U.S. Senator Steve Daines appeared on Fox News’ One Nation with Brian Kilmeade to discuss the legacy of Charlie Kirk, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward China and South America.
Reflecting on Kirk’s influence, Daines said his family was deeply affected by Kirk’s work and personal interactions. He described Kirk’s approach to dialogue on college campuses, emphasizing conversation over confrontation. “This was one of these moments in life for the Daines family that was a profound moment. My children were deeply affected in a positive way by Charlie Kirk and had friendships with him. We all had our family pictures and we got them out standing with Charlie at Montana State University. What a terrible, terrible loss for the country. But you ask yourself, how do we move forward in this moment with incredible division to take the temperature down? Charlie Kirk was an example of somebody who was doing exactly that. When he would go on campuses, he didn’t tell the students who opposed him what to believe. He asked them questions. He said, ‘What do you think?’ He was always throwing it back to them so they would clarify their positions. And I think it’s very important that we don’t back away. This is a time to advance. Charlie Kirk is a martyr. Martyrs create movements. We need more of this dialogue on our college campuses. But we can do that in a way like Charlie did. It was thoughtful dialogue. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t shout and scream. He just talked in a thoughtful way, asking questions, continuing to stand for the truth.”
Daines continued: “Going back to our Declaration of Independence, remember we said, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident.’ What Charlie painted was the truth…endowed by our Creator. He brought the intersection of faith and politics in a way that was winsome, it was attractive, and he did it in a Socratic way of asking questions of what the other side believed to help them see falses in their beliefs…”
Discussing political engagement among young people during recent campaigns, Daines stated: “…I was around campaigning for President Trump in ’24, working to win the Senate races that gave the majority to the President so we could move forward his cabinet and the Big Beautiful Bill and so forth, people would ask me, ‘What’s the secret with young people on college campuses and young adults?’ I had a two-word answer: ‘Charlie Kirk.’ He was doing that when he continued what his efforts were producing.”
On foreign policy regarding China, Daines drew from his professional experience working there prior to joining Congress and from official visits as senator: “I spent five years working in China when I was in the private sector for Procter & Gamble launching brands into China to compete. I’ve made several visits as a U.S. Senator into China meeting with officials. I was there in March in Beijing meeting with the Premier, so I’ve been engaged with China issues for a long time.” Daines criticized President Joe Biden’s leadership while praising former President Donald Trump’s administration: “But let’s come back to a fundamental fact. Joe Biden was a weak president and adversaries will exploit weakness. The Chinese respect President Trump because he is strong.” Daines highlighted members of Trump’s team including Secretary Hegseth and Ambassador David Perdue.
He also noted ongoing diplomatic communications between U.S., represented by Secretary Hegseth, and Chinese officials such as Admiral Dong Jun.
Turning attention southward, Daines addressed U.S.-South America relations: “…There’s a battle right now for our hemisphere. Secretary Hegseth is correct. We’ve got to continue to strengthen our relationship as we look south into South America and Latin America- bring them closer to us.” According to Daines’ remarks during his appearance on Fox News’ One Nation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example), fostering stronger partnerships within Latin America remains an important goal.
Daines concluded by supporting Secretary Hegseth’s position regarding peace through strength within Western Hemisphere alliances.
