President Calls Conservative Activist ‘Martyr for Truth’ as Flags Fly at Half-Staff Nationwide
President Donald Trump delivered a sombre four-minute address from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, condemning the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and blaming “radical left” rhetoric for creating a climate of political violence in America.
Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk hours after Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University, the president expressed both grief and anger whilst calling for an end to the “demonisation” of political opponents that he said had led to the tragedy.
“To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah,” Trump said in the video posted to his Truth Social platform. “Charlie inspired millions and tonight, all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror.”
The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA was shot in the neck whilst engaging in a question-and-answer session with students at the university in Orem, Utah, dying hours later at hospital. The manhunt for his killer continued late into Wednesday night after an initial suspect was released from custody.
‘A Martyr for Truth and Freedom’
Trump painted Kirk as a patriotic American who had devoted his life to promoting open debate and defending constitutional values. “Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America,” the president stated. “He fought for liberty, democracy, justice and the American people.”
The president particularly emphasised Kirk’s influence amongst young conservatives, declaring: “He’s a martyr for truth and freedom and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth.”
Trump acknowledged Kirk’s deep Christian faith, offering comfort to his grieving family. “Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith and we take comfort that he is now with God in Heaven,” he said. “Our prayers are with his wife, Erika, his two young and beloved children and his family, who he loved more than anything in the world.”
Condemning Political Violence
The president used the address to launch a scathing attack on what he characterised as years of dangerous rhetoric from the political left. “It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonising those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible,” Trump declared.
He specifically accused the “radical left” of comparing conservatives to “Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” stating bluntly: “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 drew parallels between Kirk’s assassination and other recent acts of political violence, including the attempt on his own life in Butler, Pennsylvania, attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson allegedly by Luigi Mangione, and the 2017 shooting that wounded House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
“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,” the president said.
Vowing Justice
The president promised his administration would pursue everyone involved in Kirk’s killing and other acts of political violence. 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 vowed.
He called on Americans to commit themselves to the values Kirk championed: “The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law and the patriotic devotion and love of God.
Trump concluded by suggesting Kirk’s death would amplify his message rather than silence it. “Charlie was the best of America and the monster who was attacking him was attacking our whole country,” he said. “Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it’s not even close.”
National Mourning
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump had announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, calling him “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk” and stating that “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
The president ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening at 6 p.m., with the White House immediately lowering its three flags following the announcement. The proclamation directed that flags be lowered at all public buildings, military posts, naval stations, and diplomatic facilities worldwide.
Vice President JD Vance, who had worked closely with Kirk and credited him with helping push for his selection as Trump’s running mate, asked for prayers for Kirk shortly after the shooting. “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vance posted on social media platform X.
Kirk’s Legacy
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, building it into one of America’s most influential conservative youth organisations. The group, which maintains a presence on college campuses nationwide, played a pivotal role in mobilising young voters for Trump’s political campaigns.
Donald Trump Jr., who maintained a close friendship with Kirk, described him as being “like a little brother” and credited him with helping his father win the presidency. “The impact he had on young people, reaching them in masses, giving them courage to stand up, to think for themselves, and to fight for freedom, is immeasurable,” Trump Jr. posted on social media.
Kirk’s Utah Valley University appearance was the first stop on his “American Comeback Tour,” where he engaged students in political debates at his signature “prove me wrong table.” The format, which had become a hallmark of Turning Point USA’s campus activism, often generated controversy but drew large crowds of both supporters and protesters.
The shooting has reignited fierce debates about political rhetoric, campus safety, and the state of political discourse in an increasingly polarised America. Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika and two young children, with his assassination marking another tragic milestone in what many fear is an escalating cycle of political violence.
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