President Donald Trump marked the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Thursday, telling Breitbart News that the killing remains “a sad cloud over the country.”
Trump made the remarks late Thursday night as he departed Dallas following the first-of-its-kind midterm Republican National Convention.
“What Charlie did was incredible with young Americans more than anybody else. I mean, I knew him so well, and he was always such a great supporter, and it’s so sad,” Trump said.
“I mean, you think about it — it’s just a sad cloud over the country what happened to Charlie. It’s not even believable.”
Trump also spoke about his family’s relationship with Kirk. “He was very close to me and my family, but he was great. I think he’s got — there’s great memories of Charlie. But more than anything else, what he was able to do with young people… young people loved him. They still do,” he said.
What Happened at Utah Valley University
Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Utah County while debating students as part of his Ask Me Anything tour.
Tyler Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder for allegedly shooting Kirk in the neck with a Mauser bolt-action rifle fired from a rooftop at the university. Investigators recovered bullet casings inscribed with messages, including one unspent round reading “O Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao” — the chorus of an Italian partisan song that has been adopted as an anthem in some Antifa circles.
Other casings at the scene bore the phrases “Hey fascist! Catch!”, “If you read this, you are gay. LMAO.” and “Notices bulges OwO, what’s this?”, the last reportedly a reference tied to “furry” fetish subculture.
Kirk’s death left his wife, Erika, a widow, and their two young children without a father. He also left behind tens of millions of Americans who followed his commentary and relied on his voice in national political debate.
Judge Tony Graf has ruled that prosecutors may pursue the death penalty against Robinson, who has pleaded not guilty.
