Erika Kirk finds surprising inspiration from Rachel Maddow on anti-ICE protests

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was surprisingly inspired by comments from liberal MS NOW host Rachel Maddow, who drew a parallel between the ongoing anti-ICE protests and the resurgence following her husband’s assassination.

Speaking in Los Angeles on Wednesday at the opening ceremony for TPUSA Faith’s Make Heaven Crowded tour, Kirk mentioned an exchange Maddow had with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel earlier this month, which he said was shared in a group chat with the cast of “The Charlie Kirk Show.”

“I can’t believe I even said their names in a church,” Kirk jokingly told the crowd at Harvest Church in Los Angeles.

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During the exchange, Kimmel asked Maddow if she believed anything would come of the protests that have erupted against the Trump administration, to which Maddow responded emphatically, “Yes, I do.”

“In terms of political science, there is something called the ‘3.5% Rule,’ which is if you look at various authoritarian regimes around the world over the last century, when you have 3.5% of a population protesting nonviolently against a dictator or authoritarian, that is essentially an unstoppable force that they cannot oppose, and that keeps them from consolidating dictatorial power.”

“That’s not much bigger than what we’re already seeing on the streets against Trump,” Maddow added.

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MS NOW host Rachel Maddow invoked the “3.5% Rule” regarding the long-lasting impact she believes protests against the Trump administration will have. (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)

Kirk shared his takeaway from this exchange.

“It was interesting because he asked her this question: ‘Do you think these protests are helping?’ Personally, I don’t want it. I think this is evil. But I understood the emotion of what he was saying,” Kirk said.

“He was basically saying that when 3.5% of the population is protesting peacefully and they’re in non-violent protest mode, it’s very hard for that to go unnoticed. And it’s very hard for it to be pushed aside again. That kind of sparks something,” he continued. “And I thought to myself – Charlie, in a way, in a healthy way… believed deeply in the power of a faithful few who would stand up and defend Jesus, defend the church, defend what is good and beautiful in this world, and fight against evil. And it only takes a small percentage for that, 3.5%.”

“We all came together,” Kirk said later, noting the large turnout for her husband’s memorial service, which filled a stadium attended by Christians of all denominations.

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Erika Kirk cited her husband’s memorial as evidence that Charlie Kirk had sparked a movement among Christians. (Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images)

“It didn’t matter if you were a Baptist. I don’t know, give me another one – it didn’t matter if you were a Pentecostal or a Catholic. You were all there under the banner of Jesus. That mattered,” Kirk said. “And I say that because I want to; that’s why this tour exists. It’s unifying. It’s trying to bring the collective of the 3.5% together. And you’ve shown the difference between the times when the 3.5% of this nation is standing up and praying for this nation and being revitalized, compared to the other side, where they think they can change this nation, but they think they can actually destroy it. The view of that is striking. It’s striking. And Charlie knew it.”

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“And I just want us – I just want us to understand and realize that the fire of the Holy Spirit should not be confined within the four walls of the church. It is not like that,” he continued. “If we want to keep the wildfire of this revival going nationwide, our mission is simple. It’s always been simple. It’s always been simple. Bring people to Jesus. Populate heaven. It’s simple.”