President Donald Trump delivered a solemn video address from the Oval Office Wednesday night in response to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a campus event in Utah.
Earlier in the day, Trump honored his longtime ally on Truth Social, calling Kirk “The Great, and even Legendary Charlie Kirk” and ordering U.S. flags lowered to half-staff nationwide until Sunday evening.
Tribute to Charlie Kirk
In his Oval Office remarks, Trump praised Kirk as a patriot who devoted his life to open debate, free speech, and the cause of American youth.
NOW – Trump issues Oval Office address over Charlie Kirk’s assassination: “This is a dark moment for America.” pic.twitter.com/B3lyNggZ2i
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 11, 2025
“Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much—the United States of America,” Trump said. “He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth.”
Trump added that Kirk was a man of “deep faith” and said the nation’s prayers are with his wife, Erika, and their two young children.
Condemning Political Violence
Calling Kirk’s murder “a dark moment for America,” Trump placed the killing within a broader trend of political violence.
“It’s long past time for all Americans—and the media—to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible,” he said.
The president blamed rhetoric from the “radical left” for fueling hostility against conservative figures, saying such demonization has “directly” led to terrorism.
Vowing Action
Trump pledged that his administration would pursue not only the individuals behind Kirk’s killing but also “the organizations that fund it and support it.”
“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.
Donald Trump
The president recalled the July 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, as well as past high-profile attacks, including the 2017 shooting that injured House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
“Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,” Trump said.
A Call for Unity
Trump urged Americans to recommit to values that Kirk championed: free speech, the rule of law, and devotion to God and country.
“Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country,” he said. “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.”
Trump closed by declaring that Kirk’s voice is now “bigger and grander than ever before,” adding: “May God bless his memory. May God watch over his family. And may God bless the United States of America.”
