President Donald Trump made his first public appearance Thursday since announcing the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, arriving at the Pentagon with First Lady Melania Trump to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Trump appeared solemn as he held the first lady’s hand while walking into the ceremony, which drew national leaders and military officials to the Pentagon for the annual commemoration. The White House said Trump will depart for New York later Thursday to attend the Ground Zero observance and a scheduled baseball game in the evening.
The appearance followed an Oval Office video address in which Trump called Kirk "a patriot" and said he had been "a martyr for truth and freedom." Trump first announced Kirk’s death on his Truth Social platform after the Utah Valley University event where the Turning Point USA founder was shot Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say the shooter remained at large on Thursday.
Kirk, a founder of Turning Point USA who promoted conservative ideas on college campuses, was described in public tributes by the president and first lady as a devoted advocate for conservative causes. "Charlie’s children will be raised with stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father’s voice should have echoed," the first lady wrote on social media Wednesday night.
In his Oval Office remarks, Trump blamed what he called "the radical left," saying rhetoric from those quarters contributed to the attack. "For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today and it must stop right now," he said.
Vice President J.D. Vance changed plans on Thursday and flew to Salt Lake City to meet with Kirk’s family, the White House said. Vance had been expected to travel to New York to join the traditional Ground Zero ceremony but adjusted his itinerary in light of the shooting.
The White House said Trump had canceled a planned Rose Garden Club event and instead issued the Oval Office video before departing for the Pentagon observance. White House aides said he will continue with travel plans to New York on Thursday, where he is scheduled to attend the televised Ground Zero remembrance and a Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium in the evening.
Local and federal law enforcement officials in Utah continued to investigate the shooting on Thursday. Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or released a motive. The shooting drew heightened attention because of Kirk’s prominence among conservative activists and his ties to national political figures.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to organize conservative student activism on college campuses. He had been a regular commentator on conservative media outlets and a frequent presence at political events. Tributes from allies and officials emphasized his influence among young conservatives and called for measures to curb political violence.
The Pentagon ceremony proceeded with senior officials and military leaders in attendance. The observance on Thursday marked 24 years since al-Qaida’s coordinated attacks on New York City, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which reshaped U.S. national security policy and annual public commemorations.
This is a developing story and will be updated as authorities release additional information.