President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening rejected bipartisan calls for unity after the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Speaking in the Oval Office, hours after Kirk was shot in the neck and killed during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University, Trump called Kirk the best “ever” at bringing young people into politics. But he also condemned the left, blaming it for the shooting and other instances of political violence, such as the attempts on his own life.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” the president said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today. And it must stop right now.”
As of 9:30 p.m. ET, the gunman was still at large. FBI Director Kash Patel earlier in the evening claimed a suspect was in custody, but walked that back hours later, saying a “subject” was released after being interrogated by law enforcement. No motive for the shooting has been confirmed, but Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting a “political assassination.”
