The shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk drew immediate bipartisan condemnation across the political spectrum and renewed pleas in some cases for an end to politically inspired violence.
An avalanche of the all-too-familiar calls for thoughts and prayers from scores of members of Congress and within Arizona politics followed within minutes of the mid-day Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University.
President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk’s death on Truth Social a few hours 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!”
Many others made comments soon after the attack on Kirk.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said, “I am horrified by the violent attack on Charlie Kirk. In a democracy, we solve our disagreements at the ballot box. Political violence is never acceptable.”
Vice President JD Vance, too, encouraged prayers for Kirk, noting that Kirk is a “genuinely good guy and a young father.” Vance and Kirk are longtime allies.
“Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” Vance wrote alongside a photo of himself, Kirk and Donald Trump Jr.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also encouraged people to “please pray” in a social media post.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, whose wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, was shot in the head in 2011 near Tucson, called the shooting “shocking and horrible.”
“It’s an example of political violence that has no place in our country. Gabby and I are thinking of him and his family,” Kelly said.
“Horrific news. Let’s hope he is well and keep him and his families in your prayers,” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, said.
“Beyond politics Charlie Kirk was someone’s father, husband and son. Remember that first, before engaging in whataboutism. His family will never be the same. Political violence has to stop by all sides.”
While little was known about the shooting or the shooter, Trump ally Laura Loomer offered a characteristically divisive reaction that blamed the political left.
“The Democrats cannot keep getting away with declaring open season on conservatives,” she wrote in a social media post.
“It’s time for the Trump administration to shut down, defund, & prosecute every single Leftist organization. If Charlie Kirk dies from his injuries, his life cannot be in vain,” Loomer wrote online. We must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The Left is a national security threat.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, who briefly served in the Trump administration, also blamed the political left for Kirk’s shooting before officials shared any information about the suspect’s identity.
“The Left is the party of murder,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns.
Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-North Carolina, similarly blamed the left while the motive of the shooting remained unclear.
“The Left couldn’t stand 15 feet in front of Charlie and argue with his logic, so they shot him from 200 yards away instead Absolutely disgusting,” he wrote in a social media post.
Many others were more circumspect.
“Lord, please send Charlie strength in this moment,” wrote U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona. “We need everyone’s prayers for Charlie and his family right now.”
“There is no place for political violence. Pray for (Kirk) and for our country. We must stand together to ensure this never happens again,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana.
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, said he was “devastated to hear the news about Charlie Kirk. I want to extend my heartfelt prayers and support to Charlie and his family.”
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, called the incident “horrifying. I’m praying hard for him, and keeping his family in my thoughts. Political violence has absolutely no place in our country.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Arizona, said, “Political violence is never acceptable — this is horrific.”
Giffords, who founded an anti-gun violence organization that bears her name, weighed in as well.
“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence,” Giffords said in a statement.
Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here’s what politicians said after Charlie Kirk was shot in Utah