Trump, US right dub Charlie Kirk a ‘martyr’ after murder

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump led prominent voices in the MAGA movement Wednesday to describe right-wing activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr” for conservative values after he was shot dead at a Utah university.

Kirk “fought for liberty, democracy, justice and the American people. He’s a martyr for truth and freedom,” the 79-year-old Republican said in a video posted to his Truth Social platform.

With millions of online followers and a knack for viral videos, Kirk founded Turning Point USA, which became the largest group representing young conservatives.

“The movement that Charlie Kirk started will never end,” Jack Posobiec, a politically aligned influencer, said in a conversation with Steve Bannon, who also hails from the political right.

“We have to have steely resolve. Charlie Kirk is a casualty of war,” Bannon, who served in Trump’s White House during his first term, added on right-wing TV channel Real America’s Voice.

Other figures emphasized that Kirk’s passing at age 31 would inspire action.

“A match has been lit in America and I think that the American right, especially young people, are not going to take this,” Matt Boyle, of conservative news outlet Breitbart News, said in the exchange with Bannon.

Benny Johnson, a podcaster popular with Trump supporters, wrote on X: “Charlie Kirk is an American martyr.”

“His martyrdom must be a turning point for our country,” Kevin Roberts, president of the powerful Heritage Foundation think tank, said in a separate statement, in an apparent reference to the Turning Point group Kirk founded.

The Heritage Foundation has swayed Trump’s policy decisions and has held influence in conservative politics for years.

One suspect was briefly detained and released Wednesday, as the manhunt for Kirk’s killer continued hours after his death in Utah.

Yet, Trump and his supporters were quick to blame the political left for Kirk’s death.

“The Left is the party of murder,” billionaire Elon Musk, a former advisor to Trump, wrote on X shortly after Kirk was shot.

Trump said in his Wednesday address “radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”

American actor James Woods, a vocal Trump backer, said on X: “It’s not gun violence. It’s Democrat violence.”

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Greg Gutfeld, a conservative TV host and commentator, alluded to an impending political backlash.

“We are not the radical type but if you thought that you were going to shut a movement down, you’re going to get a rude awakening,” he said on Fox News.