I mean, is free speech dead or people? Should people
be fearful of standing up and delivering their ainions for
fear that someone who takes issue but it will kill them.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I mean, Terry, We're living in really scary times right now.
I think, particularly for conservatives, for people that support our president,
that if you have a differing opinion, I believe the
radical left takes it's appropriate to say the things that
they're saying online, but also to incite violence. And we've
(04:25):
seen this from democratic leaders. We've seen this from leaders
on the left that they're perfectly fine with inciting violence.
And Terry, I know we had this conversation weeks ago,
but think about last year. Our president was almost assassinated twice.
You don't hear anything about that. You don't hear anyone
(04:45):
talk about that. You don't hear any precautions that are
being taken. You don't hear any tamping down at the
rhetoric that's directed at people that have a differing opinion,
people that are Christians, people that are conservatives, people that
have a different viewpoint from what mainstream media and the
left believes is appropriate. And as a country, we've got
(05:07):
to be able to have dialogue that's positive. But at
some point, Terry, you have to say, right now, we're
in a battle for the soul of this country and
this is a battle of good and evil, I believe,
and this, this incident yesterday, this tragedy, this assassination is
(05:28):
shaking this country to its core, and we need to
wake up and we need to say what's going on here.
And as conservatives and people that are fighting for what
we believe is right for this country, we can't be silenced.
We can't sit back. And that's what Charlie was so
incredible at doing. You know, Terry, he would walk into
these rooms, not have a friend in the room, and
(05:50):
he's willing to engage in debate and go toe to
toe with anyone. He wasn't a keyboard warrior that hid
behind an anonymous Twitter account. He wasn't speaking anonymously. He
probably said who he was and willing is was willing
to engage in that debate. I believe to move this
(06:10):
country forward, and the direction that it needed to go. Yes,
and for too many people have been scared to speak out.
Terry and totally wasn't one of them.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Yeah. Well, he also listened to the people on the
other side. He would he would hear what they have
to say and say, well, here's what I think. And
he would oftentimes run that through his prism as a Christian,
and sometimes they would agree to disagree. But it never
got to violence that I would see from any of
the videos I've watched.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Well, obviously I don't know if you saw this, Terry,
but just before we got on, I think the Wall
Street Journal and I tweeted about this a moment ago,
the Wall Street Journals reporting that there was possibly a
transactivist that carved something into these into these casings of
the bullets. And you know, this is another conversation that
(07:04):
we're having, and I believe we need to continue to
have in society about people that are mentally ill, and
we need to call it out for what it is
and stop sugarcoating it, stopped putting it aside. You know,
just two weeks ago we had a transgender shooter kill children,
(07:24):
and the left will not say what that is and
will not say that this person is mentally ill, and
as a country, we need to have the fortitude and
we need to have the conviction to call it for
what it is.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
I've seen the reporting in there in the last hour
or so. Yes, I'm curious to see if law enforcement
is able to find the shooter. I understand they found
a weapon, but it seems like there certainly they'll put
enough resources into this to ultimately find a shooter and
we can finally get an answer as to why.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I hope so, Terry, and this this is a tragedy
that didn't have to happen and should never happen in
this country. And this was a wonderful person that was
taken from us, that gave up his life to serve
this country and to fight for what he believed in
(08:18):
and to fight for people that were not having a
voice in this country. And it shouldn't be that way.
We should have the ability as a country to have
dialogue and be able to disagree. But Terry, I think
we've moved beyond a point of that, and I think,
as I said, I think this is now a battle
of good and evil, and good has to win.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Nate Morris, sorry to talk to you on this particular
difficult subject, but I appreciate the time today you bet
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Terry, thank you,
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