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Assassination of Charlie Kirk
2025 assassination in Orem, Utah, U.S. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was assassinated while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, United States. The outdoor event was the first stop of the Fall 2025 season for the American Comeback Tour, a speaking and debate series planned by Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that he co-founded.
Kirk was shot in the neck while engaging with an audience member about mass shootings in the United States. He was later formally pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Investigators stated the gunman was positioned on the roof of a building approximately 142 yards (130 m) away from where Kirk was speaking. The next day, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson surrendered at the offices of the local sheriff. Prosecutors charged Robinson with murder on September 16 and announced they would seek the death penalty, alleging the attack was politically motivated.[2][3][4]
The assassination was highlighted as an instance of increasing political violence within the United States and was condemned by national and foreign leaders. Video footage of the shooting spread rapidly on social media, and reactions ranged from heartfelt messages expressing anguish about the political climate to sharply partisan comments and celebrations of his death.[5][6][7] U.S. president Donald Trump, members of the Republican Party, and other conservative figures blamed members of the Democratic Party and left-wing or liberal beliefs before a suspect was in custody or a motive was identified.[8][9]
The Trump administration called for a crackdown against what it called "political extremism" on the left,[10][11][12][13] which was widely criticized by free speech advocates and legal experts as using the assassination as a pretext to silence political opposition.[14][15][13][11] A campaign by right-wing organizations and U.S. government agencies resulted in mass firings, disciplinary actions, and harassment against people seen as celebrating Kirk's death or making critical comments about him in the aftermath of the assassination.[5][16] Kirk's memorial service was held at State Farm Stadium on September 21.
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Background
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Charlie Kirk was an American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality, known for co-founding and serving as CEO of Turning Point USA.[17][18] A close ally of U.S. president Donald Trump, Kirk utilized his skills in social media and campus organizing to become a highly influential figure in the MAGA movement.[19][20] Described as "something of a kingmaker" by The New York Times and as a "youth whisperer" by The Guardian, Kirk was able to rally support to protect embattled Trump cabinet nominees and against Republican Party figures he deemed insufficiently supportive of Trump.[21][22] The Washington Post described him as "one of the most prominent voices on the right" in recent years.[23] Axios described Kirk as a "driving force" in Trump's presidential campaigns.[24]
Kirk's assassination occurred during a period of deepening division and increasingly frequent violence in American politics.[25][26][27] It followed a series of violent political incidents, including the June 2025 shootings of two Democratic Minnesota legislators and their spouses,[28][29] the May 2025 killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C.,[30][31] the April 2025 arson attack on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro's residence,[32][33] the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson,[34][35] and assassination attempts on Trump in July and September 2024.[27][36] At a campaign event in Kentucky with Nate Morris in June 2025, Kirk himself spoke about the potential for violence. He told the crowd: "We're on the front lines where it's not always safe."[37]
Kirk's Utah Valley University appearance
Turning Point USA announced on August 27 that Kirk would be visiting several college campuses during September–October 2025 as a continuation of a speech and debate series titled the American Comeback Tour, which began in February.[38][39] Kirk's appearance at UVU was scheduled to be the first tour stop of the season.[18] A petition was circulated calling on the university to cancel his appearance, but university officials permitted the speech, citing free speech and open discussion policies.[40] Security was provided by six police officers and Kirk's private security personnel.[41][42] Although the event was ticketed, the ticketing was not enforced. Metal detectors were not used for entry to the event.[43]
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Assassination
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Officials stated the suspected gunman arrived on campus in a gray Dodge Challenger at 8:29 a.m. MDT (UTC–6).[44] Security camera footage examined by investigators showed that he was dressed differently than he was around the time of the shooting.[44]
Investigators said that the suspect reappeared on video at around 11:50 a.m., when he moved through a grassy area into a parking lot near the campus.[44][a] At 11:53 a.m., he stopped at the top of some stairs and "pulled out his phone" before proceeding into a pedestrian tunnel.[44] Still images released by the FBI show him ascending a stairwell in a parking garage adjacent to the tunnel.[44]
The speaking event began at noon[46] with about 3,000 people in attendance.[47] Authorities said the suspected gunman was seen at 12:02 p.m. walking on the north side of the Losee Center, where they said he would later shoot Kirk from the roof.[44] According to an affidavit, the suspect entered the Losee Center from the southeast side and was seen ascending the stairs next to the building 13 minutes later.[44] Kirk appeared at the event at about 12:09 p.m. and started throwing hats into the crowd.[47] Then, at 12:11 p.m. he began speaking.[47] Investigators said that by 12:22 p.m., the suspected shooter was on the roof, lying on his stomach, facing the location where Kirk was speaking about 430 feet (130 m) away.[44]
Sitting under a tent displaying the tour title, Kirk engaged in a back-and-forth exchange with UVU student Hunter Kozak about mass shootings in the United States.[48][49][50] Kozak asked "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?", to which Kirk responded, "Too many".[51] Kozak followed up with, "Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?",[52] and Kirk's last words before being shot were his reply, "Counting or not counting gang violence?"[53][51] At 12:23:30 p.m., Kirk was hit in the neck with a single shot, which investigators believe came from the roof of the Losee Center.[45] Emma Pitts, a Deseret News reporter who witnessed the event, told NPR, "I just saw so much blood come out of the left side of Charlie's neck, and then he went limp."[50] Former U.S. representative Jason Chaffetz, who was in attendance, said, "As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming."[42]
At 12:23:55 p.m.[45] six men carried Kirk to an SUV, which took him to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem,[47][42][54] where he was pronounced dead.[55] His death was announced by Donald Trump at 2:40 p.m. on Truth Social.[56]
