President Donald Trump addressed the nation Sept. 10 from the Oval Office about the murder of Charlie Kirk and called on all citizens “to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died: the values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God.”
Trump’s video address came just hours after Kirk’s death. Kirk was a Christian, husband, and father of two young children, and founder of Turning Point USA. Shortly after Kirk’s death, the White House lowered its flags to half staff, and Trump ordered the same for American flags nationwide through Sunday.
>> Charlie Kirk pronounced dead at 31 after being shot at campus appearance <<
“To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah,” Trump said. “Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. 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.”
“He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people. He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there’s never been anyone who was so respected by youth,” Trump continued. “Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith. And we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in Heaven.”
“Our prayers are with his wife Erika, the two young, beloved children, and his entire family, who he loved more than anything in the world,” the President said. “We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache and pain.”
Continuing, Trump said, “This is a dark moment for America.”
“Kirk traveled the nation joyfully engaging with everyone interested in good faith debate,” striving to help young people become politically involved. Trump said Kirk, who shared his love for America and promoted common sense throughout this mission, helped engage young people in politics “better than anybody ever… On campuses nationwide, he championed his ideas with courage, logic, humor, and grace.”
The President also denounced the rhetoric tied to the escalation of violence in the country.
“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,” Trump said. “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.”
“This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now,” he said. “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,” and those who target judges and law enforcement officials.
Trump reminded the nation of the Butler assassination attempt against himself, which killed firefighter, husband and father Corey Comperatore; attacks on ICE agents; the assassination of the United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson; and the shooting that injured House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others before adding, “radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”
He then called on Americans to be dedicated to the pro-American values espoused by Kirk.
“Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country, Trump 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.
“Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it’s not even close. May God bless his memory. May God watch over his family, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you.”