Politicians who have experienced violence directly react to Charlie Kirk shooting
The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event at a college in Utah had particular resonance for public figures who have experienced political violence themselves.
Kirk, who served as chief executive and cofounder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, made frequent appearances on college campuses and in other settings, engaging in political dialogue with students in public settings.
Related video above: Charlie Kirk’s killing stuns Washington; Calls grow to lower political temperature, increase security
Several leaders who have survived public attacks or had family members victimized joined in bipartisan condemnation of the attack on Kirk.
Donald Trump
The president sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year. He was also the target of a failed assassination attempt while playing golf in Florida. He had a close relationship with Kirk and announced his death Wednesday on his Truth Social site.
Trump described Kirk on Truth Social as a “great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
He also posted, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."
President Trump also ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-staff until 6 p.m. ET Sunday.
In a video statement on Wednesday night, Trump said he was "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination."
"Charlie inspired millions, and tonight, all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror," Trump said.
Trump called Kirk "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."
"He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people," Trump added.
Gabrielle Giffords
The former U.S. representative, a Democrat, suffered a serious brain injury from a 2011 shooting while meeting with constituents at a shopping center in her Arizona congressional district. She survived and has taken up the cause of fighting gun violence.
Giffords posted on social media that she was “horrified” to hear of Kirk’s shooting.
“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements," she wrote, "but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence."
After it President Trump confirmed Kirk had died, to X, saying, "The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends.Attacks against political or ideological opponents are cowardly and un-American, and must be universally condemned."
Nancy Pelosi
The former House speaker's husband was seriously injured at their California home in 2022 by , who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.
Pelosi, a Democrat, “the horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.”
Related video below: Numbers Show Rising Threats Against Lawmakers
Steve Scalise
The House majority leader, a Louisiana Republican, was shot at a practice for a charity baseball game involving members of Congress in the Virginia suburbs in 2017. The man who attacked Scalise had grievances against Trump and Republicans and was later fatally shot by police.
to hear of Kirl's passing. In a lengthy post on X, Scalise, in part, wrote, "Political violence is NEVER acceptable. The perpetrator of this horrific act must be held accountable, and I strongly support all of our law enforcement officials as they continue their investigation. It’s past time for the incendiary rhetoric to come to an end, and we must see universal condemnation of this gruesome act."
Josh Shapiro
The Pennsylvania governor, a Democrat and potential national candidate, was evacuated with his family from the governor's mansion earlier this year after a man broke into the building and set a fire that caused significant damage.
“We must speak with moral clarity," "The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.”
Shapiro ordered United States and Commonwealth flags on all Commonwealth facilities, public buildings, and grounds across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to fly at half-staff.
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor, a Democrat, was the subject of a failed kidnapping plot by right-wing extremists who hoped to ignite a civil war. Two men were imprisoned for their 2020 attempt to kidnap the governor during her first term.
“We should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence," Whitmer .
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Health and Human Services secretary appeared to invoke his family’s losses as he reacted to Kirk’s killing. Kennedy’s father, for whom he was named, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy Sr. was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and an advocate for civil rights legislation as attorney general during his brother’s presidency and after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
“Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era,” Kennedy wrote on social media. He called Kirk a “relentless and courageous crusader for free speech.”
Minnesota lawmaker reacts to Kirk's death, months after political shootings in that state
Kirk’s killing follows instances of political violence in the United States in recent months, including the shooting of two different Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses in June.
Vance Boelter is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Boelter also allegedly shot Minnesota Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in a nearby neighborhood. Hoffman and his wife survived the shooting.
On Sen. Hoffman's Facebook page, the Hoffman family released a statement, saying,
"America is broken, and political violence endangers our lives and democracy. The assassination of Charlie Kirk today is only the latest act that our country cannot continue to accept. Our leaders of both parties must not only tone down their own rhetoric, but they must begin to call out extreme, aggressive, and violent dialogue that foments these attacks on our republic and freedom. We also call on leaders of both parties to take immediate action to prevent gun violence. Our prayers are with the Kirk family, our state, and our country."
