President Donald Trump on Friday recalled the chilling moment he learned of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, and the disbelief that immediately ensued.
Trump shared his account for the first time since Kirk’s death during a live studio appearance on Fox & Friends. He was speaking with architects about plans for a White House ballroom on Wednesday when someone entered the room to pass along the news.
“And so I was with the architects…and they came in, they said, ‘Charlie Kirk is dead.’ I didn’t know what they meant. I said ‘What do you mean dead?’ ‘Charlie Kirk was shot,’ Trump recounted.
“They thought he was dead because it was so horrific… and it was like… I just told these people ‘Get out. Just go. This is the worst thing.’ This was so bad for our country,” he added.
Trump also announced that a suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, had been taken into custody and that someone close to him had turned him in. CNN reports that Robinson’s father turned his son in to the authorities after he confessed to assassinating Kirk to him.
Ammunition recovered from the scene bore inscriptions of Antifa-based messages like “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao,” which are lyrics to an Italian song, Bella Ciao. The song has roots in Italian communists, or partisans, in World War II and has become an anthem for radical leftists worldwide.
Trump further told the hosts that he will be attending Kirk’s funeral when Ainsley Earhardt brought up next week’s state visit to the United Kingdom, where he will meet with King Charles.
“I also go to a funeral for a great gentleman named Charlie Kirk, who should not be having a funeral right now,” Trump said. “He should be out there in front of people. He loved doing it. He was so good at it.”
“I mean, he had a big impact on the election,” he added. “I got so many young voters, and no Republican’s ever gotten anything close. I dominated with young people, and it’s never happened before. And I give him so much credit.”
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