Chicago’s Morning Answer host Mike Koolidge, filling in for Dan Proft, welcomed 20-year-old author and conservative commentator Brilyn Hollyhand to discuss his new book, Make America Talk Again, and his reflections on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Koolidge introduced Hollyhand by noting his early start in political commentary, having launched a publication called The Truth Gazette at age eleven, and framed the conversation around growing concern about younger Americans embracing socialist and communist ideology.
Hollyhand explained that his first book, One Generation Away, drew its title from Ronald Reagan’s well-known warning, delivered during his 1967 inauguration as California governor, that freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. Hollyhand argued the current political moment validates that warning, characterizing the underlying choice facing the country not simply as capitalism versus socialism, but as a broader contest between religious and civic tradition and a fully secularized, government-centered worldview. Koolidge connected this to recent economic difficulties in New York City following tax policy changes under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which he said prompted wealthy residents and taxpayers to leave the city, straining municipal services including trash collection.
Much of the conversation focused on Hollyhand’s relationship with Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated during a campus speaking appearance. Hollyhand described Kirk as one of the first guests on his podcast when Hollyhand was just eleven years old, recalling that Kirk responded generously to a cold outreach message despite having little reason to grant an interview to a preteen with no established platform. Hollyhand said the relationship grew into a decade-long friendship, and described the day of Kirk’s shooting as one of the most difficult of his life, learning of the attack through a text message from a mutual friend while in his first semester of college.
Hollyhand said his new book’s title reflects his belief that Kirk’s death, along with the earlier assassination attempt against President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, might have been prevented had American political culture placed greater value on direct, civil debate rather than avoidance and animosity. He argued that his generation was raised in an environment where political and religious discussion was largely taboo in schools and at home, leaving young people with few models for disagreement beyond polarized media and online conflict. Hollyhand said he and his team have continued visiting college campuses to hold debates since Kirk’s death, despite what he described as significant security concerns at every stop, arguing that retreating from public debate would validate the goals of political violence rather than honor Kirk’s example.
Koolidge, while expressing support for Hollyhand’s mission, cautioned that continued vigilance and security remain necessary given individuals unwilling to engage in good-faith dialogue regardless of outreach. The conversation closed with a reference to the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner taking place that evening in Washington, following the shooting that disrupted the original event earlier in the year, with Koolidge expressing hope for a safe outcome.