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Tag: Kirk’s death

  • Here’s the surprising list of who will fill in on Charlie Kirk’s ‘American Comeback Tour’ at Utah State

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    Turning Point USA has announced who will take the place of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk for an upcoming Utah State University event.

    Also, the group says it will no longer hold public events outdoors, according to Turning Point Action COO Tyler Bowyer.

    The “American Comeback Tour” is coming to USU on Sept. 30. It will be held indoors, and will be focused on where Utah should go from here and what healing from Kirk’s death looks like.

    A panel of speakers will take part in Kirk’s place, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Gov. Spencer Cox, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, and former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Bowyer told the Deseret News on Monday.

    Changes and consistencies in the debates moving forward

    Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point Action chief operating officer, answers interview questions in his office at Turning Point headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

    Debate will still happen at TPUSA campus events.

    “This is who we are. This is the DNA of Turning Point,” Bowyer told the Deseret News. “You can’t have Turning Point and walk away from the things that made us successful.”

    Coupled with elevated security measures, Turning Point is “completely committed to continuing the program,” Bowyer said.

    He said the organization still has a goal of promoting civil discourse.

    “That’s part of the mission, and goal of doing these things is that if you do them and you do it civilly, you win people over. … That’s what Charlie had been doing. That’s his life’s work, and that’s a beautiful thing,” he said.

    Many people have reached out and said they would be willing to step in and help fill Kirk’s role on the tour stops, he said.

    Kirk’s death is stirring an ‘American revival’

    On Sunday, TPUSA hosted Kirk’s funeral at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, bringing in an estimated 200,000 people to honor his life.

    Kirk’s wife Erika Kirk, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, members of his Cabinet, Tucker Carlson and others spoke about God, forgiveness and faith.

    “I don’t think we realized the yearning for spirituality that existed within the greater political atmosphere,” Bowyer said.

    Erika Kirk is the new face of TPUSA

    Erika Kirk was named the CEO and board chair of Turning Point USA on Sept. 18.

    “Erika is is the face. She is the CEO. She’s one with Charlie,” Bowyer said. “We want to be respectful of her and what she wants to do.”

    Two days after her husband’s assassination, Erika spoke in a video filmed at Kirk’s recording studio, thanking the people who have supported her as she grieves. Again during his funeral, Sunday, Erika took the podium, and vowed to continue Kirk’s mission and said she’s forgiven her husband’s killer.

    “She’s so loved and so respected and after after yesterday in particular, I think there’s millions of Americans who have her back,” Bowyer said.

    The big names filling in for Kirk on other tour stops

    Three of the eleven stops on Kirk’s “America Comeback Tour” are yet to be filled. The other seven will be covered by the following politicians and political commentators:

    • Michael Knowles at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities on Sept. 22.

    • Megyn Kelly and Gov. Glenn Youngkin at Virginia Tech on Sept. 24.

    • Vivek Ramaswamy and Gov. Greg Gianforte at Montana State on Oct. 7.

    • Glenn Beck at the University of North Dakota on Oct. 9.

    • Tucker Carlson at Indiana University Bloomington on Oct. 21.

    • Allie Beth Stuckey and Gov. Jeff Landry at Louisiana State University on Oct. 27.

    • Rob Schneider and Frank Turek at UC Berkely on Nov. 10.

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  • “Be like Charlie”: Slain activist Kirk focus of Republican youth conference’s first night

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    THE WOODLANDS — Thousands gathered Friday night to kick off a conference of young Republicans in which Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist killed last week, was memorialized as a “martyr” whose death is galvanizing youths across the nation.

    Speaker after speaker, from state lawmakers to influential MAGA cultural tastemakers, shared stories at the Texas Youth Summit about how Kirk — who began rallying young conservatives as a teenager — made them and others feel like their Christian-guided views mattered and their perspectives were shared by many.

    They called him a “hero,” “miracle,” and “martyr for Christ.” Amid the mourning, they said that the fight Kirk had embarked on was far from over but one that could be won by the young people in attendance.

    And it appeared, according to some of the speakers, that more people were learning Kirk’s name and his vision for a faith-led American future every day since his death.

