Politicians condemn killing of Charlie Kirk

It was President Trump who announced that conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk had died after he was shot during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. The president, who was close to Kirk, praised his appeal to young Americans and mourned him in a social media post.

"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," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president also ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening to honor Kirk.

Later Wednesday, Mr. Trump released a video statement about Kirk, blaming the "radical left" for his killing. "For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals," he said in a video posted to Truth Social. "This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now."

Democratic and Republican politicians alike condemned Kirk's murder, although among some in Congress, there were disagreements about how to observe his death on the House floor. Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to hold a moment of silence for Kirk. Then, according to the House gallery, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado asked for a point of order — she reshared an X post that said she had asked for a moment of prayer. A Democrat yelled, "No." Boebert and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, then started to speak out, as other lawmakers who appeared to be Democrats responded. One yelled, "There was just a shooting in Colorado!" Another said "Pass some gun laws!" Johnson repeatedly called for order.

In an appearance on Fox News, Johnson explained what had happened. "A motion was made on the floor to have a vocal prayer, and it turned into an argument," he said, adding, "You know, that's where our politics are in the country right now. We have got to turn the heat down a little bit. We got to have civil discourse."

"The great tragic irony about this, one of the tragedies, is that Charlie represented that, the best of it," Johnson continued. "He's the guy that was the champion out on the front lines having the debate, but he he loved the people that disagreed with him .... He loved it, and he loved the debate."

"That's what's so important for us to remember," Johnson said. "We shouldn't regard one another as enemies. We're fellow Americans, and we should have vigorous debate, but it cannot lead to political violence. It's just too much."

Former President Joe Biden decried the attack on Kirk in a post on social media.

"There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk's family and loved ones," he said in a post shared to X.

Former President Barack Obama condemned the shooting, calling it "despicable violence" in a post on X.

"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," Obama said. "Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie's family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children."

In a statement, former President George W. Bush said, "Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct."

"Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. May God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility," he said.

Former President Bill Clinton said in a social media post that he was "saddened and angered" by the shooting.

"I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully," he said.

First lady Melania Trump imagined what the loss of Kirk will mean to his children as they grow up.

"Charlie's children will be raised with stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father's voice should have echoed," she said in a post on X.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said that he and his wife are "heartbroken" about Kirk's death, and said they are praying for the conservative activist's wife and two children.

"I just got off the phone with President Trump. Working with the FBI and Utah law enforcement, we will bring to justice the individual responsible for this tragedy," he wrote in a social media post on X.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah told CBS News he spoke with Mr. Trump about Kirk, and said the president told him, "'I'm sure they'll stay after him,'" referring to the shooting suspect, and "'they need to catch this guy.'"

"Whether you agree with him or not, you have to respect his boundless energy, his commitment to making the world a better place," Lee also said.

In a post on X, Lee called Kirk an "American patriot, an inspiration to countless young people to stand up and defend the timeless truths that make our country great."

He condemned Kirk's murder, writing on X that it was "a cowardly act of violence, an attack on champions of freedom like Charlie, the students who gathered for civil debate, and all Americans who peacefully strive to save our nation."

"The terrorists will not win," he continued. "Charlie will. Please join me in praying for his wife Erika and their children. May justice be swift."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters that Kirk was "a close friend" and "confidant."

"He will be sorely missed," he said. "And we need every political leader to decry the violence and do it loudly."

Eric Trump described Kirk as a "dear friend" to the entire Trump family. He said all Trump properties would fly their flags at half-staff to honor him.

Donald Trump Jr, who was close with Kirk, wrote on social media: "I love you brother. You gave so many people the courage to speak up and we will not ever be silenced."

"There is no question that Charlie's work and his voice helped my father win the presidency," Trump Jr. wrote in a lengthy follow-up post. "He changed the direction of this nation...I know Charlie's legacy doesn't end here. He poured into millions of young people who will carry forward the torch he lit. He built something that will outlast him, because it was grounded in faith, in truth, and in courage. And as his friend, I will never forget him. I'll honor him by loving boldly, speaking truth without fear, and continuing his spirit of courage. His fight lives on in all of us who loved him. This is an unimaginable loss."

Gabby Giffords, a former U.S. congresswoman from Arizona who suffered a serious brain injury when she was shot in 2011, said in a post on X, "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."

Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana told Fox News that Kirk's death is "bringing back a lot of emotions" from 2017, when a gunman shot Scalise while he and other GOP lawmakers practiced for the annual congressional baseball game in Virginia.

Four other people were injured in the 2017 attack: two Capitol Police officers and two former congressional staffers.

Scalise referred to Kirk's death as a "political assassination."

"There are some people that think that political violence is a way to shut other people down. That is not what America is, and it can't ever become that," Scalise said in reaction to Kirk's shooting.

GOP House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky said he watched the video of the shooting and said it was "awful."

"It's just, it's just terrible. I mean, I think we've been saying for months now the political temperature is too high in America, and we've got to tone it back," Comer told CBS News. "And political violence is on the rise. And, you know, I know that most of my colleagues and myself included are getting a lot more threatening calls, and it's just, it's a terrible environment now and again. I just feel awful for Charlie Kirk and his young family."

Rep. Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina, told CBS News at the Capitol that "there's no room for violence, and it's terrible. She said she's encouraged by the bipartisan response to the attack on Kirk and noted the House Oversight Committee had paused for a moment of prayer for Kirk.

Foxx told CBS News that Kirk represented "a category of people in our culture that's very important," and noted he was "very proud of the fact that he doesn't have a college degree."

"He means a lot, and he means a lot, not just to the conservative movement and to the, and to that aspect of our culture, but again, the right to speak freely and share your beliefs and be safe in our country, and it's just so unfortunate. It's unfortunate when anybody has violence perpetrated on them, whether you're liberal or conservative. It's just wrong."

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said of Kirk's shooting, "There really aren't words," and told reporters that it will "be hard for anybody to fill his shoes."

"Charlie Kirk leaves a huge legacy," she said.

Far right Republican Chip Roy said of Kirk, "This is a guy that you can disagree with him — I disagreed with him on most things." But Roy admired that "he was trying to open up dialog and engage in civil discourse across college campus, appeal even those that disagree with them."

Roy suggested that Kirk's murder, "is going to be one of those things that you know changes some things."

"I haven't quite yet figured out how or what, but you know, it's, you know, this one, this one hits," he told reporters at the Capitol.

"We should be able to speak freely and speak with passion and regard about what we believe, without it coming to that. That's the thing ... we're here for something bigger and greater than all of ourselves," Charlie lived it, tweeted out three days ago about his faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, so, I know where he is."

He blamed "a country that's turning its back on our collective faith as a nation," saying that "this is why we're seeing a breakdown and our ability to band together. We got to do something about that."

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, blamed Democrats for Kirk's shooting. "They did cause this — that type of rhetoric. You calling people fascists? You basically saying that we're Nazis, taking away people's rights. Charlie Kirk was literally murdered," she told reporters. Law enforcement does not have a suspect in custody.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said it "doesn't help" to be "blaming violence like this on political parties or political factions."

"I certainly resisted that when I heard people doing that after the Minnesota killings or after Paul Pelosi was attacked," Raskin continued, referring to the murders earlier this year of a Democratic Minnesota legislator and her husband and the brutal hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"There's no reason for us to get into that the violence against political leaders is unacceptable in a free, democratic society, and it is a threat to democracy. So we all have to denounce it. We all have to reject it, and we should all resist the temptation just to point fingers that take us nowhere," Raskin said. "We should be rejecting gun violence and political violence in all of their forms, regardless of who the target is."

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, condemned the shooting in a post on X, calling it "reprehensible."

"Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation," she said, adding Americans should "hold the entire UVU community in our hearts as they endure the trauma of this gun violence."

Pelosi, whose husband Paul Pelosi was bludgeoned with a hammer by a man who broke into Pelosi's San Francisco home in 2022, has frequently condemned political violence.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hosted Kirk on his podcast earlier this year, wrote on social media that Kirk's killing is "a reminder of how important it is for all of us, across the political spectrum, to foster genuine discourse on issues that deeply affect us all without resorting to political violence."

"The best way to honor Charlie's memory is to continue his work: engage with each other, across ideology, through spirited discourse. In a democracy, ideas are tested through words and good-faith debate — never through violence," Newsom said. "Honest disagreement makes us stronger; violence only drives us further apart and corrodes the values at the heart of this nation."

Patrick Maguire and Jaala Brown contributed to this report.