President Donald Trump said his administration has launched a “major investigation” into people he described as being “on the left” in connection with the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Trump gave no specifics about the probe but promised further announcements as he railed against political opponents following the fatal shooting last week in Utah.
“If you look at the problem, the problem is on the left. It’s not on the right,” Trump said. “When you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place—that’s the left. That’s not right.” Trump added, “We’ll be announcing. They’re already under major investigation.
A lot of the people that you would traditionally say are on the left [are] already under investigation.” Asked if his administration would revoke visas of foreigners who celebrated Kirk’s killing, Trump said they were “looking at names.” He continued, “We don’t like that. That’s not right. We wouldn’t celebrate if something happened on their side, and we don’t. These are sick people. These are really deranged people.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast the killer would “face the full wrath of the American justice system.” She said, “The president was clear: the perpetrator of this horrific act will pay for what they did. And any other left-wing whack jobs who engage in targeted political violence like the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The FBI said it would provide real-time updates while working with law enforcement partners to bring Kirk’s killer to justice. Kirk, 31, was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University. His death ignited fierce debate, with both liberals and conservatives blaming each other’s movements, according to the Daily Mail.
Authorities initially detained two people who were later released. On Friday, officials named 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect. Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed Robinson lived with his family in Washington County and was not a UVU student. Public records show Robinson is unaffiliated with any political party, though his parents are registered Republicans.
Cox said Robinson had become “more political in recent years” and had spoken negatively about Kirk before the shooting. Investigators also recovered rifle ammunition with handwritten taunts and references to anti-fascist slogans. Cox later said Robinson’s views were “very different” from his family’s and tied to “a leftist ideology.” He also noted Robinson lived with a transgender partner and spent time in “dark” corners of the internet.