    The speeches caused roars of applause from the mostly young audience, some wearing white t-shirts that said “We are Charlie,” which glowed in front of bright red and blue stage lights.

    “Be like Charlie,” Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the final speaker of the night, told the crowd, which had thinned by the time he took the stage past 10 p.m. but was still several hundred strong. The state’s junior senator recounted how he texted Kirk upon hearing about the shooting, asking if he was OK.

    “I’m praying for you right now,” Cruz said he texted, adding: “Obviously, I never got an answer.”

    Kirk was killed Sept. 10 while speaking at a Utah university, the first stop of his group’s “The American Comeback” tour. He often debated students who disagreed with him on his tours while firing up young conservatives.

    “There’s a lot of value in a bunch of young conservatives coming together and (feeling) like they’re not alone. Charlie created that environment — single handedly,” U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston said in a video that was played. “No one else did that kind of thing.”

    U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recounted at the Texas Youth Summit on Friday how he texted Charlie Kirk upon hearing about the shooting, asking if he was OK. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune

    The memorial was just the latest instance of Texans gathering to share their sorrow over Kirk’s death. Vigils at college campuses, town squares and churches have drawn thousands, with speakers and attendees saying Kirk changed how they viewed politics, debating and their own beliefs. Others vehemently opposed what Kirk stood for but attended the homages to condemn his killing as an unacceptable act of political violence.

    “We weren’t alive for JFK or MLK, and this is the first big assassination,” said Harley Reed, one of more than 1,000 who gathered last week at Texas A&M for one such candlelight vigil. “This is the first big movement, if you will, that we’ve seen interrupted in a way.”

    Also grieving publicly are the state’s leaders, including some Republicans who are set to speak at the conference on Saturday. Some have also urged a close examination of reactions to Kirk’s death from educators and students; Gov. Greg Abbott, for one, has called for the expulsion of students who publicly celebrated Kirk’s death, prompting blowback from critics who say such calls run afoul of the First Amendment’s free speech protections.

    Such scrutiny has done little to slow the momentum that’s erupted among conservative youth who just became old enough to vote or will reach the threshold in time for next year’s midterms.

    Turning Point USA, the group Kirk launched as an 18-year-old to organize other young conservatives, said it received an explosion of more than 50,000 requests to establish new chapters at colleges and high schools in the days after its founder’s death.

    In Texas, where the GOP has dominated state government for longer than current college-age students have been alive, organizers of this weekend’s youth summit said they anticipated record-breaking attendance after getting an influx of interest leading up to the event.

    “Charlie Kirk cannot be replaced,” Christian Collins, the summit’s founder and leader, said Friday night. “But what I will say is, what will happen in this community, and in this country, is thousands of Charlie Kirks will rise up.”

    Houston, Texas: People raise their hands while singing during the Texas Youth Summit on September 19, 2025 in The Woodlands, Texas.

    Attendees raise their hands while singing during the Texas Youth Summit, where thousands gathered Friday night to kick off a conference of young Republicans in which Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist killed last week, was remembered by speakers. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune

    The event was another example of how Kirk’s death has invigorated a growing movement of young conservatives nationwide, and added fuel to efforts from Texas’ GOP leaders to turn the red state an even deeper shade of red.

    State GOP leaders and lawmakers have pointed to that outburst of interest and solidarity as evidence of a Christian awakening among the state’s youth that they say will only grow stronger and usher in a new culture in America.

    While the state’s leading young Republican organizations were once lukewarm on Trump, the voter bloc they represent proved crucial to Trump’s victory last year throughout the country.

    The president has reportedly said that was thanks, in large part, to Kirk’s work.

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    TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

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  • Senate unanimously passes Mike Lee’s resolution condemning Charlie Kirk’s death

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    WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a resolution by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to condemn the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a voice vote on Tuesday.

    Lee introduced the resolution shortly after Kirk’s death last week, calling on his colleagues to condemn his assassination “in the strongest possible terms” while also honoring his life and “commitment to the constitutional principles of civil discussion and debate between all people in the United States regardless of political affiliation.” The resolution passed in a unanimous voice vote when it was brought to the Senate floor for consideration.

