Outpouring of grief from Trump, Vance other leaders after Charlie Kirk fatal shooting

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced conservative activist Charlie Kirk died on Wednesday after being shot at a campus university event in Utah.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

Before the announcement, Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, “It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen.”

“He was a good man. He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him,” Trump told Karl.

Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was a close ally to Trump and many members of his administration. Several top officials issued messages of support for Kirk and his family as news of the shooting first spread.

Vice President JD Vance shared Trump’s announcement of Kirk’s death and wrote on X, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was “heartbroken” by Kirk’s killing.

“He was an incredible husband and father and a great American. May he rest in eternal peace with our Lord,” Rubio posted on X.

The House of Representatives held a moment of silence for Kirk on Wednesday afternoon.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers condemned the shooting.

“This is detestable,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “Political violence has become all too common in American society, and this is not who they are.”

Johnson added, “We need every political figure, we need everyone who has a platform, to say this loudly and clearly, we can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be pulled out, and it has to stop.”

“There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called it a “sick and despicable attack.”

Former President Joe Biden said “there is no place in our country for this kind of violence.”

“It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” Biden said in a post on X.

“I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah,” former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on X. “Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family. 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.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who earlier this year hosted Kirk for the first episode of his new podcast, called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. “

“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X: “Political violence is NEVER acceptable. My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”

Gabrielle Giffords, a former Democratic congresswoman who was shot in the head during a public event in 2011, also shared a message condemning acts of political violence. Giffords later founded a national gun violence prevention group.

“I’m horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah. Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence. Mark and I are praying for Charlie’s recovery,” Giffords wrote.

Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was violently assaulted in their California home by an invader looking for Pelosi, called the shooting “horrific” and “reprehensible.”

“Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation,” Pelosi wrote on X. “All Americans should pray for Charlie Kirk’s recovery and hold the entire UVU community in our hearts as they endure the trauma of this gun violence.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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