Conservative activist and popular influencer Charlie Kirk has been shot dead at 31. Kirk shared a very close relationship with President Donald Trump since the 2016 election. He was originally a Ted Cruz supporter, but later went on to become one of Trump’s most loyal supporters.
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Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Wednesday, September 10, 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, per a statement from Utah Valley University (UVU).
Charlie Kirk’s relationship with Trump
Kirk, a Trump ally, was hailed by the commander-in-chief as a “warrior of light” in 2018, the Chicago Tribune reported. He was one of very few people who golfed with Trump at Mar-a-Lago two days before the 2025 inauguration, according to The New York Times.
A frequent visitor to the White House, Kirk was credited by Trump with galvanizing and mobilizing the youth vote that helped Trump win the 2024 presidential election. Kirk was also a trusted friend and adviser to Trump and his family.
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Trump family remembers Charlie Kirk
A source familiar with the relationship told CNN that Trump considered Kirk an extended family. This is clear because after his death, not just Trump, but other members of the President’s family also shared emotional statements on social media.
“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.”
Read More | Trump blames ‘radical left’ for Charlie Kirk’s death: ‘Dark moment for America’
“I love you brother. You gave so many people the courage to speak up and we will not ever be silenced,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, took to X to highlight Kirk’s role in the 2016 campaign and the development of the MAGA movement. “Charlie Kirk was a close friend and a special human being. He played a significant role in helping President Trumps’s 2016 campaign, building and fostering the MAGA movement,” he wrote.
Kushner added, “When I was in the White House, established organizations often complained that we kept doing events with Charlie, to which I would reply “he comes with big ideas, is easy to work with and always overdelivers.” To me, Charlie represented the best of MAGA. Firm in his beliefs, compassionate, curious, and respectful. He had huge allotments of courage, charisma, and character. The world lost a powerful force today, way before his time.”
Kai Trump, the President’s granddaughter, wrote on X, “I am deeply saddened to hear the news about Charlie Kirk. My heart goes out to his wife Erika and their two children. He was a close family friend and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this tragic time. Rest in peace Charlie.”
Meanwhile, 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.
