The shooting death of Charlie Kirk has reignited an intense debate around political violence in America.

Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck at a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University and the president confirmed his death hours after.

Republicans and Democrats alike have denounced the act of political violence. President Donald Trump addressed the incident in a video where he blamed the "radical Left" for heated rhetoric that he said was "directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today."

"It's long past time for all Americas and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible," Trump said in the video.

But several others have been quick to compare Kirk's death to that of Minnesota House of Representatives speaker emerita Melissa Hortman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party earlier this summer. Hortman was shot and killed in her home in what officials called a political assassination.

Here is what the president said about the two incidents:

Donald Trump on Charlie Kirk's death: 'Great guy from top to bottom'

Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after the incident occurred. "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom," the post read. "GOD BLESS HIM!"

Trump confirmed Kirk's death in another post hours after the incident, saying "no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."

Trump's video from the Oval Office also honored Kirk, calling him a "patriot, who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country he loved so much, the United States of America."

The White House announced a presidential proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff until Sept. 14 in his honor. On Sept. 11, Trump said he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Kirk.

What did Trump say about Melissa Hortman?

On June 14, Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband and their golden retriever were shot and killed in their home. The suspect was indicted by a federal grand jury in July and is also accused of shooting and injuring another state lawmaker and his wife earlier the same day. Investigators say the attacks were researched and planned, and the suspect had a list of mostly Democratic lawmakers and their addresses.

"I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers," Trump said in a June 14 Truth Social post. "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!"

Days later, Trump said he wouldn't call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, suggesting it would "waste time."

Hortman was not mentioned in Trump's Sept. 10 address touching on several recent instances of political violence, including his own survived assassination attempt and the shooting Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana in 2017. He did not mention other attacks on Democrats including an arson attack at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house, a kidnapping plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and an assault on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in their home.

Who was Charlie Kirk?

Illinois native Charles James Kirk, 31, cofounded the nonprofit Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18. The organization's stated goal is to "build the most organized, active, and powerful conservative grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses across the country."

TPUSA claims to be on over 3,500 campuses and has spawned other activist measures, including, among others, an online academy, Turning Point Faith, and Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group that heavily involved itself, without results, in the 2022 cycle in Arizona and other swing states.

At his campus stops like the one he was speaking at in Utah, Kirk debates students who challenge him at an open mic in a "Prove me Wrong Table" series.

Kirk was a highly divisive figure. He spoke out against the validity of the 2020 election, said he didn't think Black History Month deserved a whole month, and believed only married heterosexual couples should be able to adopt children. In 17 Politico fact-checks over Kirk's statements, 87% were found to be at least "Mostly False" with 17% coming in as "Pants on Fire."

Kirk was host of "The Charlie Kirk Show" on Salem Media's "The Answer" radio channel. In 2021, it was ranked as the 21st most popular podcast on Apple podcasts. Apple currently lists it as No. 9 for U.S. news podcasts, eight above NPR. Kirk is married to Erika Kirk, an entrepreneur, and the couple has two children. Their daughter was born in August 2022, and they had a son in 2024.

What was Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk's relationship?

Kirk has long been a Trump ally.

Turning Point USA had its own turning point in 2016 when it began enthusiastically promoting Trump's 2016 campaign and Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr.

The organization hosted several campaign events that Trump and Kirk appeared at in the lead up to the 2024 election. Kirk was also a speaker at the first night of the Republican National Convention.

"Under Biden, our young people own nothing and they are miserable," Kirk said in his speech. "Donald Trump refuses to accept this fake, pathetic, mutilated version of the American dream."

Trump also invited Kirk to speak at a viewing event at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, following the inauguration.

Kirk was one of the slate of Republicans who called for more transparency around the Jeffrey Epstein files in a rare moment of discord within the party. But the vast majority of his posts on X are supportive of Trump, including calling Trump's purported signature on the birthday letter to Epstein fake.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Bart Jansen, Josh Meyer, Joey Garrison, Christopher Cann, Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What did Trump say about the political killings of Melissa Hortman and Charlie Kirk?

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley and C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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