    “This is just a flag, planted on a hill,” Lee said of his resolution. “What matters is where we carry it next.”

    The resolution was filed in conjunction with the House by Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy, who represents the district where Utah Valley University, the site of Kirk’s death, is located. That version has not yet been scheduled for a vote.

    The resolution comes just days before Kirk’s family will hold a memorial service for the conservative activist in his home state of Arizona, which is expected to attract a large number of high-profile politicians and celebrities.

    Both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will be in attendance and are expected to deliver remarks.

    Other speakers include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

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  • Van Hollen, Democrats in Iowa call for end to political violence after Kirk’s killing

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    Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) speaks with Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, who is running for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, at the Polk County Democrats Steak Fry in Des Moines on Saturday. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Iowa congressional candidates took time Saturday at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry to condemn political violence in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in Utah.

    Van Hollen, gave a keynote address at event, an annual Iowa fundraiser that featured speeches from Democratic candidates for Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, as well as from the 3rd and 4th congressional district races. He spoke about Kirk’s death, saying the shooting is a reminder of “how fragile our democracy can feel,” while criticizing Trump’s response to the issue.

    On Wednesday, Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot while answering a question at an event at Utah Valley University. The suspected gunman was identified and taken into custody Friday.

    Politicians and leaders mourned Kirk’s death and called for a change to prevent future politically motivated violence.

    “The answer cannot be more violence,” Van Hollen said. “The answer cannot be vengeance. And sadly, the president is using this moment not to unite America against political violence, but to engage in finger pointing.

    “But we will not be silenced. We will speak out for what we believe vigorously, courageously and peacefully,” he said.

    Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said it has been a “really hard week” in light of Kirk’s death, and that Democrats, and all Americans, need to take steps to ensure these threats are eliminated.

    “We don’t have to look very far to see other examples of violence that has occurred because of political leanings,” Hart said, in part referring to the fatal shooting of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman in June. “And none of us find that to be acceptable, because it simply isn’t.

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    “We live in a country that was founded on the principle that we could stand up in a place like this and express our feelings, our thoughts, our attitudes, our beliefs and our political leanings, and not get shot because we have an opinion or a thought that’s different than somebody else’s,” she said.

    In Iowa, there has been an outpouring of sympathy for Kirk’s family and calls to stop political violence. Speaking with reporters, Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate called for an end to political violence.

    In recent days, there has been some criticism from Republicans and others of Iowans, including some teachers, who have made controversial social media posts about Kirk’s death.

    Democratic Senate candidate Jackie Norris, the school board president for the Des Moines Public Schools, said political violence was unacceptable, and that teachers — alongside most people — should be more cognizant of what they are publicly posting on social media. However, Norris added, “we have to respect that people have different views,” including teachers.

    “It is important that we tone down the rhetoric, but we also have to respect that (teachers) have strong feelings too,” Norris said. “It’s a balance.”

    Van Hollen calls Democrats ‘spineless’ for not backing Mamdani

    Van Hollen also told Iowans at the event that winning in 2026 will mean Democrats must be outspokenly in support of Democratic candidates running in 2025 races — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

    The Maryland Democrat said Iowa would play an important role in the 2026 midterms — but that supporting Democrats in 2025 races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as for New York City mayor, will help build “momentum” for 2026.

    Van Hollen criticized New York Democrats for not supporting Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who won the Democratic mayoral primary. He said many Democrats representing New York in the U.S. House and Senate have “stayed on the sidelines” as President Donald Trump and others have mobilized to defeat the Democratic candidate.

    “That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of,” Van Hollen said. “They need to get behind him and get behind him now.”

    Van Hollen criticized other aspects of the Democratic Party, saying the Biden administration was “feckless” in holding the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable to U.S. and international law. But he largely focused his remarks on Trump and Republicans in control of Congress.

