President Trump on Wednesday night said that he was “filled with grief and anger” at the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus, and called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom.”
Trump, in a Wednesday night video posted online, also vowed to “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence.”
“He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people,” Trump said in the video. “He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there’s never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith. And we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven.”
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was struck by a gunshot to the neck during a Wednesday appearance at Utah Valley University, according to video footage from the event. Kirk appeared to be targeted in the attack; police said only a single shot was fired.
A “person of interest” is in custody, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said at a press conference. FBI Director Kash Patel later said a “subject” was released after questioning.
Trump announced the death of one of his biggest allies on social media earlier in the day.
In his Wednesday night video message, Trump said his prayers were with Kirk’s wife, Erica, his two young children, and his entire family, adding that it was a “dark moment for America.”
Trump called out the dangers of political disagreements, while also blaming the “radical left” for the “rhetoric that is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.”
“It’s a 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,” Trump said.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and right-wing pundits mourned Kirk and condemned the political violence. And shouting broke out on the House floor after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) held a moment of prayer.
The assassination of the conservative activist sent a shockwave through the American conservative movement, with Kirk’s sudden and public death eliciting emotional reactions from some of the country’s most prominent figures on the right.
“An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed, because, together, we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come,” Trump said in his video message. “Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before. And it’s not even close.”
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