Politicians who have experienced violence directly react to Charlie Kirk shooting
The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah had particular resonance for public figures who have experienced political violence themselves.Kirk, who served as chief executive and cofounder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, made frequent appearances on college campuses and in other settings, engaging in political dialogue with students in public settings.Several leaders who have survived public attacks or had family members victimized joined in bipartisan condemnation of the attack on Kirk.Nancy PelosiThe former House speaker's husband was seriously injured at their California home in 2022 by a man wielding a hammer, who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.Pelosi, a Democrat, posted that “the horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.”Donald TrumpThe president sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year. He was also the target of a failed assassination attempt while playing golf in Florida. He had a close relationship with Kirk and announced his death Wednesday on his Truth Social site.Trump described Kirk on Truth Social as a “great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”He also posted, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."President Trump also ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-staff until 6 p.m. ET Sunday.Gabrielle GiffordsThe former U.S. representative, a Democrat, suffered a serious brain injury from a 2011 shooting while meeting with constituents at a shopping center in her Arizona congressional district. She survived and has taken up the cause of fighting gun violence.Giffords posted on social media that she was “horrified” to hear of Kirk’s shooting.“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements," she wrote, "but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence."Steve ScaliseThe House majority leader, a Louisiana Republican, was shot at a practice for a charity baseball game involving members of Congress in the Virginia suburbs in 2017. The man who attacked Scalise had grievances against Trump and Republicans and was later fatally shot by police.Scalise asked people on the social media platform X to “please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk after this senseless act.”Josh ShapiroThe Pennsylvania governor, a Democrat and potential national candidate, was evacuated with his family from the governor's mansion earlier this year after a man broke into the building and set a fire that caused significant damage.“We must speak with moral clarity," Shapiro wrote on X. "The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.”Gretchen WhitmerThe Michigan governor, a Democrat, was the subject of a failed kidnapping plot by right-wing extremists who hoped to ignite a civil war. Two men were imprisoned for their 2020 attempt to kidnap the governor during her first term.“We should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence," Whitmer wrote on social media.Robert F. Kennedy Jr.The Health and Human Services secretary appeared to invoke his family’s losses as he reacted to Kirk’s killing. Kennedy’s father, for whom he was named, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy Sr. was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and an advocate for civil rights legislation as attorney general during his brother’s presidency and after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.“Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era,” Kennedy wrote on social media. He called Kirk a “relentless and courageous crusader for free speech.”Minnesota lawmakers react to Kirk's death, months after political shootings in that state.Kirk’s killing follows instances of political violence in the United States in recent months, including the shooting of two different Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses in June.Vance Boelter is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Boelter also allegedly shot Minnesota Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in a nearby neighborhood. Hoffman and his wife survived the shooting.On Sen. Hoffman's Facebook page, the Hoffman family released a statement, saying,"America is broken, and political violence endangers our lives and democracy. The assassination of Charlie Kirk today is only the latest act that our country cannot continue to accept. Our leaders of both parties must not only tone down their own rhetoric, but they must begin to call out extreme, aggressive, and violent dialogue that foments these attacks on our republic and freedom. We also call on leaders of both parties to take immediate action to prevent gun violence. Our prayers are with the Kirk family, our state, and our country." Shortly after news broke that Kirk was shot, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to offer condolences and decry political violence. "An open forum for political dialogue and disagreement was upended by a horrific act of targeted violence. In America, we don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint. I’m praying for Charlie, his family, and his young children," Walz wrote. U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Minnesota Democrats, as well as Minnesota members of the U.S. House, posted to social media offering condolences and denouncing political violence.