    In addition to talking about Medicaid cuts and criticizing Trump’s foreign policy decisions, Van Hollen said the Trump administration was violating people’s constitutional rights by pursuing mass deportations. Van Hollen gained a significant national platform earlier in 2025 for his work involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador erroneously and held in prison there before being returned to the U.S. He is currently being held in Virginia by immigration authorities.

    Van Hollen was one of the major advocates for returning Abrego Garcia to this country and allowing his case to go through the U.S. court system. At Saturday’s event, he said he was advised not to pursue the issue, as immigration is not a winning topic for Democrats, but said he continued to fight for Abrego Garcia’s due process rights because “our democracy cannot survive on silence or equivocation.”

    “And lo and behold, Americans across the political spectrum do believe in the red, white and blue essential right to due process in the United States of America,” he said. “They do believe in the principle that no one in America — I mean, no one — should be disappeared by the state without having a chance before a court of law.
    “And Americans understand this is not about one man,” Van Hollen said. “It’s about all of us. Because when you strip away the rights from one person, you threaten the rights … of all of us.”

    Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S., though the Trump administration has said it intends to deport him again, potentially to the country of Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland.

    Van Hollen said he would “never, ever apologize for standing up for anybody’s constitutional rights,” and said Democrats need to do more to speak out on issues they believe are important, even if polls or pundits say the topics are not politically advantageous. This will be especially important in states like Iowa, he said.

    “We can and we will win here again, if — if — we speak to our core values, if we show people what we will stand up for and we will fight for,” Van Hollen said. “That’s why it’s great to be here to flip steaks and flip seats.”

    – This story originally appeared in Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.

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  • U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Democrats call for end to political violence after Charlie Kirk’s death

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    U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, spoke to state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, who is running for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District in 2026 at the Polk County Democrats Steak Fry in Des Moines Sep. 13, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

    U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, and Iowa congressional candidates took time Saturday at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry to condemn political violence in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in Utah.

    The Polk County Democrats Steak Fry, an annual fundraiser, featured speeches from Democratic candidates for Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, as well as from the 3rd and 4th congressional district races. Van Hollen, who gave a keynote address at the event, spoke about Kirk’s death, saying the shooting is a reminder of “how fragile our democracy can feel,” while criticizing Trump’s response to the issue.

    On Wednesday, Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot while answering a question at an event at Utah Valley University. The suspected gunman was identified and taken into custody Friday. Politicians and leaders mourned Kirk’s death and called for a change to prevent future politically motivated violence.

    SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

    “The answer cannot be more violence,” Van Hollen said. “The answer cannot be vengeance. And sadly, the president is using this moment not to unite America against political violence, but to engage in finger pointing. But we will not be silenced. We will speak out for what we believe vigorously, courageously and peacefully.”

    Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said it has been a “really hard week” in light of Kirk’s death, and that Democrats, and all Americans, need to take steps to ensure these threats are eliminated.

    “We don’t have to look very far to see other examples of violence that has occurred because of political leanings,” Hart said, in part referring to the fatal shooting of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman in June. “And none of us find that to be acceptable, because it simply isn’t. We live in a country that was founded on the principle that we could stand up in a place like this and express our feelings, our thoughts, our attitudes, our beliefs and our political leanings, and not get shot because we have an opinion or a thought that’s different than somebody else’s.”

    In Iowa, there has been an outpouring of sympathy for Kirk’s family and calls to stop political violence. Speaking with reporters, Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate called for an end to political violence.

    In recent days, there has been some criticism from Republicans and others of Iowans, including some teachers, who have made controversial social media posts about Kirk’s death.

    Democratic Senate candidate Jackie Norris, the school board president for the Des Moines Public Schools, said political violence was unacceptable, and that teachers — alongside most people — should be more cognizant of what their are publicly posting on social media. However, Norris added, “we have to respect that people have different views,” including teachers.

    “It is important that we tone down the rhetoric, but we also have to respect that (teachers) have strong feelings too,” Norris said. “It’s a balance.”

    Van Hollen calls Democrats ‘spineless’ for not backing Mamdani

    Van Hollen also told Iowans at the event winning in 2026 elections will mean Democrats must be outspokenly in support of Democratic candidates running in 2025 races — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

    The Maryland Democrat said Iowa would play an important role in the 2026 midterms — but that supporting Democrats in 2025 races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as for New York City mayor, will help build “momentum” for 2026.

