Charlie Kirk, 31, died after being shot during an event at a university in the US state of Utah. Kirk's death was announced by US President Donald Trump. "The great, even legendary, Charlie Kirk is dead", Trump wrote. "No one understood or had the heart of the young people of the United States of America better than Charlie."
Kirk was shot about 20 minutes into his speech to hundreds of students at "Utah Valley University". The gunman shot him in the neck. The university initially incorrectly reported that he was in custody. It later turned out that this was not the man who carried out the attack.
Who was Kirk?
Charlie Kirk was an influential spokesman and activist in support of the conservative policies of the American president. In 2012, he founded the organization Turning Point USA, which defends and promotes conservative views in schools and high schools in the United States.
Although Kirk did not hold an official position in the American president's administration, he was considered an important ally of his, who had great influence among young voters. During the campaign, his organization invested millions in supporting Trump in the most contested states.
He hosted his own radio show, in which he spread conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. "Charlie is on the front lines of America's culture war, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of students at over 3,500 colleges and high schools across the country," read the description of his show.
Kirk was a sharp critic of the policies of a number of major American universities, describing them as conduits of "totalitarianism" and "cultural Marxism". The creator of Turning Point USA was considered a major spokesman for the so-called populist conservatism aimed at younger voters.
Political violence in the US is growing
A number of American politicians from both major parties strongly condemned his murder. "There is no place for this kind of violence in our country. It must end now," wrote former President Joe Biden.
In recent years, political violence in the US has been increasing, as noted by American law enforcement agencies. Prominent politicians such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro have been targeted in recent years. Both strongly condemned Kirk's murder. Donald Trump also survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.