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President Donald Trump delivered a solemn message to the nation in the wake of influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination on a college campus in Utah.
The president addressed the nation from the Oval Office, expressing disdain for the ‘demonization’ of political adversaries in a four-minute video shared on his Truth Social account.
‘To my dear fellow Americans, I am overwhelmed with sorrow and anger at the cruel assassination of Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah. Charlie was an inspiration to millions, and tonight, everyone who knew and cherished him is reeling from this shock and horror,’ the president stated.
He then spoke about Kirk as a man of faith who loved his country and talking to the American people.
‘Charlie was a patriot dedicated to promoting open dialogue and cherished the United States of America deeply. He championed liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people.
‘He’s a martyr for truth and freedom and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth.
‘Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith and we take comfort that he is now with God in Heaven. Our prayers are with his wife, Erika, his two young and beloved children and his family, who he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache in pain.’
Trump turned toward those he saw as responsible for this, as he called Tuesday ‘a dark moment for America’.
Donald Trump said the ‘demonization’ of political opponents by the ‘radical left’ directly led to the murder of influencer Charlie Kirk
The president published a grave, four-minute statement on Kirk’s death from the Oval Office to his Truth Social account
‘It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonizing those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.’
‘For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today and it must stop right now.’
He compared it to the assassination attempt on his own life, the attacks on ICE agents, the alleged killing of Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione and the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
‘Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,’ he said.
He asked Americans to commit themselves to Kirk’s values: ‘The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law and the patriotic devotion and love of God.’
‘Charlie was the best of America and the monster who was attacking him was attacking our whole country.’
Trump said that his administration will find everyone involved with Kirk’s killing and all political violence.
The political world was left stunned Wednesday when influential conservative Charlie Kirk was murdered onstage at an event at Utah Valley University.
The conservative firebrand, 31, was speaking to students when someone opened fire at the school on Wednesday
Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve , with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months
It was Trump who delivered the news of 31-year-old Kirk’s death, using his Truth Social network.
‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,’ Trump posted at 4:40 p.m. ‘No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.’
‘Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’ the president said.
Trump then ordered the flags lowered – with all three American flags at the White House dropped to half-staff.
The president had urged the country to pray for Kirk shortly after the Turning Point USA leader was shot in the neck by an unknown gunman while he was engaging in a Q&A with students at the Turning Point USA event.
‘We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!’ Trump said on Truth Social.
The White House sent out a copy of Trump’s post in place of an official statement.
‘Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,’ Vice President JD Vance added on X.
It was Trump who delivered the news of 31-year-old Kirk’s death, using his Truth Social network
Though talking on the phone to the New York Post, the president had expressed doubt that Kirk could survive.
Videos taken at the scene showed Kirk being shot in the neck and blood immediately pouring out of the wound.
‘He’s not doing well…yes, it looks very bad,’ Trump said, adding that he was feeling ‘not good’ about the shooting. ‘He was a very, very good friend of mine, and he was a tremendous person.’
Attorney General Pam Bondi was flying back from an event in Chicago when she heard the news and gathered her team in prayer.
‘FBI and ATF agents are on the scene. PRAY FOR CHARLIE,’ Bondi then posted to X.
Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, was on-site with his family and called into Fox News Channel to recount the shocking turn of events.
Chaffetz said Kirk was answering a question about transgender shooters when the single shot rang out.
‘He took his first question, which was a religious question. And then he got to the second question, which was about 30 minutes into his presentation, 2:30 local time, and the question was about transgender shooters, mass killings versus people that weren’t transgender,’ the Utah Republican said.
‘And when that happened, when that question came out, you know, going to have the interaction, one-shot,’ Chaffetz continued. ‘I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backward into his left.’
Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away
Images from the scene showed the crowd run as someone fired a single shot
‘And I can just hope and pray that somehow he survives that,’ the ex-congressman added.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his bureau was ‘closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting’.
‘Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected,’ Patel said. ‘Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.’
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom was quick to show bipartisan support for Kirk, condemning the attack.
‘The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,’ Newsom said.
Kirk was scheduled to debate a progressive influencer, Hasan Piker, at Dartmouth College on Sept. 25.
On his Twitch live stream, Piker reacted to the news with horror, urging some of his followers to stop making jokes about the shooting, and he expressed fear that he could be similarly targeted.
‘This is a terrifying incident,’ Piker said. ‘The reverberation of people seeking out vengeance in the aftermath of this violent, abhorrent incident is going to be genuinely worrisome.’
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez echoed those worries after Kirk was pronounced dead.
‘The assassination of Charlie Kirk risks an uncorking of political chaos and violence that we cannot risk in America,’ the New York Democrat said.
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a friend of Kirk’s, said on X: ‘A married young man and father, who stands on college campuses and encourages young people to get married, have children, stop abortion, and simply live a life for God.’
‘I’m praying that he survives. And I’m praying that this country rises up and ends this,’ the Georgia lawmaker said.
While many quickly shared prayers for Kirk, a subset of shameless social media users appeared to celebrate the attack on the Republican firebrand in the aftermath.
Rep. Brian Mast told the Daily Mail in the immediate aftermath that he ‘hopes Charlie is alright’, and said he was praying he would not ‘lose a friend today’.
Mast talked to the Daily Mail before Trump announced Kirk’s death.
Rep. Cory Mills also told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s such a horrendous and just horrific incident to watch. I mean, my thoughts and prayers are obviously with him and his family.
A member of the crowd (pictured) stepped up to the microphone to debate Kirk, who was sitting under a tent, on the matter of mass shootings
Kirk helped found Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit that has focuses on promoting conservativism on school campuses (pictured: Kirk and his wife Erika Frantzve)
‘He’s been an amazing conservative leader, both in universities and on college campuses, but even with the continuation of the build out of turning point, giving policy advisers and legislators the opportunity to really talk with the youth and understand exactly what we’re trying to achieve by saving our country and the constitutionality of it, but we’re monitoring it very closely.
‘I’ve known Charlie for a long time. This is the type of thing we just can’t tolerate here in America,’ Mills said.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told the Daily Mail he was ‘saddened’ by the shooting, and said ‘we need to do better as citizens of this country, the hate and anger that has taken over’.
The shooting prompted a furious response from Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.
‘I am done with the rhetoric this rotten House and corrupt media has caused,’ she posted to X. ‘EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU WHO CALLED US FASCISTS DID THIS. You were too busy doping up kids, cutting off their genitals, inciting racial violence by supporting orgs that exploit minorities, protecting criminals, and stirring hate.’
‘YOU ARE THE HATE you claim to fight,’ she said. ‘Your words caused this. Your hate caused this. Charlie. His family. Those kids. No one deserved this. Enough is enough.’
Luna worked for Kirk’s Turning Point USA before being elected to Congress.
The horror shooting unfolded Wednesday afternoon at the UVU campus in Orem.
Kirk published a post on X just minutes before the shooting occurred.
‘WE. ARE. SO. BACK,’ Kirk wrote at 2.23pm EST. ‘Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.’
