In a horrific act caught on video, Charlie Kirk — right-wing influencer, daily talk show host, ally of President Donald Trump and the leader of Turning Point USA, the nation’s powerful right-wing youth activist organization — was shot and killed Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Shortly after the shooting, Kirk was pronounced dead. He was 31.
Sitting on a stage covered by a tent, Kirk was about 20 minutes into his event on Wednesday afternoon when he appeared to be shot at least once, in the neck. Cellphone videos from those at the outdoor event captured the moment it happened, including one that was very graphic. After the popping sound of gunfire, Kirk’s body went limp and spectators began screaming and running.
Initially, there were reports that a suspect was taken into custody, but those reports turned out to be false. On Wednesday evening, authorities said a person of interest was in custody and being interviewed, but reports are that person was released.
Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz, a former U.S. representative from Utah, was at the event and immediately called into Fox News after the shooting.
According to Mediate’s Zachary Leeman, an emotional Chaffetz told Fox News, “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. And when that happened, when that question came out, you know, going to have the interaction, one-shot. 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 backwards into his left. And I can just hope and pray that somehow he survives that.”
Kirk has been a divisive and controversial figure in American politics, yet political leaders from all sides of the political spectrum immediately and strongly condemned what had happened, even before Kirk’s death was announced.
In the moments immediately after the shooting, Trump posted on Truth Social, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Trump later posted, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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!”
As The New York Times noted, “Even though he is not part of the administration, Mr. Kirk’s influence in the White House is significant. Since the November election, he has helped vet prospective appointees, testing their loyalty to Mr. Trump.”
Politico’s Aaron Pellish wrote, “Kirk has become one of the most influential pro-Trump activists since Trump first ascended to office. Turning Point USA has garnered millions of followers since the group was founded in 2012 and played a key role in mobilizing young voters for Trump in his previous presidential campaigns.”
Vice President JD Vance tweeted, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.” Vance then posted an older photo with him and Kirk in it, writing, “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour.”
Meanwhile, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman from Arizona who nearly died from an assassination attempt in 2011, said on social media, “I'm horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah. Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.”
Mediaite’s Leeman wrote, “Democrats Rally Behind MAGA Star Charlie Kirk After Shooting: ‘Political Violence Is NEVER Acceptable!’” It included messages from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former Biden administration cabinet member Pete Buttigieg, Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City. All fiercely condemned the shooting.
Former President Joe Biden wrote, “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now.”
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris tweeted, “I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family. Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
And former President Barack Obama wrote, “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Former President George W. Bush said, “Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens.” And former President Bill Clinton wrote he was saddened and angered by the killing, adding he hoped “we all go through some serious introspection.”
On and on it went with similar postings throughout the afternoon and evening. It was the lead story on all the evening newscasts, and the dominant story on the cable news networks throughout the night. CBS News broke into programming twice, first with the breaking news that Kirk had been shot, and then later when Kirk’s death was announced. “CBS Evening News” co-anchor Maurice DuBois delivered the news.
The New York Times’ Jessica Testa and Michael M. Grynbaum wrote, “Conservative media figures are grieving Kirk’s death on the air.”
They wrote how Fox News’ Will Cain choked up on air, while saying, “I don’t know where we go from here as a news program and I don’t know where we go from here in America.”
Testa and Grynbaum wrote, “Megyn Kelly, streaming live on YouTube, was tearful even before the news was confirmed, sobbing with her guest, Glenn Beck of The Blaze.”
Kelly would add, “We have lost one of the most important voices that we've had in my lifetime on the right.”
The Times also wrote, “On ‘The Five,’ Dana Perino, the Fox host and former White House press secretary, struggled to speak at times as she discussed Mr. Kirk’s death. Jesse Watters, her co-host, sounded angry, telling viewers, ‘We’re going to avenge Charlie’s death.’ Jeanine Pirro, a former host on the show who is now the U.S. attorney for Washington, called in to ‘The Five’ to say that she was ‘heartbroken.’”
Watters' remarks were rather ominous. He said, among other things, “This hits differently because Charlie was one of us. … They are at war with us. Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us. What are we going to do about it?”
Far-right political activist Laura Loomer wrote that the “left are terrorists” and that “you could be next.”
Along with dark comments by Watters and Loomer, many, not surprisingly, took to social media to make political statements on everything from gun control to the differences between conservatives and liberals. Many pointed to comments Kirk made just this past April at a Turning Point USA event.
Kirk said at that event, “You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It's drivel. But … I think it's worth it. I think it's worth (it) to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe.”
That quote became a centerpiece of much of the heated debate Wednesday on social media.
Meanwhile, the Utah GOP also went political, putting out a statement that said, “The attack on Charlie Kirk and free speech is evil, pure and simple. The hate, violence and evil being peddled by radical extremists has no place in this country! Schools and social media have become breeding grounds for liberal hate. Enough!”
And Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox described Kirk's killing as "a political assassination."
Most of the reactions from responsible people were a mix of anger, sympathy, condemnation and anguish that, once again, political divisiveness led to violence.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said, “I’m just going to state the obvious here. This is detestable, what happened. Political violence has become all too common in American society, and this is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country, our Judeo-Christian heritage, our civil society, our American way of life. And it must stop. We need every political figure. We need everyone who has a platform to say this loudly and clearly. We can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be called out and has to stop. Again, we ask for prayer.”