Video footage also surfaced of the suspected shooter running from the south corner of the Losee Center roof, where he purportedly shot Kirk, to the north corner, where the ground was higher. He could hang from the edge of the roof and drop to the ground, which occurred at about 12:24 p.m.[46] Palm prints were later found at the edge of the roof, as well as smudges from which samples were collected to look for DNA evidence. A footprint was found on the ground, which showed he was wearing Converse sneakers. He then moved into a wooded area north of the campus, where a rifle with a scope on top and containing inscribed bullet casings was later found.[46][57]
According to police audio, the first report of the shooting occurred at 12:26 p.m.[58] At 12:31 p.m., an officer then reported "gunshots heard near the library". At 12:35 p.m., the officer added "maybe the CS building", before describing the shooter as "wearing jeans, black shirt, black mask, long rifle". A minute later, the officer elaborated, "on top of the building on the far north side, just east of the library".[58] At 12:39 p.m. FBI agents and chiefs of police arrived at the location of the event.[56]
At 1:37 p.m., the university closed the campus and urged everyone to leave.[59] At 2:01 p.m., the university instructed those remaining on campus to "secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus".[60] Classes and activities at all campuses, including satellite locations, were suspended until September 15.[61][62]
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Manhunt
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The Utah Department of Public Safety was investigating the crime with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).[63]
Initial arrests
Two people were arrested soon after the shooting, but were later released.[64] One was a libertarian conservative who was arrested on campus grounds after claiming to have shot Kirk.[65] He later told police he "was glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away".[66] He reportedly had a history of mental health issues and was known to Utah authorities for his habit of disrupting public events.[65] He was then taken to a hospital.[66]
After his release on September 14, he was booked into jail for obstruction of justice; after police discovered images of child sexual abuse on his phone, he was also charged with sexual exploitation of minors.[67]
Hours after the shooting, FBI director Kash Patel announced on social media that "the subject" in Kirk's assassination had been apprehended; Utah governor Spencer Cox said that a "person of interest" had been detained. Within two hours of making his initial announcement, Patel said that the subject had been "released after an interrogation by law enforcement".[68][64]
Evidence and leads
Law enforcement recovered an older-make Mauser-type bolt-action hunting rifle, which was chambered in .30-06,[69][70] from a wooded area near the shooting,[71] engraved cartridges, and "a footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis".[72][73] In a press conference on September 11, officials said that they had "good video footage" and were applying facial recognition technology to it.[72][71] Later that day, the FBI indicated that facial recognition efforts had been unsuccessful, released photos of a person of interest,[74] and offered up to $100,000 for information in the case.[75][73] The FBI also investigated various social media accounts with posts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination.[76]
The investigators reported that cartridges found in the rifle were inscribed with various messages, which were rumored to be slogans relating to anti-fascist and "transgender ideology", but were described as a mix of Internet memes and popular culture after an FBI briefing on September 12 revealed the messages. The spent cartridge case was inscribed with "Notices bulges OwO what's this?", a reference to furry online roleplay.[77] Three unfired rounds were engraved with "Hey fascist! Catch! ↑→↓↓↓", the arrows referring to a sequence of inputs (code) used to summon a 500 KG bomb in the 2024 video game Helldivers 2; "Oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao", a reference to the Italian anti-fascist song "Bella ciao" ("Goodbye, Beautiful"); and "If you read this, you are gay LMAO".[77][78][79] The song "Bella ciao" remains widely known as an anti-fascist anthem; however, it had also resurfaced in popular media since the mid-2010s and early 2020s through the television series Money Heist and the video games Hearts of Iron IV and Far Cry 6.[80][81][82] During the manhunt, law enforcement agencies reportedly received more than 7,000 leads related to the incident and conducted more than 200 interviews.[69]
Congressional hearing
On September 16, 2025, FBI director Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee about the investigation and criticism for his social media posts about it. He said that over 20 users on a Discord discussion group that included the alleged shooter would be investigated.[83] Patel had previously faced criticism for his leadership and handling of the case from federal and local officials, with particular focus on his social media post on the day of the shooting that a suspect was in custody, a statement which he retracted 90 minutes later.[84]
The hearing devolved into a shouting match after Patel criticized Democratic Senator Adam Schiff as "the biggest fraud in the U.S. Senate", a "disgrace", an "utter coward", and a "political buffoon".[84] The hearing led to bipartisan criticism of Patel, and came after a considerable upheaval at the agency under Patel's leadership that involved widespread reassignments, firings, and loyalty tests. The shooting also occurred hours after a lawsuit by former FBI agents accused Patel of a politically motivated purge of agency leadership.[85]
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Accused
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Tyler James Robinson (born April 16, 2003) is accused of being the shooter.[86] The day after the shooting, his parents convinced him to come to their residence in Washington, Utah, after they recognized his likeness from news images that authorities alleged were of the shooter.[87][88] Robinson told them he was fearful of being shot by police, or a SWAT team being sent to his parents' house.[89] His parents contacted a member of their Mormon congregation who was a retired detective who had previously worked for the Washington County sheriff.[90] The retired detective called the sheriff and made arrangements for Robinson to surrender.[90] He and Robinson's father then drove Robinson to the sheriff's office the evening of September 11 and Robinson was taken into custody without incident.[90][91] Governor Spencer Cox said the next day that Robinson was the only suspect.[92][93] The manhunt had lasted 33 hours.[91][94]
Robinson, son of a social worker and a business owner,[95] was raised in Washington, Utah,[96][97] alongside his two younger brothers.[98] Robinson's family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[99] Robinson's grandmother said most of the family are Republicans, and added that she did not know "a single Democrat".[100] Childhood photos show the Robinson family on trips to shoot guns and see weapons displays.[101] At the time of his arrest, Robinson was living in St. George, Utah, some 240 miles (390 km) southwest of Utah Valley University.[102][103] He was in his third year of an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College.[104] He had previously enrolled at Utah State University but dropped out after one semester.[104] He graduated Pine View High School in 2021,[105] while earning college credit from Dixie State University from 2019 to 2021.[104]
