Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night condemned the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, calling it a “dark moment for America” during a televised Oval Office address.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed earlier in the day while speaking at a college rally in Utah. Authorities questioned a person of interest but released the individual without charges. No arrests have been made.
In a four-minute address, Trump described the assassination as a national tragedy. “I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah,” Trump said. “Charlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. This is a dark moment for America.”
Earlier Wednesday, Trump ordered flags nationwide to be flown at half-staff through Sunday evening in Kirk’s honor. The president said Kirk will be remembered as a “martyr for truth and freedom” and pledged to pursue those responsible.
“He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people. He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there’s never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven. Our prayers are with his wife, Erika, the two young, beloved children, and his entire family who he loved more than anything in the world,” the president continued.
Trump also vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations 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,” he said.
President Trump also noted that Kirk’s voice will live on for generations to come.
“An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed, because together we will ensure that his voice, his message and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come. Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it’s not even close,” he noted.
The killing comes less than a year after Trump himself survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was grazed by a bullet to the ear while speaking at a rally.
