Since the shooting death of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk in an open act of violence, President Donald Trump has taken on the role of spokesperson in an extraordinary way. Trump was the first to confirm the news to a shocked nation that Kirk was dead and the first to announce that the prime suspect had been arrested. He shared information about Kirk’s funeral and said he would attend. Before a suspect was arrested, Trump blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s murder without evidence, a charge that many of his supporters echoed, calling for revenge amid a wave of right-wing anger. Kirk, a popular but divisive figure, author and podcast host, left behind a wife, well-known friends and thousands of followers after he was gunned down on a Utah university campus on Wednesday while giving a speech. However, it is Trump who has taken the lead role in conveying messages following the macabre death of his political ally, providing information that usually comes from law enforcement authorities or local officials, rather than the country's president.
His actions contrast with the more cautious approach of previous presidents, but they are consistent with his direct communication style, defying convention and putting himself at the center of domestic and international affairs. “One thing about Donald Trump is that he is very detail-oriented,” said Mercedes Schlapp, a senior adviser in his first term. “Whether it’s when he’s building the Rose Garden Club or when we have a terrible tragedy like this, he wants to be the first to break the news.”
Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff, announced that he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and had the vice president escort Kirk's casket back to his home state on Air Force Two — highly unusual ways for the U.S. government to honor a political activist who has never held public office or served in the military. Trump had a personal and political relationship with Kirk, the co-founder and president of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, whom he credited with helping him reach out to young voters.
“Charlie had a spell over young people,” Trump said Friday on Fox and Friends, recalling how his teenage son Barron was captivated by the charismatic 31-year-old.
Kirk was also a deeply partisan figure, with his confrontational style and anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant rhetoric often leading him into clashes online and in public. His far-right stances on abortion, civil rights, and gun control drew strong reactions from the groups he targeted with his comments.
