The Daily Signal - Charlie Kirk Assassinated in Utah, Responses from Officials & President Trump | Sept. 11, 2025

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Starting point is 00:00:25 We'd love to talk, business. Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, is assassinated in Utah. Media and officials' responses range from honorable to inhuman, and President Trump addresses the nation. I'm Tony Kinnett, host of the Daily Signals Tony Kinnett cast, syndicated nationally at 7 p.m. Eastern. It is Thursday, September 11, 2025, marking 24 years since the terrorist attack, we as a nation promised never to forget. This is the Daily Signal's top news in 10. Yesterday afternoon, Charlie Kirk was speaking at the American comeback tour, put on by Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk's student-focused organization,

Starting point is 00:01:18 encouraging debate, research, growing future leaders in the country, at Utah Valley University. A loud gunshot rang out and pierced Charlie in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital where he fought for just over an hour or two before he passed away. We don't have any of the details of the autopsy. We're not going to show any of the footage from the event. as of 935 the night before you are watching this. The FBI has announced that the second individual

Starting point is 00:02:02 they had brought in and detained for questioning as the suspect in the assassination has been either in the first suspect's case detained for obstruction and the second released after questioning. Again, at the time of, at least our recording this, the shooter is still at large. Kirk was 31 years old and leaves behind his wonderful wife and two young children, one and three years old. According to the statement from Turning Point, may he be received into the merciful

Starting point is 00:02:41 arms of our loving Savior who suffered and died for Charlie. We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers. We ask that you please respect their privacy and dignity in this time. There were a series of vigils and prayer meetings in churches and on college campuses at Turning Point USA chapters across the country and across the world yesterday evening. The response to this political assassination has ranged widely from individuals responding rather honorably across both sides of the aisle, including those who were rather antagonistic towards Charlie Kirk being one of the nation's most prominent conservative pundits, commentators, leaders of a major portion of the nation's advocacy groups.

Starting point is 00:03:33 A lot of those who weren't big fans of Charlie in his life did put out appropriate statements. These include those like California Governor Gavin Newsom, Chuck Schumer, Kamala Harris, Representative Eric Swalwell, Pete Buttigieg, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and New York City Democrat mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani. Hakeem Jeffreys, House Minority Speaker, Governor Kathy Hochel of New York, Senator Cory Booker, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Governor Westmore of Maryland. And there are quite a few others who relayed their prayers for Kirk as he was fighting for his life, for his family. there were some, however, in both the media sphere as well as the Democrat sphere who responded in a rather inhumane fashion. We're not going to go into detail. At least we did a little bit more yesterday evening on the episode of the Tony Kinnettcast on some of the way that common social media accounts were excited about the death of someone that they despised.

Starting point is 00:04:43 Instead, I do want to point out some of the particular media reactions during the coverage of the assassination as Kirk was fighting for his life, specifically from Katie Turs show on MSNBC in her initial coverage, criticizing Charlie, again, as he was fighting for his life, as a divisive figure, polarizing a lightning rod, and then derisively, kind of nonchalantly saying, whatever term you want to use. The MSNBC reporter suggested that really it was unclear whether or not this was even some kind of a gunshot targeting Charlie. Maybe it was just fired in celebration. Matthew Dowd, formerly of ABC News, made some particularly egregious comments, suggesting that Charlie Kirk had brought the assassination upon himself.

Starting point is 00:05:40 Since then, MSNBC President Rebecca Cutler denounced Dowd's comments saying, quote, during our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable. We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America political or otherwise, end quote. There is no comment as to how other individuals on MSNBC carried themselves during the coverage of the assassination. Specifically, Katie Turr expressed concerned that someone might take up the mantle of Charlie Kirk after he had passed away.

Starting point is 00:06:14 And most egregious from a prominent Democrat official, Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois took the opportunity to suggest that the assassination of Charlie Kirk was somehow to be laid at the hands and feet of Donald Trump and the January 6th riot of 2021. After releasing an initial statement honoring Charlie Kirk and then ordering flags to be flown at half staff to honor Kirk, President Trump issued a statement to the country yesterday evening. I know this is a little long, but given how I feel personally and our show feels as well as the daily signal about Charlie Kirk, we will play the president's full statement. To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous. assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions in tonight.

Starting point is 00:07:09 All who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America. He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people. He's a martyr for truth and freedom, and there's never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven. Our prayers are with his wife, Erica, the two young, beloved children, and his entire family who he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache and pain.

Starting point is 00:08:03 This is a dark moment for America. Charlie Kirk traveled the nation, joyfully engaging with everyone interested in good faith debate. His mission was to bring young people into the political process, which he did better than anybody ever, to share his love of country and to spread the simple words of, common sense. On campuses nationwide, he championed his ideas with courage, logic, humor, and grace. It's a long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible. For years, those on the radical left,

Starting point is 00:08:57 have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now. 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 brings order to our country. From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, which killed a husband and father,

Starting point is 00:09:44 to the attacks on ice agents, to the vicious murder of a health care executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leaders, Steve Scalise, and three others, radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives. Tonight, I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died, the values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God. Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country. An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed because together we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come. Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie's voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it's not even close.

Starting point is 00:10:49 May God bless his memory. May God watch over his family. and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you. There is far more to dig into regarding the horrific situation yesterday, as well as, of course, our reflections on September 11th and the 9-11 terrorist attacks that continue to shape our country. We don't have enough time to do that here. We'll have to cover those and other pieces of breaking news on the Tony Kinnett cast, which you can find a link for down in the description.

Starting point is 00:11:24 Thank you very much for tuning in. I'm Tony Kinnett, and this has been The Daily Signals Top News in 10. Take care.

The Daily Signal - Charlie Kirk Assassinated in Utah, Responses from Officials & President Trump | Sept. 11, 2025

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