    Van Hollen criticized New York Democrats for not supporting Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He said many Democrats representing New York in the U.S. House and Senate have “stayed on the sidelines” as President Donald Trump and others have mobilized to defeat the Democratic candidate.

    “That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of,” Van Hollen said. “They need to get behind him and get behind him now.”

    Van Hollen criticized other aspects of the Democratic Party, saying the Biden administration was “feckless” in holding the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable to U.S. and international law. But he largely focused his remarks on Trump and Republicans in control of Congress.

    In addition to talking about Medicaid cuts and criticizing Trump’s foreign policy decisions, Van Hollen said the Trump administration was violating people’s constitutional rights by pursuing mass deportations. The Maryland Democrat gained a significant national platform earlier in 2025 for his work involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador erroneously and held in the country’s megaprison.

    Van Hollen was one of the major advocates for returning Abrego Garcia to the country and allowing his case to go through the U.S. court system. At the Saturday event, Van Hollen told Iowans he was advised not to pursue the issue as immigration was not a winning topic for Democrats — but he said he continued to fight for Abrego Garcia’s due process rights because “our democracy cannot survive on silence or equivocation.”

    “And lo and behold, Americans across the political spectrum do believe in the red, white and blue essential right to due process in the United States of America,” he said. “They do believe in the principle that no one in America — I mean, no one — should be disappeared by the state without having a chance before a court of law. And Americans understand this is not about one man. It’s about all of us. Because when you strip away the rights from one person, you threaten the rights of all, of all of us.”

    Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S., though the Trump administration has stated they intend to deport him again, potentially to the country of Eswatini.

    Van Hollen said he would “never, ever apologize for standing up for anybody’s constitutional rights,” and said Democrats need to do more to speak out on issues they believe are important, even if polls or pundits say the topics are not politically advantageous. This will be especially important in states like Iowa, he said.

    “We can and we will win here again, if — if — we speak to our core values, if we show people what we will stand up for and we will fight for,” Van Hollen said. “That’s why it’s great to be here to flip steaks and flip seats.”

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  • Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta employee ‘terminated’ over comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder

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    Comments on social media have led to an employee at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta being taken off the job.

    A spokesperson for the healthcare system confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that an employee was terminated because of comments made about the murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

    “Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is aware of inappropriate comments made on social media by an employee yesterday. This type of rhetoric is not acceptable for Children’s employees and violates our social media policy,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

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    The content of those comments have not been released.

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    Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian also announced that several Delta employees have been suspended over their comments on Kirk’s death.

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    Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during an event for his nonprofit, Turning Point USA, on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

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    On Friday, the FBI and Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced the accused shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was in custody.

    Kirk’s death has sparked heated debate on social media, with many mourning the loss of the activist and others criticizing him for the controversial beliefs he was known for.

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  • Cox calls for end to political violence, says younger generation has opportunity to ‘embrace our differences’ for the better

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    Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called for an end to political violence while sharing news about an apprehended suspect in the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

    “I don’t want to get too preachy, but I think it’s important that we, with eyes wide open, understand what’s happening in our country today,” Cox said Friday morning at a press conference.

    “I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, why are we so invested in this?’” he said of Kirk’s assassination. “There’s political violence happening all across our country, and violence is tragic everywhere, and every life taken is a child of God who deserves our love and respect and dignity.”

    Cox announced Friday that the suspect accused of killing Kirk had been apprehended and booked into Utah County Jail. He was named as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a resident of Washington County.

    Kirk’s death and the fallout in the days since has reignited a conversation about the increase of political violence across the country. Many have pointed to the June murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hoffman, a Democrat, and her husband, as well as the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump while on the campaign trail last year.

    While the investigation is still in its early stages and the suspect’s motive remains largely unknown to the public, discourse online has highlighted partisan differences in the reaction to Kirk’s death.

