Naima Troutt is facing backlash after posting a video that reenacted Charlie Kirk’s final moments on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Troutt, 24, who co-hosts the podcast “Symposia,” shared the clip to Instagram on Sept. 10, the anniversary of the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder’s fatal shooting at the University of Utah. The former debate opponent of Kirk’s used audio from his last moments, including his final words, as part of a transformation-style video that showed her snapping her head to the side as a gunshot sound played.
“This is how i grieve, leave me alone,” Troutt wrote in her Instagram caption.
The video featured Troutt mouthing Kirk’s last words — “counting or not counting gang violence” — while wearing a bonnet, before cutting to her in a tight dress depicting the Virgin Mary, winking and giving the peace sign. The audio combined live footage of Kirk’s final moments with a rap song.
The post drew thousands of critical comments from viewers who condemned the display as cruel and dehumanizing.
“Charlie was kind to you…why would you dehumanize him in this way when he treated you with respect?” Instagram user Clerpatriot wrote.
Conservative commentator Micah Kinkle added: “This is sick and disgusting. What happened to trying to humanize people we disagree with?”
IG user ifeelawakenedyo stated: “You’re actually the main reason why I stopped identifying as a Liberal.”
Troutt was not alone in marking the anniversary with provocative content. Dozens of students posted TikTok videos that simulated neck-cracking movements, referencing Kirk’s involuntary reaction to being shot in the throat during the Sept. 10, attack on the University of Utah campus. The clips were set to a mash-up of the post-mortem anthem “We Are Charlie Kirk” by Spalexma and Soulja Boy’s 2007 hit “Crank That.”
One video carried the caption: “happy kirkaversary to those who celebrate.”
Another clip, circulated by Libs of TikTok, showed a young girl forming finger guns at her peers before launching into choreography at the pull of a pretend trigger. Many of the videos appeared to be filmed inside school buildings and classrooms.
The trend extended beyond social media performances. Students at Georgetown University and the University of South Carolina allegedly planned to hold Charlie Kirk “lookalike contests” on the anniversary. Both universities stated that no official student-organized events took place.
Troutt’s rise to online prominence began with a 2022 viral debate against Kirk at the University of Southern California. That confrontation launched her influencer career, which she has since built through the “Symposia” podcast.
Kirk was killed during TPUSA’s “American Comeback Tour” debate forum, a campus speaking series that brought conservative figures to universities nationwide. The shooting made him one of the most prominent political figures to be assassinated in recent American history, and his death has continued to generate intense reactions across the political spectrum.
Troutt did not respond to requests for comment on her video.
Kirk’s final words, spoken during the debate moments before the attack, have become a recurring element in the anniversary content. The phrase “counting or not counting gang violence” referenced a point in his argument about crime statistics, and its use in mockery has particularly angered supporters who see it as desecrating a murder victim’s last moments of life.
The “We Are Charlie Kirk” track by Spalexma, which has been incorporated into the meme audio, appears to have been created after his death and has itself become a contested piece of post-mortem culture around the slain conservative figure.