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Charlie Kirk death: Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and other former presidents react, ‘Young man was murdered in cold blood’
Several former US presidents have spoken out after conservative activist and popular influencer Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot dead in Utah.
Several former US presidents have spoken out after conservative activist and popular influencer Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Wednesday, September 10. Kirk was attacked during an appearance at a campus event in Utah. The shooting happened around 12:20 pm local time during a student Q&A at UVU in Orem, Utah Valley University (UVU) said.
Follow latest updates on Charlie Kirk's death here
Former US presidents react
"Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views," George W Bush, the country's 43rd president, says in a statement to BBC News. "It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. May God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility."
Bill Clinton said in an X post that he was "saddened and angered by Charlie Kirk's murder.” “And I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully. Hillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers,” he added.
Barack Obama wrote on X, “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. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Former president Joe Biden condemned the attack, writing on X, “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
Donald Trump reacts
US President Donald Trump, who shared a close relationship with Kirk, expressed his sadness after the shooting. “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!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a separate post, he wrote, “In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly Great American Patriot, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Sunday evening at 6 P.M.”
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In a video statement, Trump blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s murder. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who bring order to our country,” he said.
