Donald Trump accused the rhetoric of the “radical left” of having contributed to the fatal shooting on Wednesday of one of his loyal political allies, influencer Charlie Kirk, calling him a “martyr of truth and freedom.”
The conservative podcaster, a standard-bearer for pro-Trump youth, was killed during a town hall meeting at a university in Utah (West). Investigations are still underway to find the shooter, whose motives remain unknown for now.
“For years, the radical left has compared great Americans like Charlie to Nazis and to the worst criminals and mass murderers in the world. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we are experiencing today in our country, and it must stop immediately,” the U.S. president charged in a video posted on his Truth Social network.
“My administration will track down all those who contributed to this atrocity and to any other political violence, including the organizations that fund and support them,” he declared.
Before him, several Trumpist figures had described Charlie Kirk as a “martyr” who fell defending conservative and Christian values.
A suspect was arrested, before being released later in the day, according to the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Charlie Kirk’s death was announced by Donald Trump just a few hours after the 31-year-old man was struck.
The tragedy was captured on videos that quickly circulated on social media.
The president ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff in tribute to someone who had been a key player in his last presidential campaign.
The massive flag at the White House was lowered.
Who is Charlie Kirk?
Born in October 1993, Charlie Kirk grew up in the affluent suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois, outside Chicago. He came from an upper-middle-class family, with a mother who later became a therapist and a father who worked as an architect specializing in luxury properties. A former Boy Scout, the ultra-conservative influencer quickly abandoned his studies to dedicate himself fully to political activism.
In 2012, at just 18 years old, he co-founded Turning Point USA, an organization created to rally young conservatives around “traditional American values,” American exceptionalism, and the principles of capitalism. In the space of a decade, Turning Point became the largest conservative youth movement in the United States, spawning several affiliated branches. The group nurtured an army of enthusiastic activists—some of whom were bussed to Washington for the January 6, 2021 rally that ultimately led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
During Donald Trump’s victorious 2016 campaign, Kirk served as a personal assistant to Donald Trump Jr. His gift for oratory earned him a spot as a regular commentator on Fox News and later as the host of a highly popular daily podcast, which became one of the most listened-to in the country.
With 6.9 million followers on Instagram and 3.8 million subscribers on YouTube, Kirk enjoyed a vast audience, particularly among young American men, by promoting an ultra-traditional vision of family life. A staunch advocate of gun rights, he often invited students at his rallies to challenge him in front of cameras and hundreds of supporters—an opportunity to showcase his combative rhetoric against often underprepared opponents, fueling viral clips on social media.
A key bridge between Donald Trump and the conservative youth movement, Charlie Kirk played a pivotal role last year in helping the billionaire reclaim the White House. Through Turning Point, he oversaw massive door-to-door campaigns across several swing states. Its political arm, Turning Point Action, also raised more than $100 million during the most recent presidential race to encourage conservative voters to cast their ballots early in those same battleground states.
