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President Donald Trump revealed Friday that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk was like a “son” to him.
During an interview with “Fox & Friends,” Trump described what the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder meant to him and to the conservative movement.
“You know, Don said to me, ‘He’s sort of like a son to you,’” Trump said, quoting his son Donald Trump Jr.’s description of the president and Kirk’s relationship.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
During a recent Fox News Channel interview, President Trump praised the values and influence of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Bloomberg/Getty; Joe Raedle/Getty)
Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday during the opening event of Turning Point’s “The American Comeback Tour,” held at Utah Valley University. Kirk was speaking from what was dubbed a “Prove Me Wrong Table” when he was assassinated in front of hundreds of audience members, many of them college students.
During his interview with Fox News, Trump suggested investigators may have a suspect in custody, saying, “I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him.” He added that, “essentially, someone who knew him turned him in.”
Later in the morning, a press conference that included Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that authorities had suspect Tyler Robinson in custody for the killing.
FORMER SPECIAL AGENT EXPLAINS WHY FBI KEPT KIRK SHOOTER’S IDENTITY SECRET
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, distributes MAGA hats to the public May 1, 2025, during a TPUSA event in California. (Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Trump continued, remarking on the large influence Kirk had over the conservative movement in America, especially among young people.
“I’ve never seen young people or any group go to one person like they did to Charlie. He’d go out to Arizona, to any school, to Utah — where he was — but any school … and he would have bigger rallies than any radical left speaker, and it was killing them,” he said.
“No, he was an unbelievable talent, but it wasn’t really so much a talent. He just really believed it. He just believed it. He loved young people. He wanted to help young people, and he didn’t deserve this.”
Elsewhere, Trump described speaking to Kirk’s wife, Erika, following the shooting, saying she was “devastated.”
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Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk speaks during the Turning Point Action’s The Believers Summit 2024 ahead of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s presentation in West Palm Beach, Fla., July 26, 2024. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
The president added that Kirk’s organization plans to continue in his stead.
“But in between the devastation, they want to keep Turning Point going,” he said.
“He was such a great guy that he had to end this way,” Trump remarked. “But you know, in many ways, he’s bigger now because of what happened.”
The president also praised Charlie Kirk’s conservative beliefs, saying, “His was basically just good. Family — he talked about family — he talked about, ‘Get married. Go get married,’ you know? It sounds old-fashioned when you think about it, but he’s right. He was just on.
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“It’s a shame that that voice has been stopped.”