    FBI Director Kash Patel, center, arrives at the scene of the shooting death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

    Cox’s message to end political violence, change the course of history

    “This is certainly about the tragic death … political assassination of Charlie Kirk, but it is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals,” Cox said. “This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been and who we could be in better times.”

    Cox noted that Kirk often championed freedom of expression, debating people who disagreed with him. By Kirk being killed, freedom of expression across the country will become more difficult and others will feel discouraged about sharing their ideas and speaking freely, he said.

    “We will never be able to solve all the other problems, including the violence problems that people are worried about, if we can’t have a clash of ideas safely and securely … especially those ideas with which you disagree,” Cox said. “That is why this matters so much.”

    Cox had a message for the young people of Utah and across the country, particularly because Kirk had amassed such a following among the younger generation and spent his career and organization focused on young voters.

    Orem City Kirk Vigil_tc_22.JPG

    Andrew Parry, left, and his fiancee, Anja Albrecht, right, hold candles at a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who was fatally shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at City Center Park in Orem on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

    “To my young friends out there, you are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option,” he said, highlighting Kirk’s message of human connection. “But through those words, we have a reminder that we can choose a different path.”

    “Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now. Not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations,” Cox continued.

    Cox said there is one person responsible for what happened to Kirk and that person is in custody and soon will be charged and held accountable.

    “And yet, all of us have an opportunity right now to do something different,” he said.

    The governor highlighted the vigils and community togetherness that Utahns showed in the days since the shooting.

    “We can return hate with hate. And that’s the problem with political violence, is it metastasizes, because we can always point the finger at the other side,” he said. “And at some point, we have to find an off-ramp or it’s going to get much, much worse.”

    Cox called on Americans, no matter their political beliefs or partisan divide, to choose to change the course of history and the rise of political violence in the United States.

    “These are choices that we can make. History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country, but every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us,” Cox said.

    Charlie Kirk Shot_LS_0011.JPG

    Law enforcement vehicles are posted at the entrance of Utah Valley University in Orem following the shooting of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    Other leaders weigh in

    Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, one of the largest youth conservative activist organizations in the country, was a staunch supporter of Trump’s. He became a controversial figure when touring the college campuses to debate ideas with students, which could sometimes become heated and have often gone viral online. Kirk was at Utah Valley University on Wednesday to kick off his “American Comeback Tour,” where he hosted his “Prove Me Wrong” debate session.

    In a video message on Wednesday evening after confirming Kirk’s death, Trump called on the American public and the media to “confront the fact that violence and murder” over political disagreements is wrong. He said that the “radical left” compared Kirk to a Nazi and claimed that rhetoric was “directly responsible” for the “terrorism” the country sees today.

    Other political leaders, like former President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris, condemned the political violence and said it has no place in the United States.

    Orem City Kirk Vigil_tc_11.JPG

    People hold lights up to grieve at a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who was fatally shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at City Center Park in Orem on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

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  • A quiet Utah town reckons with Charlie Kirk’s shooting: ‘Nothing like this has happened here’

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    Orem, Utah, a sleepy suburb of roughly 100,000 people at the feet of the Wasatch mountains, never asked for the national spotlight.

    But in the wake of the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk in front of a packed audience at a university in the heart of town, the weight of the nation’s gaze was inescapable. A forest of American flags planted atop a highway interpass next to Utah Valley University (UVU), where Kirk was shot. A campus on lockdown and makeshift memorials. The ubiquitous presence of local cops and FBI agents.

    With the shock of Kirk’s death fresh and a manhunt for the shooter still under way, many in the community are coming to terms with the magnitude of what happened here, and are split on the legacy Kirk leaves behind.

    “I’m sad and just shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened in Utah, to this extent,” said Brice Nokes, 27. On Thursday, Nokes was standing at the UVU campus entrance holding a sign that said “I believe in you” in bold capital letters. He took it to the university’s entrance today, hoping to help spread positivity in the wake of the killing.

    The campus, usually abuzz with more than 40,000 undergraduates, was silent on this sunny Thursday morning, with roads blocked off and law enforcement and media outnumbering civilians. Caution tape blocked off the amphitheater where the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder, a mammoth figure in the world of rightwing youth organizing, was shot.

