File picture of U.S. President Donald Trump with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk
| Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (September 11, 2025) called for a nonviolent response to the murder of his ally Charlie Kirk, a conservative youth leader and activist who was gunned down the previous day.
“He was an advocate of nonviolence. That’s the way I’d like to see people respond,” Mr. Trump told journalists.
Mr. Trump said he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral in Arizona. Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that he would be going for it, as he departed for a trip to New York. “I believe it’s in Arizona. It’s in Arizona, and they’ve asked me to go, and I think I have an obligation to.”
Kirk’s casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, where his nonprofit political youth organization, Turning Point USA, is based.
Shooter still at large
The shooter who assassinated Kirk and then vanished off a roof and into the woods remained at large more than 24 hours later as federal investigators appealed for the public’s help by releasing a pair of photos of the person believed responsible.
The attack, carried out in a broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues from a university courtyard, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media.
The videos show Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out.
Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.
Published – September 12, 2025 10:22 am IST