Charlie Kirk Poses With Kyle Rittenhouse Ahead of Podcast Interview

Kyle Rittenhouse has been photographed with Charlie Kirk as the 18-year-old is set to be interviewed by the Turning Point USA founder as part of a string his post-trial meetings with influential right-wing figures.

Ron Filipkowski, the Republican attorney who resigned from a Florida state commission in protest of the raid at the home of former Department of Health data scientist Rebekah Jones in December 2020, is one of the high-profile names who shared the images of Kirk and Rittenhouse on social media.

The photograph emerged after Kirk, a Newsweek contributor, told Politico that he would be interviewing Rittenhouse on his podcast show after he was cleared of all charges for killing two people and injuring one during a Black Lives Matters protest in Kenosha in August 2020.

"Kyle is clearly innocent," Kirk told Politico. "But this trial is about more than just Kyle.

"It's about the rule of law, it's about the Constitution, the 2nd Amendment, and the right to defend yourself when a violent mob is attacking you. It's about whether an American citizen will be afforded an impartial jury of their peers that won't cow to threats of riots if they acquit an innocent man."

Kirk also confirmed that Rittenhouse would soon be appearing on his show during a November 19 broadcast.

"I'm pleased to hear now that Kyle's a hero of the American right," Kirk said. "I'm gonna participate in that, in platforming him, and I think he should be a hero of the American right."

Even before his highly divisive trial opened, Rittenhouse was seen as a hero and a patriot who was acting in self-defense that night in Kenosha by a number of conservative figures.

Now that he has been cleared of the murder charges against him, he continues to be embraced by the right.

Rittenhouse was interviewed by Fox News' Tucker Carlson and GOP House Republicans Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and Madison Cawthorn all offered him an internship role in their offices, which the teenager declined.

Former President Donald Trump was another figure who continued to show his support for Rittenhouse in the wake of his trial. Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Rittenhouse and his mother met him at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida three days after he was acquitted.

"I have to say, Kyle, I got to know him a little bit, he called and wanted to know if he could come over and say hello because he was a fan," Trump said.

"He came over with his mother and he is really is a nice young man. What he went through, that was prosecutorial misconduct and he should not have had to suffer through a trial for that."

Trump also showed his support for Rittenhouse as well as the verdict handed to him shortly after the conclusion of his trial.

"Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being found innocent of all charges," Trump said in a statement. "It's called being found not guilty—and by the way, if that's not self-defense, nothing is!"

Kirk has been contacted for further comment.