    Kirk’s “Prove Me Wrong” pop-up tent – where attendees were invited to debate the rightwing provocateur on his tour of college campuses – was still standing. Students’ personal belongings, from backpacks to water bottles, were strewn throughout the stand, left on the ground mid-escape.

    Tanner Lundquist, 31, and a former UVU student who came back to campus on Thursday, said that his community was “not meant to be on the world stage”.

    “For me it’s very disturbing to see a courtyard where I used to do homework on CNN, on Fox News,” Lundquist said.

    Makeshift memorials and vigils have popped up across town over the last 24 hours. Beneath UVU’s large steel and green nameplate, a bouquet of flowers was strewn on the sidewalk. American flags and homemade placards adorned the sign outside Timpanogos regional hospital, where Kirk was pronounced dead.

    Wendy Lucas, 44, wearing a camouflage cap, walked up to a memorial at UVU, said a prayer, and added a small American flag and two small panda action figures to the pile. The pandas were for Kirk’s two children, Lucas said.

    “Every life should be valuable,” Lucas said. “This should not happen.”

    Faith runs deep in Utah county, which comprises Orem, Provo and much of the southern greater Salt Lake area, and where an estimated 72% of the population are Mormon.

    Kimberly Clark, 50, speaking in the parking lot of the Orem Walmart, said that the shooting has left her community shaken, and, like many, she has taken comfort in the Church of Latter-day Saints.

    “It was surreal, but I feel like the community, more than anything, is pulling together,” Clark said. “I’ve had friends text me making sure my kids were OK.”

    Emily Patterson, 51, said that many of the students fleeing the shooting gathered nearby at the white-sided, 218ft tall Orem temple.

    “A lot of people walked straight over to it and stayed on the grounds or went in,” Patterson said. “They were gathering there to feel comfort.”

    An inflection point for political violence?

    Some conservatives in town expected that Kirk’s death would become a flashpoint in an already deeply divided nation, and anticipated that tensions might “boil over.”

    Lundquist and his father, Steven, 64, both described themselves as conservative, and saw the shooting as an inflection point for political violence – likening what might come next to a dam breaking.

    Lundquist said he was speaking out because he “feared being silenced”, and felt that Kirk stood for the same.

    “A god-fearing country with Christian values. That’s what Charlie Kirk represented, what we’re being told is evil, what we’re being told is wrong,” Tanner said. “Our fear is that that voice is going to be shut by college campuses where the young minds of America are being educated.”

    His father, Steven, echoed the concerns of liberal indoctrination, calling those in higher education “godless”. Steven also said the killing made him concerned about openly practicing his Christian faith.

    “I go to church every Sunday and I bring my family,” he said, “I look at those doors and I wonder if somebody is gonna burst in here with semi-automatic weapons and start blasting.”

    Steven acknowledged that his fears were “not different” from those faced by children going to school in the United States, where shootings are grimly commonplace. Kirk himself was outspoken in his support of the second amendment, saying that a certain number of gun deaths every year was a “prudent deal” to “protect our God-given rights”.

    Some, however, said it was important not to to shy away from Kirk’s divisive viewpoints, or “put him on a pedestal”.

    Jonathan Crow, 24, was alarmed by both the shooting and the legacy Kirk leaves behind.

    “We condemn any form of political violence ever to exist,” Crow said, standing outside a grocery store with bags in his hands. “But we should also condemn the hateful rhetoric Charlie Kirk has had throughout his entire life against women, people of color, against minority groups, against the Muslim community.”

    Isabella Roque, 24, felt similarly, drawing a clear boundary between Kirk’s actions in life and his violent death.

    “His death has a specific meaning, which is that it’s important not to react violently to political disagreements,” Roque said, standing beside Crow. “His life meant something else.”

    To Roque, it is important to not “romanticize” Kirk.

    “His death is not private. His death does not only affect his family and his friends, it affects the entire nation,” Roque said. “In that respect, I think that it is even more important to be honest about who he was.”

