US lawmakers from both parties have condemned the killing of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah college, with President Donald Trump ordering flags to be lowered to half-mast. Kirk, 31, was shot at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday afternoon. The shooter remains at large and motives are unknown.
Trump called Kirk 'great, and even legendary' and blamed the violence on 'radical left' rhetoric. 'This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country,' he said in an evening video address. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was 'heartbroken and outraged by the assassination,' while Vice President JD Vance described Kirk as 'a genuinely good guy and a young father'.
Democrats also condemned the attack. Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she was 'deeply disturbed' and that 'political violence has no place in America'. Former President Barack Obama called the violence 'despicable' and said it had 'no place in our democracy'. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said 'political violence of any kind is unacceptable and completely incompatible with American values'.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the attack 'seems to be' political violence and 'has no place in this country'. Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman injured in a 2011 shooting, said 'we must never allow America to become a country that confronts disagreements with violence'. Governors Gavin Newsom, Wes Moore, and Katie Hobbs also denounced the killing.
Kirk was a prominent figure in Trump's Make America Great Again movement and founder of the rightwing non-profit Turning Point USA. He is survived by his wife Erika and two young children.
