BURSTCharlie Kirk, the prominent conservative activist and staunch Trump ally who cofounded Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
President Trump confirmed the death of Kirk, a key player in his unlikely second election to the presidency last year, on his Truth Social account.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote.
“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!”
The attack came against the disturbing backdrop of rising political violence throughout the country, a pattern that includes the deadly attack on Trump’s own life by a lone gunman in Butler, Pa., just 15 months ago.
Kirk, 31, is survived by his wife, Erika, and two children.
The killing of the conservative activist raises troubling questions about political violence and the hardening lines in American politics that increasingly leaves political opponents acting like one another’s enemies.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) led a moment of silence for Kirk upon hearing the news.
“We ask everyone to pray for him and his family. I'm just going to say state the obvious here: This is detestable, what’s happened. Political violence has become all too common in American society, and this is not who we are,” Johnson said.
Yet the moment of silence itself highlighted political divisions.
After the moment of silence, Johnson recognized Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
“I believe that silent prayers get silent results,” Boebert said. “Is there someone who could lead us in a moment of prayer out loud for Charlie and his family —”
Groans and a shout of “no” broke out as Boebert continued, “— and the victims in Colorado,” in an apparent reference to a Wednesday shooting at a high school in Colorado.
A lawmaker who appeared to be protesting Boebert’s request shouted something about children.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who earlier in the day said she was "done with the rhetoric this rotten House and corrupt media has caused," yelled back.
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute,” Johnson said. “The House will be in order.”
Shouting back and forth ensued for several seconds, as someone yelled: “A school shooting in Colorado.”
The normally calm Johnson shouted and banged his gavel: “The House will be in order.”
Kirk was appearing at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, as part of a broader “The American Comeback Tour” he was participating in across the country that asked those who disagree with Kirk to “prove me wrong.”
Kirk in recent years had become best known for his visits to college campuses, during which he would promote conservative ideas, defend Trump and engage in debate with liberal students who disagreed with him.
Videos of his arguments with college students would often go viral on social media, serving as fodder for his various media appearances and helping him build a booming online persona.
Kirk was engaging in one of those debates Wednesday when a single shot rang out, hitting the conservative activist in his neck.
An attendee at the event had asked Kirk how many mass shootings had been carried out by transgender shooters, and then how many mass shootings had occurred in the United States in general. Kirk in a video could be seen asking his questioner whether the number of mass shootings included gang violence just before he was struck.
Footage from the event showed he was speaking to a large crowd of students gathered around a tent, under which Kirk sat, with the words “American comeback” and “Prove me wrong” written on the tent.
One video posted on the social platform X appeared to show Kirk being struck near the neck and later jerking to his left side. Members in the crowd could be heard gasping, with people saying “Oh my god!” and starting to flee.
Another video posted on X showed a much closer view of the gruesome incident, appearing to show Kirk shot in the neck, with blood visibly pouring out.
The mayor of Orem said officials were still looking for the shooter suspect as of Wednesday evening, according to The Associated Press.
The AP reported that armed officers were walking around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for information on the shooter.
Officers have been seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people to see if they recognize a person of interest.
Authorities told anyone at Utah Valley University to "secure in place" after the shooting. The campus was closed, and a post on the school’s emergency information page told those still on campus to call officials to be escorted out.
Kirk sprung into the conservative movement as a political wunderkind after he founded the conservative student group Turning Point USA in 2012, even as he skipped attending a university himself.
During the decade since he arrived on the political scene, he became a leading commentator driving the political priorities and conversations on the right.
Turning Point’s student activism and “AmericaFest” conferences have become major gathering points for young people, featuring the biggest names in conservative politics and the Republican Party.
Kirk frequently talks to Trump and is considered one of the most plugged-in political operatives on the American right.
Kirk was also seen as essential to Trump’s presidential victory in both 2016 and 2024, particularly in mobilizing youth and first-time voters through grassroots activism and social media strategy.
Since 2020, Kirk has hosted a nationally syndicated show on Salem Radio Network, joining the likes of Hugh Hewitt on the channel’s lineup as one of the largest providers of right-wing audio in the country.
The shooting stunned lawmakers, who immediately denounced the attack and offered their thoughts to the conservative activist on social media before his death was announced.
“Political violence is NEVER acceptable. My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote.
“There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wrote.
“This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” former President Obama wrote.
Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) was at the university event in his home state where Kirk was killed.
“It makes me mad. I’m so mad that this happened in our backyard. It’s an embarrassment,” he told Fox News Channel.
“We’re better than this, but there’s somebody out there who is evil, absolute total, complete evil, and they need to be taken down,” he said.
The stunning killing of Kirk comes at a precarious time in American politics, as threats and swatting events against lawmakers and other politicians have increased amid rising political violence.
A Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were assassinated in June, with a second lawmaker and his spouse also shot.
Trump’s near-assassination during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last year — in addition to a second attempt he survived in Florida — have further underscored the increasing threats and violence that members of both parties face.
“I hope the reason I was saved was to save our country,” Trump told Fox News during an interview in July reflecting on the anniversary of the Butler shooting.
“We had a country that was — I don’t say dead because it’s too strong, but we had a country that was really very close to being finished, in my opinion,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed.