Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on The Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that the last text she received from conservative activist Charlie Kirk urged action against state and local officials she said were failing to enforce immigration laws, and she regrets that she did not reply.
Noem said the message, sent the day before Kirk was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, read in part, “We have to hold these mayors and local officials accountable for what they’re doing.” She told columnist Miranda Devine she did not see the text until after Kirk’s death because she was traveling in a different time zone and would have responded, saying, “Absolutely, I’m on it.” Authorities say Kirk, 31, was struck by a single fatal shot to the neck from an estimated distance of about 200 yards while taking questions from students.
Utah County prosecutors last week charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with seven counts, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Investigators have said Robinson fired the shot that killed the Turning Point USA founder during the first event of Kirk’s fall “American Comeback” tour.
Noem, 53, described Kirk as someone who sought engagement with people who disagreed with him and said his willingness to enter those venues made public debate better. “I think what’s happened in this country is people quit talking to each other and then nobody listens anymore,” she said on the podcast. “That’s why I was so impressed with Charlie. He went into places that disagreed with him, had no problem having conversations with people that didn’t think like he did.”
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller has also commented on the exchanges he had with Kirk before the shooting, telling reporters last week that Kirk urged action against what he described as “radical left organizations” fomenting violence. Miller said, “We are going to do that,” a characterization presented by Miller of his conversation with Kirk.
Noem said she still feels a weight of grief over Kirk’s death and that she will “always feel bad” she missed the final message. She recounted that she and Kirk were introduced by the late GOP donor Foster Friess, and that she had been friendly with Kirk for years.
The killing prompted swift law enforcement action and public attention on security at campus events. Authorities in Utah have said the investigation is ongoing as prosecutors prepare to pursue the charges filed against Robinson.
Noem’s comments add to a string of public remembrances and political responses since the shooting, as officials and organizations grapple with both the circumstances of the attack and broader debates over political rhetoric and public safety. Court proceedings and further investigative steps in the Utah County prosecutor’s case are pending.