at a university in Utah In a video message posted on the Truth Social network, Trump said he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous murder of Charlie Kirk.” “Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie is a patriot who dedicated his life to the cause of open debate and to the country he loves, the United States of America,” the president said. “He is a beacon of truth and freedom, and no one has ever been more respected by young people,” he added. Kirk was a 31-year-old conservative activist and commentator who was very popular with a younger, more like-minded audience. He was shot and killed Wednesday while giving a talk at an event at a university in Utah, USA

In 2012, at the age of 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organization that seeks to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning American universities.

He frequently shared videos of himself debating students on topics such as transgender identity, climate change, faith, and family values ??on his social media channels and his eponymous daily podcast.

“Charlie was also a man of deep faith. And we take comfort in knowing that he is now at peace with God in heaven,” Trump said, adding that he asked God to protect Kirk’s wife and children “in this terrible hour of anguish and pain.”

“This is a dark moment for America,” he continued.

The president stated that his administration “will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and other acts of political violence.”

Trump stated that “the political violence of the radical left has hurt too many innocent people,”and cited the attempted assassination against him and the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.

Trump has courted controversy by regularly blaming the “radical left” for the country’s deepening political divisions, with critics arguing that his rhetoric has incited violence against his political opponents.

“Members of other political parties are not our enemies.”

Former US presidents also sent their condolences to Kirk’s family and expressed disapproval at the violence surrounding his death.

“Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views,” former President George W. Bush told the BBC.

“It happened on a university campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacred. Violence and hostility must be eradicated from the public sphere. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. That “God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility,” he said.

In a post on the social media platform X, Bush’s predecessor, Bill Clinton, said he was “saddened and outraged by the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

“I hope we all do some deep soul searching and redouble our efforts to engage in the debate passionately but peacefully. Hillary and I have Erika (Kirk’s wife), their two young sons, and their family in our prayers,” he added.

Bush’s successor, Barack Obama, also wrote on X that he and his wife, Michelle, would be “praying for Charlie’s family tonight.”

“We still don’t know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this type of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Obama said.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden posted on X that this type of aggression “must end now.”

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. (…) Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” said Trump’s predecessor.