Two days. That was all the time that passed between the assassination of one of America’s most prominent conservative voices and the moment Sharon McMahon decided the occasion called for social media posts challenging his legacy.
Now, McMahon stands as the chosen commencement speaker for Utah Valley University’s class of 2026 — a decision that has ignited a firestorm on a campus where Kirk’s death left wounds that have not healed.
UVU made the announcement on March 26, rolling out language that painted McMahon as a principled educator committed to “breaking down topics in civics, history, and current events with nonpartisan explanations to help empower informed discussions.”
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and one of the most recognized conservative figures of his generation, was shot and killed in September of last year. Tyler Robinson stands accused of the murder and is currently before a Utah court, where he faces the prospect of capital punishment.
The blood had barely dried when McMahon took to Instagram and Threads on September 12, posting a collection of Kirk quotes alongside text framing him as a man who spread “bigoted ideas” to audiences numbering in the tens of millions.
Instagram visitors looking for that post today will find it gone. McMahon deleted it. The version posted to Threads, however, remains standing.
Her caption on that post drew a hard line: “These aren’t sound bites taken out of context. Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done.”
One of the quotes McMahon spotlighted came from a Kirk podcast appearance, in which he said: “If I see a black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy I hope he’s qualified.’” McMahon offered this as proof of Kirk’s worldview, writing that it “casts suspicion on all black professionals, not just individuals, and sounds like he automatically views black Americans as less intelligent or less educated.”
What McMahon left out was what Kirk said next — words recorded within seconds of the passage she chose to highlight. Kirk stated plainly: “That’s not who I am, that’s not what I believe.” He then walked through his actual argument: that diversity quota mandates from airline executives create a corrosive doubt in the public mind that would not exist otherwise.
Kirk’s full remarks included this: “The CEO said he’s forcing that a white qualified guy is not gonna get the job. So I see this guy, he might be a nice person, I say, ‘boy, I hope he’s not a Harvard-style affirmative action student.’” He described that impulse as “unhealthy thinking patterns” — ones he blamed squarely on DEI policy, saying it was something “no one should” experience.
Caleb Chilcutt, who leads the Turning Point USA chapter at UVU, did not mince words when the university’s pick became public. “Sharon McMahon posted a now-deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy, rather than offering condolences or condemning political violence,” Chilcutt told The Post Millennial.
He framed the university’s decision as a moral failure, not just a political one. “While universities should welcome diverse viewpoints, platforming someone who treated a historic and tragic political assassination, not as a moment to grieve, but as an opportunity to create content, is tone-deaf and disrespectful to those still affected, especially on this campus.”
Chilcutt pressed the point further: “There are countless better alternatives, and the fact the university is choosing McMahon is entirely disappointing to all of us still reeling from his loss. I couldn’t be more disappointed in this university at such a hurtful and calloused decision.”
Beyond the Kirk posts, McMahon’s social media history raises questions about the nonpartisan brand she has cultivated. Her accounts have featured content opposing voter identification laws — a traditionally left-wing policy stance — and posts employing language commonly used by those who characterize conservative-led efforts to restrict explicit material in schools as “book bans.”
McMahon’s commencement address is scheduled for April 29.
Robinson’s capital trial continues in Utah.
