US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed in a targeted attack at Utah Valley University, as a “martyr for truth.” Trump blamed the “radical left” for fueling rhetoric that contributed to Kirk’s death and pledged a crackdown on political violence across the country.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” Trump said in a video message posted on Truth Social. He described Kirk’s assassination as a “heinous” act and a “dark moment for America.”
Trump Vows Crackdown on Political Violence
Citing previous attacks on public figures, Trump said, “From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others. Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”
He asserted that the “rhetoric” of the radical left was directly responsible for political violence in America and declared, “It must stop right now.”
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organisations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country,” Trump said.
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Calling on Americans to reaffirm their commitment to “free speech, citizenship, the rule of law,” Trump said Kirk had “lived and died” for these values. “Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it’s not even close. May God bless his memory. May God watch over his family,” he added.
Charlie Kirk’s Killing at Utah Valley University
Charlie Kirk, co-founder of the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Trump, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Video from the event showed Kirk addressing a large crowd when a single shot rang out. He collapsed in his chair as panic spread among the audience. Investigators said the fatal bullet was believed to have been fired from a campus rooftop by someone dressed in black, in what appeared to be a targeted killing.
The Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed that no one was in custody as of Wednesday, and the shooter remains at large.
Kirk was widely credited with building youth support for Trump through his leadership of Turning Point USA, which advocates for conservative politics on college campuses.
The shooting comes amid a rise in attacks on political figures across the ideological spectrum in the United States.
