WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A video shows Charlie Kirk recording a video to be released in the event of his death.
OUR VERDICT
False. The video is fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - A deepfake video featuring US right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk is being shared online following his assassination.
The 31-year-old co-founder of conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
One Facebook post claims to show a video recorded by Kirk in the event of his death.
"Hello everyone, I'm Charlie Kirk. If you're seeing this, I recorded it knowing this day might come," a voice says.
"I knew the risks of standing up for what I believe in and I knew the opposition would stop at nothing. Still, I am not afraid, I will not bow down to fear.
"I believe with all my heart, that what I've done is for the good of this country, for the future of America."
In the video, the voice appears to call for people to stand up for free speech, strong families and limited government.
"So now I leave this with you. Will you stand up when they try to silence us? Will you carry on if I am gone? Will you stay unafraid and keep pushing for what is right?"
The video begins with a clip of Kirk speaking while sitting in a car, followed by footage of him participating in public debates and spending time with his family.
However, the clip has not been published by the verified social media accounts associated with Kirk or his wife, Erika.
In the first few seconds, the movements of his mouth do not match the audio.
A reverse image search shows the clip has been manipulated from one of the last social media posts Kirk made on his Facebook and TikTok accounts, posted hours before his death.
In this original video, he speaks about the murder of a Ukrainian refugee living in the US named Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed while riding public transport in August.
Kirk begins the clip by saying: "Okay everybody, you've probably heard the situation that happened in North Carolina".
Niusha Shafiabady, the Head of Discipline of IT at Australian Catholic University, and adjunct Associate Professor at Charles Darwin University, said the video combines real clips and a voice created using artificial intelligence (AI).
She noted that many online software applications can create a fake voice using existing audio.
"People like Charlie Kirk who have talked to [the] public before their death have hours of their voice available," Assoc Prof Shafiabady told AAP FactCheck.
AI audio is generally harder to detect than video, she said, as the way social media compresses audio usually removes clues needed to determine its authenticity.
Adding background noise is a technique used to mask fake or manipulated audio, but audiences can look at lip movements to try to identify inconsistencies, Assoc Prof Shafiabady said.
Following Kirk's death, his group, Turning Point USA, said in an X post that he had received "thousands" of threats throughout his life.
This history of threats includes a man arrested in 2022 after he threatened a "day of retribution" for people attending a TPUSA event in Florida, CNN reported.
In 2024, another man was arrested for online threats, though those charges were later dropped, according to CNN.
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