Former President Barack Obama has condemned the shooting death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, September 10.
Kirk, 31, was shot during a question-and-answer session with students while at a Turning Points USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Obama wrote in a post on X.
Confirming Kirk’s death in a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote: “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!”
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”
Former Vice-President Kamala Harris also stated that she was “deeply disturbed” by the shooting, adding that “political violence has no place in America.”
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” former President Joe Biden also wrote on X.
Other Democrats condemned the killing, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom stating in a statement that the country should “feel a deep sense of grief and outrage at the terrible violence.”
Kirk was known for holding outdoor debates on campuses across the U.S. Over 3,000 people were attending the outdoor event when Kirk was shot. Officials believe the shot came from a roof. FBI director Kash Patel said Wednesday that a previously detained suspect has been released.
Kirk founded conservative group Turning Point USA when he was just 18.
