“I am filled with sorrow and anger at this horrific murder,” President Trump said of Charlie Kirk’s death in a four-minute video recorded in the Oval Office. Trump called it “a dark moment for America.”
"Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew and loved him are united in shock and horror," the president said. He emphasized that Kirk was a close political ally and personal friend of the Trump family. After Trump's defeat in 2020, Kirk helped organize protests against the supposedly"stolen" election. During the 2024 presidential election, the influencer was expected to win over young people to the Republican candidate with his YouTube videos and"You're being brainwashed" tour.
Trump also praised Kirk's efforts to travel across the United States and engage in"good faith debates." "His mission was to engage young people in the political process, something he did better than anyone else has ever done." Although no suspect has been arrested for the murder, Trump has already blamed the radical left for Kirk's death."For years, radical leftists have compared great Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. That kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we are seeing in our country today, and it must stop immediately."
Attack on Trump
Trump also promised to prosecute everyone who participated in the assassination of Kirk and other political violence. The president also mentioned attacks on judges and law enforcement officers."From the attempt on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, where a husband and father were killed, to the attacks on ICE agents."
Trump also mentioned the attack on fellow Republican Steve Scalise, who was shot in 2017, but didn't mention recent attacks on Democratic politicians. For example, in April, the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was set on fire, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked with a hammer in 2022, and then-Representative Gabrielle Giffords was hit in the head in a shooting in 2011.
