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All of the living former U.S. presidents have joined calls for an end to political violence after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Former Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton each released statements on social media after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Authorities said in an update Thursday that they are still searching for the person who killed Kirk with a high-powered rifle from a campus building, then escaped into a nearby neighborhood. The FBI said the shooter’s rifle has been recovered.
Kirk’s death has sparked a wave of condolences and calls for a cooling of political tension in the country.
Here’s how the former presidents responded:
President Biden (D): “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
President Obama (D): “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
President Bush (R): “Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. May God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility.”
President Clinton (D): “I’m saddened and angered by Charlie Kirk’s murder. And I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully. Hillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers.”
President Trump and Vice President Vance both knew Kirk personally from his work with Turning Point USA, the influential conservative youth activist group that he cofounded in 2012.
Vance on Wednesday shared an emotional post on social platform X about their friendship.
“Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” wrote Vance, who is traveling to Utah on Thursday to see Kirk’s family.
Trump released a video address Wednesday night in which he vowed to “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence.”
