Steve Sailer writes today on Substack before the paywall:
I don’t yet know who murdered Charlie Kirk, or why.
But one thing that makes this case so shocking is that in recent decades, American opinion journalists, especially pundits who comment on national affairs like Charlie, have seldom been assassinated.
As an opinion journalist, it’s my opinion that that was a good thing.
The primary target of assassination in the U.S. has been political leaders. (Perhaps the dramatic assassination of Abraham Lincoln set the template for the culture.)
This is not to say that journalists don’t get killed. Wikipedia has two relevant lists, List of Assassinations and List of Journalists Killed in the United States.
The latter includes journalists killed while practicing their trade, but not all by targeted assassinations, such as being hit by a cannonball during the Civil War or having the World Trade Center fall on them. The former list defines assassinations broadly to include mob hits, beefing rappers, crazed fans, and so forth. Comparing the two lists gives a reasonable history of assassinations of journalists.
Yesterday Sailer was a bit more personal:
The fine young broadcaster was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley U.
Charlie Kirk, the talented, likable broadcaster who was a worthy successor to Rush Limbaugh, was shot dead by an unknown assassin while answering questions from the crowd at Utah Valley U.
The White House issued A PROCLAMATION
As a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, September 14, 2025. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
Glenn Beck, fellow broadcaster and personal friend, wrote:
The President has confirmed what I can scarcely bring myself to say: my dear friend, Charlie Kirk, is gone. In all my years, I have spoken tens of millions of words—but tonight, I have none.
[Thursday], many of his friends and his Blaze family will join me on national radio and podcast as we try to honor him. I pray that God grants me the words worthy of such a man, though I know none of us could ever truly capture the depth of his faith, his courage, and his love for this country.
Pray, please, for his family. And pray for our republic, which has lost one of its most faithful defenders.
I can only imagine the joy that must now fill his heart as he hears those words we all long to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Rest well, Charlie. Until we meet again.
U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) released his immediate reaction to the tragic news that his friend, Charlie Kirk, the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was shot during a busy outdoor event at Utah Valley University. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dp6gx27pg6sut3c6pt877/2025-09-10-MULLIN_KIRK-RESPONSE.mp4?rlkey=tvgcq19t009algudklpnq5ivf&e=1&st=ua5cjjfc&dl=0 Senator Mullin’s says in part:
[Charlie Kirk] went to campuses and he had an open dialogue with college students, our future leaders of our nation. And [people] may not always agree with his answers, but he was very blunt and very precise and very respectful in the way he treated everybody.
He carried Christian beliefs with pride and [he would] go to our universities and campuses where most politicians don’t even dare to go. [Kirk’s assassination] makes me sick.
And as a nation, we need to be praying for the healing of this country and we need to be praying for Charlie Kirk right now. Regardless of your beliefs as a Republican or Democrat, in a time of desperation, we need to pray because what’s going on here is disturbing and it should never take place.
Dr. Ben Carson wrote:
Charlie was a devoted follower of Christ, a dedicated father and husband, and a tireless patriot who gave everything he had to preserve the principles that make America great. He possessed a sharp ability to engage in respectful dialogue discussing our nation’s pressing topics civilly and openly with everyone, including those with whom he disagreed. His unwavering commitment to faith, family, and freedom inspired millions, and his absence will be deeply felt across this nation.
ACI was fortunate to partner with Charlie and Turning Point USA on the Executive Branch for America program. Over the last few years I traveled to college campuses with TPUSA and spoke with thousands of students, encouraging the next generation of leaders. That partnership was a reflection of Charlie’s passion: to equip young Americans with truth, courage, and conviction.
Today, we grieve alongside Erika, their children, and the entire Turning Point family. We wrap them in our prayers and cling to the promise of Scripture, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master.” – Matthew 25:23
Charlie’s legacy will endure through the lives he touched and the movement he built. May we honor him by carrying forward the mission he so faithfully championed. May he rest in peace in the arms of our Savior.
As for your Tulsa Today scribe, Charlie Kirk was a younger hero I greatly admired. He demonstrated daily to any with the eyes to see and the ears to hear, knowledge, grace, and courage in public debate.
Kirk inspired millions to adopt conservative faith based constitutional common sense.
I pray those millions rise to continue Charlie Kirk’s mission for God and Country and that God’s love will wrap his family in grace and the knowledge that he waits for them in the life to come.