Van Jones reveals Charlie Kirk's final message a day before Kirk's death

Van Jones said Charlie Kirk sent him a final message the day before Kirk was killed at a college event in Orem, Utah. The CNN commentator disclosed the note during a segment on Anderson Cooper 360°, tying it to a moment when the two had publicly clashed over crime, race and policy. Kirk’s death has prompted renewed questions about political rhetoric and the boundaries of disagreement in a highly polarized national debate.

That Sept. 9 message read: 'Hey Van, I mean it, I’d love to have you on my show to have a respectful conversation about crime and race. I would be a gentleman as I know you would be as well. We can disagree about the issues agreeably.' After Cooper read it aloud, Jones recalled how the moment struck him given their longstanding public sparring and the broader conversation about civil discourse in the United States. Jones said his team later told him Kirk had been trying to reach him, describing it as a sign that Kirk wanted dialogue rather than enmity.

Jones said the note appeared to be a genuine outreach to move beyond the public feuds that had defined their exchanges. He recounted that, in reflecting on Kirk’s invitation, he concluded he would not have promoted Kirk's platform but would have engaged in a direct conversation to try to work through their differences. 'Dialogue. Let's be gentlemen together. He says let's disagree agreeably,' Jones said, adding that he would have spoken with Kirk even if they did not see eye to eye publicly. He also said he planned to attend Kirk's funeral to pay his respects in Arizona, underscoring a impulse to honor a life dedicated to debate and open discussion.

Despite acknowledging sharp disagreement, Jones emphasized that Kirk championed open debate and opposed censorship and violence. He described Kirk as someone who valued dialogue and refused to yield to calls for silencing opponents. 'He was not for censorship. He was not for civil war. He was for dialogue, open debate and dialogue — even with me,' Jones said, noting that, while they rarely agreed, their exchanges were about ideas, not threats.

Jones later wrote a tribute on Substack in which he echoed the sentiment that Kirk’s outreach could serve as a model for how heated political conflicts might be defused through respectful conversation. He argued that the country’s current climate—marked by violence and calls for censorship—could be tempered if more figures were willing to meet across ideological lines and engage in civil, constructive debate.

Jones reflected that the broader national moment around civil discourse and political violence underscored the need for better approaches to disagreement. 'I think what happens is people get so worked up, Anderson, seeing us go at it, they think they're supposed to go ahead and kill somebody, or go out and talk about civil war. Go out and silence people or cancel people or fire people or censor people — about Charlie Kirk? Mr. Debate?' He concluded that, in his view, the tragedy underscored a missed opportunity for listening and dialogue, saying, 'That wasn't worked out, but I would have taken them up. I want to beat Charlie Kirk in a debate.' A memorial service is being held for Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.