Our good friends at Angel Studios have just released an amazing new film this Holy Week. It’s phenomenal. As I think about Charlie’s life and how much he supported Angel, it’s hard not to feel immense gratitude for everything he did. He stood by us through our darkest days and our brightest hours as a company. We’re deeply thankful to have been even a small part of the countless connections he made in his life, because his impact on us was profound. Thank you, Charlie. We love you, we miss you, and we’ll continue driving forward the good news.

Later, during a public forum, a professor from Western Carolina University introduced himself before asking Charlie a question. He explained that he teaches sociology, focusing on environment and climate change — but quickly added that this wasn’t the topic he wanted to discuss. Instead, he wanted to appreciate Charlie for showing up and engaging with students, saying it was wonderful to see young people participating in political and intellectual discussions.

The professor went on to describe how, in his six years of teaching, he had talked to hundreds of students about their concerns and dreams. He said that the thing they fear most is graduating and entering a job market that may not have a place for them — that they won’t find jobs, be able to buy homes, or afford to start families. He asked Charlie if he agreed with that sentiment.

Charlie responded playfully, saying that if the students were studying sociology, that might explain why they couldn’t find jobs. But he then turned serious, questioning why students should be learning from someone if they weren’t finding success after graduation. The professor clarified that most of his students were not sociology majors but came from fields like environmental science, engineering, finance, and accounting — subjects Charlie considered valuable. Still, the students were worried about their futures, and the professor wanted to know what the Trump administration had done in its first few months to improve the economic outlook for young people.

Charlie replied that while President Trump had only been in office for about 80 days, quite a lot had already happened. The price of oil was down, making gas cheaper and easing inflation. He mentioned a coming tax bill that would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, providing the largest middle-class tax cut in history. He said that federal lands were being opened up to build more homes, which would help young people achieve homeownership. Charlie argued that Democrats had taken young voters for granted and lacked an optimistic, hopeful agenda for helping them buy homes, get married, and raise families. He added that he personally wanted to see measures to stop large investment firms like BlackRock from buying up single-family homes, and to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing U.S. farmland and residential property.

The professor responded that he agreed with much of what Charlie said but questioned whether opening federal land would really solve the housing crisis or if lowering gas prices could offset inflation. He pointed out that Trump’s new tariffs on imports had led to retaliatory tariffs, raising prices for American consumers and businesses and increasing the risk of a recession. He asked how Charlie reconciled these risks with the claim that the administration was improving young people’s economic futures.

Charlie acknowledged the risks but argued that Trump had inherited a weak economy from Joe Biden. He pointed to data showing that under Trump, blue-collar workers and young people saw their incomes rise faster than the top one percent, whereas under Biden, the wealthy got richer while ordinary people struggled. He explained that tariffs could force other nations to open markets to U.S. goods and that Trump’s willingness to take such political risks demonstrated courage and a commitment to protecting American workers.

The professor agreed that the strategy was risky and asked how long Americans should wait to see results — three years, four years? What would count as success or failure? Charlie responded that the U.S. was in a unique position as the world’s dominant economic power and that tariffs could strengthen national security by reducing dependence on China for essentials like antibiotics, aluminum, and rare-earth materials. He said the goal was to ensure America would never become a “vassal state” to the Chinese Communist Party.

When the professor pressed him again on the timing, Charlie asked how companies could avoid tariffs. The professor said that foreign automakers like Toyota could build more factories in the U.S. to avoid import taxes. Charlie used that point to argue that tariffs were already bringing “trillions of dollars” in new investments into the country, citing examples like Toyota and Hyundai building new U.S. plants. The professor questioned how long those projects would take, but Charlie maintained that Trump wasn’t an ideologue — if something wasn’t working, he would adjust.

Charlie then highlighted the administration’s upcoming tax bill, which would include no taxes on tips, overtime, or Social Security, as well as a major middle-class tax cut and expanded child tax credit. He claimed that experts predicting a recession had lost credibility after years of failed forecasts, including during COVID. He reminded the audience that Trump had only been in office for 80 days and pointed out that gas and egg prices were already falling. He also credited Trump for quickly resolving the border crisis within ten days of taking office, saying that “we didn’t need a new border bill — just a new president.”

As the exchange ended, the professor said he hadn’t eaten lunch and would let someone else speak, but before leaving, he asked everyone to reflect. “It’s a risk,” he said. “The president has taken an enormous gamble — not with some abstract thing called the economy, but with your futures: your jobs, your ability to buy homes, to have families. Don’t fight about it. Just pay attention to what actually happens and decide for yourselves whether Charlie is right — whether this president truly is a patriot working to make your lives better.”

Charlie thanked him for his remarks and concluded by saying that voters had chosen Trump because they remembered how well the economy had performed during his first term and how badly, in his view, Joe Biden had damaged the country.