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  • Trump ally Charlie Kirk fatally shot in Utah as ‘person of interest’ in custody

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    Charlie Kirk, the powerful rightwing activist, Trump ally and executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was killed on Wednesday afternoon, shot in the neck while speaking at a university campus event in Utah.

    In video posts circulating on social media, Kirk, 31, can be seen being struck by a bullet while speaking and sitting beneath a tent in the Utah Valley University (UVU) courtyard in Orem, Utah. Kirk was there as part of The American Comeback Tour, which is hosted by the TPUSA chapter at UVU. Video footage also shows students on campus running away from the sound of gunfire.

    In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, the university said the campus was closed.

    After initial reports that a suspect had been apprehended, this turned out not to be the case shortly afterwards and then, around four hours after the incident, the FBI director, Kash Patel, posted on X that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.”

    At a press conference shortly after, Utah governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, added that law enforcement had “a person of interest” in custody who was being interviewed. The authorities did not reveal a name.

    Utah director the department of public safety, Beau Mason, said at the press conference that there were security camera images of the suspect and that the shooter was dressed in dark clothing and had potentially fired from a roof.

    A spokesperson for Utah Valley University earlier told the New York Times that Kirk was struck by a suspect who had fired from a building about 200 yards away.

    Interactive

    “The incident is currently being investigated by four agencies: Orem police, UVU police, FBI and Utah department of public safety,” Treanor added.

    In an internal email to staff members that was posted online on Wednesday evening, the Turning Point USA COO, Justin Streiff, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that earlier this afternoon Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven … However, in the meantime, Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action will be closed for business until Monday, the 15th – likely longer.”

    Writing on Truth Social on Wednesday evening, Donald Trump mourned Kirk’s death, saying: “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!”

    The president echoed similar sentiments to ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl. Trump told Karl: “It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen. He was a great guy … He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him.”

    Eyewitnesses told the Guardian that Kirk was being questioned about mass shootings when he was shot in the neck.

    Related: ‘A lot of blood’: local reporters describe moment when Charlie Kirk was shot

    A Deseret News reporter, Emma Pitts, who was at the event, said that Kirk was on his second question and that it was “regarding mass shootings”.

    “The person he was debating had asked about if he knew how many mass shootings had involved a transgender shooter to which Kirk responded,” Pitts said. Then, “he asked how many mass shootings had [there] been in the last couple of years” and “before he could even answer, we heard a gunshot and we just saw Charlie Kirk’s neck turn to the side and it appeared that he had been shot in the neck”.

    “There was blood, immediately a lot of blood,” Pitts said. “After the shots were fired, everyone immediately took to the ground … we were just trying to stay hidden.”

    Then, Pitts said, “everyone started running away”.

    Videos circulating on social media showed an attender asking Kirk: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” In response, Kirk says: “Too many,” as the crowd clapped.

    In a follow-up question, the attender asks: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk replies: “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Seconds later, Kirk could be seen struck in the neck as he falls back in his chair.

    Eva Terry, another Deseret News reporter who was at the event, said the direction of the shot looked like it “came from the middle to the right side of the audience”.

    Describing the suspect, Terry said that he looked like “an older gentleman, probably in his late 50s to 60s, wearing what looks like a worker’s uniform”.

    In response to Kirk’s death, the Utah governor, Spencer Cox, wrote on X: “I just got off the phone with President Trump. Working with the FBI and Utah law enforcement, we will bring to justice the individual responsible for this tragedy. Abby and I are heartbroken. We are praying for Charlie’s wife, daughter, and son.”

    The US vice-president, JD Vance, also tweeted, saying: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”

    Utah senator Mike Lee wrote: “Charlie Kirk was an American patriot … This murder was a cowardly act of violence, an attack on champions of freedom like Charlie, the students who gathered for civil debate, and all Americans who peacefully strive to save our nation. The terrorists will not win. Charlie will. Please join me in praying for his wife Erika and their children. May justice be swift.”

    Shortly before gunfire rang out, Kirk tweeted: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”

    On Wednesday evening, Trump released a statement ordering the the American flag to be flown at half-mast until sunset, 14 September.

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