WASHINGTON (Realist English). President Donald Trump expressed sorrow and anger Wednesday night over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, blaming “radical left rhetoric” for fueling political violence in the United States.
In a four-minute video statement from the Oval Office, Trump said he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah.” He described the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder as someone who “inspired millions” and was now “a martyr for truth and freedom.”
“This is a dark moment for America,” Trump said, offering prayers to Kirk’s family.
The president linked Kirk’s killing to a string of violent attacks in recent years, including the assassination attempt against him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the 2017 shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and the December 2024 murder of a UnitedHealthcare executive in New York.
“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. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity.”
He urged Americans and the media to recognize that “violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
Trump also previewed a broader plan to confront political extremism. “We will pursue not only the perpetrators but also the organizations that fund and support political violence, as well as those who target our judges, law enforcement officers, and all who uphold order in our country,” he said.