Investigation
Investigators interviewed Robinson's roommate, who was not considered a suspect,[101] and was described as being "aghast" and "shocked" by the shooting and denied having any knowledge of the crime.[106][107][101] Governor Cox said that the roommate had been "very cooperative" with investigators,[107] and had turned over private messages incriminating Robinson which discussed the "need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush, messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel."[108] The messages also referenced a scope and engraved bullets.[108]
After the shooting, someone in a private Discord group chat of which Robinson was a member said Robinson looked like the man in the suspect images released by the FBI. Robinson reportedly joked that he had a doppelgänger who was trying to frame him, that the group should give him a cut of the FBI reward money for turning him in, that he would avoid going to McDonald's (a reference to Luigi Mangione, who was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania), and that he would get rid of his manifesto and rifle.[109][101] Another recovered message, posted later the same day, read: "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. im [sic] sorry for all of this. im [sic] surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments, thanks for all the good times and laughs, you've all been so amazing, thank you all for everything."[110] A friend in the Discord group wrote the next morning that the confession appeared to be true while also calling for prayers, both for Robinson's repentance and for Kirk's family.[110] Discord later suspended Robinson's account.[111] On September 15, the FBI announced that Robinson's DNA matched that found on a towel that was wrapped around the suspected rifle and on a screwdriver found on the roof from where the shot was fired.[112]
Views and possible motives
Utah County prosecutor Jeffrey Gray said that Robinson's mother told investigators that her son had become more political over the last year and had started to "lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights-oriented".[87] Robinson was registered to vote but not affiliated with any party, and there is no record of him voting in Washington County (of which St. George is the county seat).[113] Robinson had no criminal record prior to his arrest.[114]
On September 14, Governor Cox said that Robinson had very different political views than those of his conservative family and adhered to "leftist ideology",[115][116][117] although he did not provide specifics.[118] According to Cox, Robinson appeared to have become radicalized after dropping out of Utah State University and may have been influenced by aspects of Internet culture. Cox also said that one of Robinson's relatives had told investigators that during a family dinner, Robinson had expressed dislike of Kirk and discussed his upcoming visit to Utah Valley University.[95] While Trump and other elected Republicans have alleged Robinson was connected to left-wing groups and threatened a crackdown on them, sources familiar with the investigation stated that, as of September 21,[update] no such evidence had been found.[119][120]
On September 16, Gray stated that the "suspect had become increasingly concerned about gay and trans rights" and that he had grown apart from his family's conservative views, citing Robinson's relationship with his transgender roommate as a factor. Gray further outlined details of text messages that the prosecution believes Robinson sent to his roommate, which stated that he had been planning the shooting for just over a week. When the roommate asked why Robinson had done it, he answered, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."[1][87] According to ABC News, the charging documents did not "indicate the relevance of those stances or whether Kirk's remarks about those issues were a motivating factor", and reported "Gray said he would let a judge determine whether the statements allegedly made constituted a confession."[1]
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Legal proceedings
After his arrest, Robinson was transferred to Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork, where a judge ordered him held without bail.[121] He made his first court appearance by video feed on September 16 before the Utah County Justice Court in Provo.[94][122][123]
Judge Tony Graf read Robinson the charges,[124] which included one count of felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice and witness tampering, and one count of violence committed in the presence of a child.[86] Utah state prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty,[3][4] citing aggravating factors; Robinson allegedly targeted Kirk for his political expression and had acted knowing children would witness the assassination.[2] On September 24, Salt Lake City attorney Kathryn Nester was appointed to defend Robinson.[125]
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Aftermath
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Government
Following Kirk's assassination, Republican government officials at the state and federal level called on the public to turn in anyone who made statements about the assassination that were considered inappropriate or distasteful. The campaign later broadened to also include statements that were critical of Kirk.[16] The New York Times has described the campaign as morphing into a conservative version of "cancel culture".[126] On September 15, the Trump administration threatened a widespread crackdown of liberal groups and donors, asserting that a network of liberal organizations promoted violence and would be dismantled. Trump stated he was looking into labeling some "terrorist organizations", and Vice President JD Vance promised to go after non-profits such as the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation that had provided financial support for liberal and progressive causes. The New York Times suggested that First Amendment rights would make it difficult for the Trump administration to do so.[10] The announcement came amidst the Trump administration's concurrent widespread crackdowns on political opponents and civil society.[10][12][13]
The administration's threats against investigating and dismantling liberal groups received widespread criticism from free speech advocates and legal experts, who denounced the moves as using Kirk's assassination as a pretext to crack down on political opposition.[14][15][13] NBC News described the Trump administration as appearing "to be using Kirk's assassination as an excuse to crack down on left-wing people and groups".[11] In response to Trump's threats, 100 liberal philanthropies wrote an open letter defending their work and criticizing the administration's intentions to dismantle them, writing:
Organizations should not be attacked for carrying out their missions or expressing their values in support of the communities they serve. We reject attempts to exploit political violence to mischaracterize our good work or restrict our fundamental freedoms, like freedom of speech and the freedom to give. Attempts to silence speech, criminalize opposing viewpoints, and misrepresent and limit charitable giving undermine our democracy and harm all Americans.[127]
Attorney General Pam Bondi received bipartisan pushback after stating the administration would target and prosecute some criticism against Kirk as "hate speech",[128] including veiled criticism by Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor.[129] Bondi's comment was also criticized by some conservative political commentators, including Tucker Carlson and Erick Erickson.[130][131] Following the comments by Bondi, Jonathan Karl of ABC News asked the president for his opinion on comments made by some of his allies who considered hate speech to be free speech. In response, Trump said that his administration would "probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly, it's hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart."[132] According to Fox News, Bondi lost confidence in FBI director Kash Patel due to his handling of the investigation and manhunt.[133] A former federal prosecutor and legal analyst at MSNBC said Patel's actions could potentially hurt the accused's right to a fair trial.[134]
Since Kirk's assassination, the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly removed a 2024 study,[135][136] titled "What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism",[137] which showed that white supremacist and far-right violence "continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism" in the United States,[138] in contrast to statements made by the Trump administration.[139] It was replaced by a notice saying: "The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs is currently reviewing its websites and materials in accordance with recent Executive Orders and related guidance. During this review, some pages and publications will be unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."[138]
The U.S. State Department said it would review the legal status of immigrants found to be "praising, rationalizing, or making light" of Kirk's assassination.[140] White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said Kirk's assassination was the result of an "ideology" that is "at war with family and nature ... that leads, always, inevitably and willfully, to violence."[141][142] He later vowed to "dismantle and take on" the violent radical left organizations in the United States by using "the power of law enforcement, under President Trump's leadership".[143] On September 17, one week after the shooting, Trump declared that he would designate antifa as a terrorist group.[144][145][146] On September 25, Trump signed a national security memorandum to direct the Justice Department, the FBI, and Joint Terrorism Task Force to focus on anti-fascist political violence "before they result in violent political acts", citing "indicators" such as anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism, and "hostility towards those who hold traditional American views".[147]
Funeral, memorials, and posthumous honors
On September 11, Kirk's casket, accompanied by United States vice president JD Vance, second lady Usha Vance, and Kirk's widow Erika Kirk,[148] was transported on Air Force Two from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Phoenix, Arizona.[149] Trump ordered all federal government flags to be flown at half-staff until September 14 at 6 p.m. in Kirk's honor.[42] Critics noted that Trump had not done the same when Democratic Minnesota representative Melissa Hortman was killed in June.[150][28][151] The New York Times criticized Trump's comments,[152][153] and described him as abandoning the traditional presidential role as a unifier to instead blame his opponents and vow revenge.[8] Trump later released a video tribute to Kirk and announced he would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[154]
Also on September 11, a letter was published online from 16 Congressional Republicans to House speaker Johnson calling for a statue to be erected in Kirk's memory in the U.S. Capitol.[155] On September 15, New College of Florida announced plans to erect a statue of Kirk on its campus in Sarasota.[156] Various government officials such as Karoline Leavitt, Mike Johnson, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gathered at a prayer vigil at the Kennedy Center on September 14 to honor and give remarks on Kirk's life and work."[157] A memorial service took place on September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and was attended by Erika Kirk, Trump, Vance, and Elon Musk, among others.[158] During the service, Trump said in part that Kirk "did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don't want the best for them."[159]
During an interview on Fox & Friends on September 19, 2025, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Catholic Church likened Kirk to a modern-day Saint Paul.[160]
Firings over comments
Following the assassination of Kirk, there were widespread terminations or suspensions of workers and students for comments or social media posts either celebrating Kirk's death, or alleged to be critical of Kirk or of Republican efforts to capitalize on his death. Those fired included teachers, firefighters, and members of the military and U.S. Secret Service; many received death threats.[5][161][162] Politicians, public figures, and public and private-sector workers also faced firings, investigations, and suspensions over their comments about the killing.[163]
Far-right activists like Laura Loomer called for violence and revenge,[164] and doxxed people they accused of celebrating or justifying Kirk's death.[165] An organization initially named Expose Charlie's Murderers (later rebranded to the Charlie Kirk Data Foundation) reportedly collected more than 63,000 submissions of public comments about Kirk.[166][167][168] The website, hosted under the web platform Epik, was removed on September 16 after violating its Terms of Service.[169][170] Three days after the shooting, the site had accumulated 30,000 submissions; cybersecurity experts characterized the site as a means to coordinate harassment, and as an echo of Turning Point USA's Professor Watchlist.[161][171] Reuters reported that some right-wing influencers who encouraged reporting social media posts had previously mocked political violence; Reuters cited comments from right-wing activists, including Kirk, about past events including the attack on Paul Pelosi.[162] Several people were mistakenly identified as having made hateful comments about Kirk or his death, including a Wisconsin elementary school teacher and an IT technician for Walmart whose family had to flee their home after he was doxxed.[166]
On September 12, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, on his ABC late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, blamed Trump for not uniting the country after Kirk's murder and instead attacking Democrats.[172] On the September 15 episode, Kimmel said the "MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and was trying to "score political points" from the crime rather than sincerely grieving. FCC chief Brendan Carr said Kimmel appeared to "directly mislead the American public" and threatened possible actions against ABC, including the revocation of the broadcast licenses of its owned-and-operated stations.[173][174] On September 17, Nexstar Media Group announced that they would pre-empt Kimmel on their 32 ABC affiliated stations "for the foreseeable future".[175] Nexstar had been seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna Inc. at the time.[174] ABC then announced that it would suspend the program indefinitely.[173][176] Variety described the suspension coming after "several prominent conservatives have called for any critic of [Kirk's] work to be silenced, no matter how nuanced the argument may be".[177][178] Kimmel's show ultimately returned days later after a public backlash.[179]
On September 15, while hosting Kirk's podcast, Vice President Vance called on Americans to report those celebrating Kirk's assassination to their employers and promised to use the federal government to investigate and punish liberal organizations and donors. The Associated Press described the campaign as having "broadened to include even those whose statements were critical of Kirk without celebrating his assassination". Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression described the shift as a form of right-wing cancel culture, noting that people were being targeted for simply quoting Kirk or failing to mourn his passing adequately. Goldstein said that "government involvement in this does inch this closer to looking like McCarthyism".[16] CNN reported that Disney employees and staff members received death threats and had their email addresses and phone numbers publicized.[180] Senator Ted Cruz attacked the FCC's act by calling it "unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying, 'We're going to decide what speech we like and what we don't, and we're going to threaten to take you out there if we don't like what you're saying'", and noting that this behavior could be used against conservatives in the future.[181]
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Reactions and analysis
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Shortly after Kirk's death, his widow Erika spoke to viewers in a livestream from his old podcast studio at Turning Point USA's headquarters. She began the broadcast by thanking first responders, Kirk's staff, and the White House, and she pledged: "My husband's voice will remain."[157] She also called for retribution on "evil-doers", stating: "You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry."[157] She vowed to continue carrying her husband's ideals and movement and told viewers that she would make sure his name would never be forgotten.[157][182] In a later interview with The New York Times, Erika explained how she pushed to see Kirk's body against advisement by law enforcement. She reportedly told authorities, "With all due respect, I want to see what they did to my husband", before kissing him goodbye and stating that he looked like he died happy with a "Mona Lisa like half smile".[183][184]
Domestic response
The shooting saw bipartisan condemnation from politicians.[185] Messages of sympathy came from United States president Donald Trump, vice president JD Vance,[186] first lady Melania Trump,[187] House speaker Mike Johnson, Senate majority leader John Thune,[188] and former president George W. Bush,[189] among other Republicans.[42] Vance took over as host of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast for the September 15 episode, saying that he would not have become Vice President without Kirk and vowing to carry his legacy forward.[190]
Democratic politicians condemned the shooting, including former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden,[42][55] Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries,[191] California governor Gavin Newsom, and Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar.[167] Politicians linked the shooting to broader political debates. Several congressional Republicans blamed Democrats and accused the left of inciting violence with rhetoric.[9][192][193] Democrats and several analysts countered that Trump's divisive rhetoric was also a factor in coarsening public debate, and that political violence had impacted both parties. Democrats also cited the killing to further discussion of gun safety legislation.[194]
In his nationwide address, Trump solely blamed the radical left for Kirk's and other recent deaths, and did not mention recent Democratic victims of violence.[196][194] NBC News called Trump's response "far more polarizing than many of the other messages offered by politicians and representatives of both parties".[194] Several publications, including among others The Economist,[195] The New York Times,[153] PBS (republishing The Conversation),[197] and Time,[198] noted that contrary to Trump's accusations, most perpetrators of political violence have been right-leaning,[199][200] a research finding that has been repeatedly confirmed.[201][202] A week after the assassination, the Department of Justice deleted from its website "What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism", a 2024 study from its National Institute of Justice that found that the majority of ideologically motivated homicides in the United States since 1990 (excluding the September 11 attacks) had been committed by right-wing extremists.[137][203]
In response to Trump, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, himself the target of an arson attack some months earlier, said: "The president shouldn't cherry-pick what counts and what doesn't count. When he does that, it gives a pass to some. We can't have that. This is a moment where leaders need to speak and act with moral clarity, where we need to condemn this type of violence in our communities, in our politics."[204] The next day, Trump stated: "We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them", but later said he hoped his supporters would be nonviolent.[205] During a Fox & Friends interview on September 12, when asked about the presence of radicals on both political sides, Trump responded: "I'll tell you something that's going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don't want to see crime ... The radicals on the left are the problem."[206][207] Trump's adviser Stephen Miller said that left-wing political organizations constitute "a vast domestic terror movement" and that "we are going to use every resource we have … throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks".[197] Opinion editors,[208] as well as both far-right commentators[168] and Trump critics,[209] have compared Kirk's killing to the Reichstag fire—the 1933 arson of the German parliament building that Hitler used as a pretext to suspend civil liberties and prosecute political opposition[209]—some calling the killing Trump's "Reichstag fire moment".[208] Experts on political violence described the rush to assign blame as potentially leading to more conflict.[16][202] Counter-terrorism experts also described Trump's previous pardon of the January 6 attackers as having created a permission structure for them to commit political violence.[16][202][b]
Johnson held a 30-second moment of silence in the U.S. House of Representatives for Kirk, observed by all House members. Following disagreements on the floor, the event descended into partisan rancor and accusations by both sides.[210] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that The Pentagon is "tracking ... very closely" any civilian and military employee who is a Kirk detractor or who celebrated his death, to impose punishment.[211][212] Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau urged social media users to turn in foreign residents of the U.S. who mocked or celebrated Kirk's death.[213]
Elon Musk said in a video clip that "people of the left" were celebrating Kirk's death, commenting: "Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die."[214] At the end of September Musk attacked the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) calling it a "hate group" and accusing it of being anti-Christian in nature. The attacks came after the assassination of Charlie Kirk brought new attention to the ADL's historical work on right wing antisemitism which included TPUSA and Kirk.[215][216][217] Following the backlash from Musk and other prominent conservatives, the FBI cut ties with the ADL and Director Kash Patel made a statement condemning the ADL.[218]
International responses
Kirk's death garnered messages of condolence from world leaders and foreign politicians.[219][220] Argentine president Javier Milei,[221] Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese,[222] British prime minister Keir Starmer and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper,[219][223] Canadian prime minister Mark Carney,[220] Czech prime minister Petr Fiala,[224] the French foreign ministry,[219] Georgian president Mikheil Kavelashvili and prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze,[225] Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán,[219] Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu,[226] Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni,[219] Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum,[227] New Zealand deputy prime minister David Seymour,[228] Polish president Karol Nawrocki,[219] Scottish first minister John Swinney,[229] Swedish deputy prime minister Ebba Busch,[230] and the Vatican City secretary of state Pietro Parolin offered their condolences and condemned the shooting.[231] Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele criticized the media's coverage of the event.[232] Paraguayan president Santiago Peña paid tribute to Kirk during a speech commemorating the 138th anniversary of the ruling Colorado Party.[233] Pope Leo XIV expressed concern about political violence and prayed for Kirk and his family.[234][235] Russian president Vladimir Putin offered his condolences and called the assassination a "disgusting crime".[236][237]
European illiberal and far-right leaders drew upon Kirk's murder to galvanize their supporters and denounce the left.[219] Orbán, of the ruling Hungarian Fidesz party, linked Kirk's assassination to the attacks on the Czech former prime minister Andrej Babis and Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and urged to "stop the hate-mongering left".[220] Kavelashvili and Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party similarly linked the assassination to left-wing politics, with Kobakhidze claiming the assassination showed "where these so-called liberals and pseudo-liberals are dragging the modern world".[225] Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom said: "I repeat his true words that are valid for Europe as well: Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of Europe."[219]
Jordan Bardella of the French National Rally blamed the "dehumanising rhetoric of the left and its intolerance [which] fuels political violence" and Alice Weidel of Alternative for Germany said that Kirk had been killed by "a fanatic who hates our way of life".[238] Matteo Salvini, Italian deputy prime minister and leader of Lega, said that he had "cried" over Kirk's death and wished to emulate him by talking directly to youngsters.[239] In Spain, Vox and Patriots.eu president Santiago Abascal paid tribute to Kirk during his party's annual convention by wearing a shirt similar to the one Kirk had been wearing when he was shot.[240] In the United Kingdom, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage paid tribute to Kirk in the House of Commons, saying he mourned the loss of a friend,[241] and Tommy Robinson used the murder to mobilize support for the anti-immigration Unite the Kingdom rally in London on September 13.[242][243]
On September 11, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR Group) and Europe of Sovereign Nations Group (ESN Group), the right-wing and far-right political groups in the European Parliament, put forward a motion to hold a minute of silence to honor Kirk. The motion was rejected by Parliament president Roberta Metsola, although Swedish ECR Group MEP Charlie Weimers was permitted to make a statement on Kirk's shooting before the voting session began. Weimers' attempt to yield part of his time for a moment of silence was interrupted by Parliament vice president Katarina Barley.[244] French MEP Nathalie Loiseau of Renew Europe said that she had received death threats after opposing the minute of silence, and commented that even though Kirk was a victim, he "would have been considered a delinquent in France" for his "racist, antisemitic, and homophobic" opinions.[245] Valérie Hayer, leader of the Renew Europe group, similarly said that the European Parliament should not honor Kirk because of his "supremacist, racist, anti-abortion, and pro-Russian" views.[246] A moment of silence was held for Kirk at the Seimas (the Lithuanian parliament) on September 18 following a resolution from Lithuanian Farmers, Greens and Christian Families Union MP Rimas Jonas Jankūnas.[247]
Following the announcement of Kirk's murder, Russian state media said on social platforms that the United States was gearing up for a potential civil war. Chinese state media depicted the incident as indicative of a disordered and deteriorating society, afflicted by political turmoil and gun violence.[248]
Media
News of Kirk's shooting and subsequent death dominated the day's news agenda, with major news networks entering into "breaking news mode" around 2:50 p.m. ET, upon receiving word that Kirk had been shot in the neck area, with rolling coverage continuing throughout the day.[249] Significant public interest in the event saw Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN all "drawing larger audiences than usual". On September 10, 2025, the three networks collectively averaged 6.9 million viewers, a 65% jump from the 4.2 million who watched a week earlier. September 11 saw the three networks draw a combined audience of 6.2 million, up 72% from the prior week's 3.6 million.[250] On September 12, Fox News hosted a primetime special titled Charlie Kirk: An American Original.[251] While condemning the shooting, left-wing publications including The National, The Nation, and The New Republic accused the mass media of "whitewashing" Kirk's career.[252][253][254]
Fox News host Jesse Watters said, "They are at war with us ... We're going to avenge Charlie's death in the way he would want it avenged ... Charlie would want us to put as much pressure on these people as possible."[255][256]
Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who had been due to debate Kirk later in September, called the killing a "terrifying incident" and said, "The reverberation of people seeking out vengeance in the aftermath of this violent, abhorrent incident is going to be genuinely worrisome."[171]
Popular culture
On September 11, Comedy Central announced that it would be cancelling all scheduled reruns of the South Park episode "Got a Nut", in which the character of Eric Cartman portrays a parodic version of Kirk.[257] This followed an online campaign to have the show cancelled over its satirical portrayal of Kirk shortly before his death.[258] Kirk himself had called his parody in South Park "hilarious".[259] Several National Football League and Major League Baseball teams paid tribute to Kirk in their games following his death, although teams in both leagues faced criticism from fans for either honoring Kirk or not honoring Kirk.[260][261][262]
On September 12 and 13, country singer Morgan Wallen dedicated his song "I'm a Little Crazy" to Kirk's widow while closing out the I'm the Problem Tour in Edmonton.[263] On September 14, Chris Martin mentioned Kirk's family during the segment of Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour where he asks the audience to send love out into the world, adding: "You can send it to people you disagree with, but you send them love anyway."[264][265] On the same day, the English rap duo Bob Vylan mocked Kirk's death at a concert in Amsterdam, with frontman Bobby Vylan saying, "The pronouns was/were. Because if you talk shit, you will get banged. Rest in piss, Charlie Kirk, you piece of shit."[266][267][c] A subsequent Vylan concert in Tilberg was cancelled by the venue.[268]
Social media
News of Kirk's death prompted fervent reactions on social media.[269][270][271] The New York Times described social media as featuring heartfelt messages from the left and right, anguish about political violence, and sharply partisan and political takes.[6] Mentions of, and comparisons with, the Reichstag fire and the murder of Horst Wessel soared.[7][272] A remark Kirk had made in 2023—"It's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights"—was reposted numerous times on social media after the shooting.[6] Several far-right figures encouraged retaliatory violence against Democrats and saw the death as a recruiting event.[164][168][141] Before the shooter's identity and motivations were known, several influential right-wing voices called for vengeance and war.[192][193] In the days after the shooting, social media platforms including Meta, YouTube, Reddit, and Bluesky issued statements denouncing posts that glorified Kirk's killing, which in extreme cases included incitement to commit violence against other right-wing commentators, or figures like J. K. Rowling.[273]
According to the Associated Press, uncensored videos showing Kirk being hit by the bullet spread across social media with "lightning speed".[274] Politico described this as a result of major platforms as having "dismantled many of their safeguards against toxic content — in many cases to avoid Republican criticism".[275] The Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit watchdog organization, reported that Instagram's teen accounts, which are designed with additional safety features for teens, could readily find videos of the shooting. Organizations that monitor media for children, including Common Sense Media and parental controls app Bark, reported spikes in traffic following the shooting as parents sought out advice on how to talk to their kids about it and prevent them from seeing the video. The day after the shooting, most of the graphic videos had been removed from social media, although they still showed up in searches and algorithmic feeds, particularly on Twitter and TikTok.[276]
Public reaction
Opinion polling
Public concern about political violence was high after Kirk's killing.[277] In a September 12 YouGov poll, 87% agreed that political violence is a problem. 18% of liberals and 7% of conservatives interviewed said that political violence "can sometimes be justified". Of those aged 18–29, 22% agreed, while only 3% over 65 did. YouGov said that public attitudes have varied over time depending on the identity of the victims, with concern rising more after an attack on a member of one's own party.[278] Other outlets noted earlier polls with differing results: in a May 2025 poll, roughly 20% of both parties considered violence "acceptable" for political ends,[202] while in two polls from 2023 and 2024, roughly 10% of Democrats and 30% of Republicans said that violence may be "necessary".[279][280]
According to G. Elliott Morris, polling exaggerates approval of political violence; research by Bright Line Watch has found that less than 5% condone violent felonies to achieve political goals, with little difference between parties.[281] Furthermore, individuals tend to significantly overestimate approval of violence within the other party, and are less likely to support it themselves when informed of the actual statistics.[282]
The day after the shooting, a YouGov poll asked if it was acceptable to be happy at the death of a public figure; 56% said it was never acceptable, 22% said it was usually unacceptable, 6% said it was usually acceptable, and 3% said it was always acceptable. Republicans were more likely than Democrats and independents to say that it was always rather than usually unacceptable.[283][284] In a September 14 poll, 51% said that the person who assassinated Kirk was driven by political beliefs, including 63% of Republican, 44% of Democrats, and 46% independents. 40% of respondents were not sure of the political affiliations of the killer; 24% said they believed he was a Republican (41% of Democrats and 13% of Republicans); 21% a Democrat (40% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats); and 15% affiliated with neither.[285][286]
A September 19 Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found a surge in negative sentiment amongst Republican voters in the aftermath of Kirk's assassination. Just 49% of Republican voters said they felt the country was headed in the right direction, compared to the previous June 2025 survey, in which 70% of respondents who identify as Republican said the country is heading in the right direction. The same poll found 8% of Democrats said the country is moving in the right direction, down from 12% in June, and 14% of independents, down from 23% in the June poll.[287]
Vigils and donations
Following Kirk's death, a mural and memorial site were set up on the Utah Valley University campus, close to the site of the shooting.[62] Candlelight vigils—mostly, but not exclusively, organized by Turning Point—took place in various cities across the United States.[288] Similar vigils were also held in Australia,[289] Canada,[290][291] France,[292] Germany,[293] Italy,[293] Malta,[294] Spain,[293] South Africa,[292] South Korea,[295] and the United Kingdom.[289][296] Several online fundraisers were set up in Kirk's name to honor his legacy and provide financial support for his family. By September 14, the different fundraisers had received donations of over $6 million.[297]
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Speculation, misinformation, and conspiracy theories
Summarize
Perspective
