Leaders from across the political spectrum Thursday decried the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk even though they drew somewhat different lessons from the deadly attack on a Utah college campus.
Republicans led by President Trump denounced the Kirk killing as the latest example of political violence carried out by the left, seeking to immortalize Kirk as a martyr of the right-wing MAGA movement.
“Let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said at a Pentagon event marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror atttacks.
Elon Musk, the right-wing billionaire, blamed the attack squarely on liberals.
“The Left is the party of murder,” Musk tweeted.
Even as some Republicans sought to blame Democrats for fanning flames that may have led to the shooting, House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to calm emotions on the right.
“What America needs right now is what Charlie modeled every day: sharp debate without hatred,” Johnson said.
Democrats generally sought to counter with a more non-partisan message, urging Americans from all walks of life to tone down political attacks on opponents.
They pointed out that recent political violence has struck both sides of the aisle, including the attacks on Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers in June and the hammer attack on ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2022.
“Political violence is NEVER acceptable,” wrote Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), the House minority leader.
“This shooting is horrifying, and I’m praying for Charlie Kirk and his family,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the top Democrat in the Senate.
The gaping divide over gun violence showed no signs of abating with liberals noting that easy access to guns has put American political leaders as well as ordinary people in greater danger.
Ironically, Kirk was discussing gun violence in the seconds before he was shot Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem, as horrific video of the shooting showed.
“The scourge of gun violence and political violence must end,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). “The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest incident of this chaos and it must stop.
But gun rights advocates, echoing Kirk’s own statements before his death, insists the Second Amendment allows Americans to protect themselves against crime and saves far more lives than it costs.
The finger-pointing over the shooting bubbled up even as the identity and motive of the killer remained unknown on the day after the killing.
The suspects in several recent attacks on high-profile political figures, including the unsuccessful attempted assassination attempts against President Trump, turned out to be suffering from mental health issues and were not necessarily primarily driven by partisan politics.
Law enforcement appeared to be closing in on a potential suspect in the Kirk shooting after releasing a photo of a new “person of interest.” The suspect appeared to be a young white male.