In Washington— President Donald Trump has said how sad and angry he is over the loss of conservative activist and popular podcaster Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed at a campus event in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, September 10. Around 12:20 p.m. local time, Kirk, 31, was at Utah Valley University (UVU) for a student Q&A session when the incident happened.
President Trump called Kirk’s killing a “heinous assassination” and said the “radical left” was to blame for it. He said they were making political violence worse by “demonizing those with whom you disagree” and equating “wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.”
Trump stated in the video, “Everyone who knew him and loved him is in shock and horror.” “Charlie was a patriot who gave his life to the cause of open debate and the United States of America, the country he loved so much. He battled for the American people, freedom, democracy, and justice. He died for truth and freedom, and no one has ever been more respected by young people.
Trump commended Kirk’s strong faith and said, “We take comfort in the fact that he is now at peace with God in heaven.” He prayed for Kirk’s wife Erika and their two small children, saying, “This is a dark time for America.”
The President noted that Kirk’s job was to get young people involved in politics, and he said that Kirk did this “better than anybody ever.” He also said that Kirk stood up for his ideas with “courage, logic, humor, and grace.”
Trump made a strong promise at the end of his statement that he would do something about the people who were responsible for the bloodshed. He said, “My administration will find every single person who helped with this horrible act and other political violence, including the groups that support and fund it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who keeps our country in order.”
Trump brought up a number of other examples of “radical left political violence,” such as the murder attempt on him in Pennsylvania and attacks on police officers. He ended by asking all Americans to defend the ideals that Kirk “lived and died” for: free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and a love of God. He said that the assassin didn’t silence Kirk since his voice and legacy “will live on for countless generations to come.”