The killing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative American activist and influential ally of United States President Donald Trump at an event at Utah Valley University has prompted outrage from Democrats and Republicans.
The shooting is the latest act of political violence in the US following a spate of high-profile attacks, including last year’s attempted assassination of Trump and the murders of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in June.
Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half mast until Sunday to honor Kirk, who was prominent in his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
In a video address, Trump, who survived an assassination attempt while campaigning in July 2024, also blamed the violence on the “radical left [who] have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis.” He added, “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country.”
“It is long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonising those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.”
Donald Trump
Utah authorities said that Kirk, the 31-year-old cofounder of activist youth group Turning Point USA, was killed with a single shot in what they believe was a targeted attack. US authorities have no suspect in custody yet.
At a news conference, Utah Governor, Spencer Cox called the shooting a “political assassination,” adding that it was “a dark day for our state” and “a tragic day for our nation.” Cox condemned the apparent assassination as a threat to Americans’ right to discuss and debate ideas openly.
Former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, also condemned the attack. Obama condemned political violence as “despicable” and said it had “no place in our democracy.”
Former Vice President, Kamala Harris said that she was “deeply disturbed” by the shooting of Kirk.
“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.”
Kamala Harris
Congress’s top Republicans and Democrats joined in the condemning the attack. John Thune, the Republican Senate Majority leader, stated, “Political violence, which this attack seems to be, has no place in this country – none.”
“I’m deeply disturbed about the threat of violence that has entered our political life, and I pray that we will remember that every person, no matter how vehement our disagreement with them, is a human being and a fellow American deserving of respect and protection.”
John Thune
Fears Of Charlie Kirk’s Killing Triggering More Unrest
Some experts worry that Charlie Kirk’s killing will inflame an already-divided US and inspire more unrest amid a surge in political violence.
Mike Jensen, University of Maryland researcher, stated that in the first six months of this year the US had about 150 politically-motivated attacks– nearly twice as many as in the same period last year, based on the university’s database tracking such violence since 1970.
“This is an administration that, whether you agree with it or not, has made profound changes to this country in the eight months it’s been in office.
“Some people love it, some people hate it. The people that hate it are starting to act out. People who love it are going to act out against those people that hate it, and it becomes a vicious spiral that could lead us into something really, really bad.”
Mike Jensen
A news agency also reports that domestic terrorism experts cite the increasingly inflammatory tone of US political discourse as well as economic insecurity among a convergence of factors for the increased violence.
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