A lack of initial information sparked mass speculation about the killing.[298] Misinformation about the suspect was also widely shared on social media by both the political left and right, including a doctored photo of him wearing a pro-Trump shirt, and false claims he was a registered Republican, had donated to Trump's campaign, or was a registered member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[299][300] China, Iran, and Russia spread disinformation using social media bots to inflame divisions and promote their foreign policy objectives.[301][248] Artificial intelligence tools such as Grok, Perplexity AI, and AI Overviews also disseminated misinformation.[302]
Hours after the shooting, conservative media and commentators began speculating that the shooter was transgender because Kirk was in the middle of answering a question about transgender people when he was shot.[303][304] Further, The New York Times noted that this was "a grim coincidence that has fed into online conspiracies and speculation", and Hunter Kozak, who asked Kirk the question, later said: "I couldn't have asked a worse question."[305] Kirk himself had been a strong proponent of the idea that there was a prevalence of transgender mass shooters despite this not being the case, as shown by multiple statistical analyses.[clarification needed][306]
Following the publication of alleged text messages between Robinson and his partner in the September 16 indictment, observers on both sides of the political spectrum expressed serious doubts about their authenticity. Conspiracy theory experts, such as Joseph Uscinski, called those contentions into question, and criminal law expert Steven B. Duke stated: "There is nothing in those messages making it even plausible that they were written by law enforcement."[307]
"Transgender ideology" hoax
Early reporting, notably in The Wall Street Journal, falsely said that the inscriptions on the bullets were found as having messaging related to "transgender ideology", citing what they claimed was an internal bulletin of the ATF.[308] These reports were met with calls for caution from trans journalists—who said that "transgender ideology" was a term commonly used in right-wing circles to frame transgender identity as a political choice—and The New York Times reported that a senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the case said that the alleged bulletin had not been verified, and that it did not match other summaries of evidence; however, prominent conservative figures still seized on The Wall Street Journal's report to call for further action against the trans community, including banning pride flags and incarcerating all transgender people en masse.[308][309]
When the details of the actual messages, which did not contain any such references, were made public, the Human Rights Campaign published an open letter demanding a retraction and a public apology for publishing of the misinformation, saying: "This reporting was reckless and irresponsible, and it led to a wave of threats against the trans community from right-wing influencers—and a resulting wave of terror for a community that is already living in fear."[308][310] The Wall Street Journal later amended the story with a note from the editor but did not issue a retraction.[311][312][313]
More transgender conspiracy theories were spread after it was reported that the suspected shooter had a transgender partner, with some speculating that Robinson may have been motivated to kill Kirk because of Kirk's views and rhetoric on transgender people. Jacey Thornton, an executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Rainbow Utah, noted, "It sounds like [they're] really stretching to find a way to tie this in to the trans community", adding that this is "very harmful to this ongoing dialogue that's happening, especially on social media".[101][106] This theorizing was further amplified by the timing of the Charlie Kirk assassination, which occurred less than one month after a transgender individual shot and killed 2 children and wounded 21 others at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on August 27, 2025.[314]
Purported Groyper motive
It was speculated by social media users that one of the inscriptions found on the bullets could be a reference to the far-right Groyper culture,[80] based in part on the adversarial stance that the Groypers had towards Kirk, such as during their 2019 heckling campaign.[315] Axios described these speculations as "baseless".[316] Groyper leader Nick Fuentes also rejected the speculation, stating that his followers were being "framed".[315][316]
Conspiracy theories involving governments and antisemitism
Numerous conspiracy theories about the attack were posted online.[317] Political consultant Roger Stone said the attack appeared to have been "a professional hit either by a nation state, rogue elements of our own government or a terrorist organization".[298] One theory, promulgated by Russian state media RT, centered on people standing near Kirk, who were purported to have made "unusual gestures" before he was killed.[317][298] Several senior Russian officials, including former president Dmitry Medvedev and Kremlin special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, speculated on social media about a connection between Kirk's murder and United States support for Ukraine because Kirk had been a critic of Western financial and political support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.[318][319]
Involvement of Israel
In the days immediately following the killing, conspiracy theories emerged about the involvement of Israel, of which many of those theories have antisemitic origins.[320][321][322] Some commentators attempted to link the event to the Israeli Mossad and to Kirk's comments about the Epstein files,[323][321][322] and Maram Susli resurfaced an August 2025 post by an Infowars host who stated that Kirk believed "Israel will kill [him] if he turns against them".[322] Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the theories, calling them "insane".[321] Tucker Carlson was accused by some pro-Israel groups in the United States of making antisemitic comments at the service for Kirk by suggesting he supported the conspiracy theory that Jews or Israel were responsible for the assassination. Carlson said that Kirk's assassination reminded him of the death of Jesus Christ, whom he said was killed by powerful people for telling the truth.[324][325]
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See also
Notes
- The New York Times linked to this video, posted on September 11, 2025, by TMZ, and stated it seemed to show the suspect in the area described by the investigators. The article also includes a satellite view showing the movements of the suspect around this time, with a location labelled "Seen in TMZ video".[44] The Washington Post published a satellite view with a nearby location labelled "TMZ video point-of-view".[45]
- Most perpetrators do not belong to any formal organization; instead, extremist ideologies spread on social media, where "a crude language of memes, slang and jokes blurs the line between posturing and provoking violence, normalizing radical ideologies and activities".[202] For an overview of experts' views predating Kirk's assassination, see Hsu, Spencer S.; Silverman, Ellie; Zakrzewski, Cat (January 22, 2025). "Clemency for Oath Keepers, Proud Boys fuels extremism threat, experts say". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
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References
External links
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