'Kingmaker': Columnist thinks this man is 'most important person' in MAGA after Trump

Charlie Kirk has emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the MAGA movement after former President Donald Trump himself — and could become a powerful "kingmaker" in coming years, suggested Ali Breland in an analysis for The Atlantic on Monday.

Kirk heads up the controversial far-right youth organization Turning Point USA, which this year has handled much of the get-out-the-vote operations for Trump's campaign.

Breland got to see Kirk up close at an event at the University of Montana, where he is trying to rally young Republicans to defeat embattled Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

"He hosts one of the most popular news podcasts in the country, and his YouTube channel is a clout machine," wrote Breland. "But I came away realizing that Kirk is less of an influencer than an operator. While he spoke, volunteers moved around the crowd asking people if they were registered to vote. Later in the day, Kirk appeared at an event with Tim Sheehy, the GOP candidate trying to defeat Senator Jon Tester. Kirk bragged that Turning Point had registered 100 new voters that day."

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"Kirk’s apparatus has gone from a conservative youth-outreach organization to an all-encompassing right-wing empire — one that has cultivated relationships with influential conservative faith groups, built out a powerful media arm, and hosted rallies for Trump and other top Republicans," wrote Breland. "It has allowed Kirk to wedge himself into a powerful role: He is the gatekeeper of a bridge between mainstream conservatism and its extreme fringes. Instead of merely serving as a roleplayer on the right, Kirk now leverages his influence to bend conservatism closer to his own vision. Kirk has power, and he knows it."

Though Kirk has power, some analysts have suggested his influence on Trump and the GOP at large is to their detriment — for instance, he has been the bridge at events that helped Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance network with extremists who alienate more moderate voters from the GOP.

Ultimately, whether Trump wins or loses in tomorrow's election, Breland wrote, Kirk and the movement he has built is going to have staying power.

"He is in charge of much more than helping the right win youth voters. He has a relatively prominent political-media empire that he can use to push his ideas forward — one that works in tandem with the rest of his apparatus. His years of relationship-building with faith groups cannot be replicated by would-be challengers overnight."

"At least for now, Kirk has convinced Republicans that his political project is divinely ordained," Breland concluded.