Former President Trump Mourns Charlie Kirk, Condemns Political Violence in Stark Address

In a solemn address, former President Donald Trump announced with "grief and anger" the alleged assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Speaking from what appeared to be an official setting, Trump eulogized Kirk as a "patriot" who devoted his life to "open debate" and the "country that he loved so much—the United States of America." He further described Kirk as a "man of deep, deep, faith" and expressed comfort that Kirk is "now in peace with God in heaven. Trump stated that Kirk "inspired millions" and fought for "liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people." He characterized Kirk as a "martyr for truth and freedom," noting his unique ability to engage young people in the political process. The former President condemned what he described as a long-standing pattern of "demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible," directly linking this rhetoric to "terrorism" and political violence. "This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now," Trump declared. He pledged that his administration would "find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence," including those who attack judges, law enforcement, and other officials. He cited past incidents such as an attack on his own life in Butler, Pennsylvania, attacks on ICE agents, and the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise as examples of "radical left political violence." Concluding his address, Trump called on all Americans to commit themselves to the values Kirk lived and died for: "free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God." He asserted that despite the "heinous act," Kirk's "voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it's not even close."