President Donald Trump appeared to reject calls for national unity in the wake of the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, telling Fox & Friends on Friday, “I’ll tell you something that’s gonna get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less.”

Kirk was shot on Wednesday in Utah; conservatives have blamed Democrats and the media for incendiary rhetoric around the incident. On television, Trump said the country was split by “radicals on the left” who are “vicious” and “politically savvy,” and suggested conservatives’ concerns about crime and the border explain right-wing radicalism.

The president reiterated similar arguments on Wednesday in an Oval Office address, blaming rhetoric from the political left for fueling violence. “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” Trump said in the televised remarks. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.”

Asked on Fox & Friends how Americans could "come back together" to "fix this country" after the shooting, co-hosts noted that there are radicals on the right as well. Trump responded that some on the right are radical because they oppose crime and open borders, while accusing the left of promoting policies such as allowing transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Trump also used the Fox appearance to announce that authorities had captured a suspect in the Kirk shooting. The 22-year-old suspect was turned in by his father, the president said, after authorities had briefly detained two other people who were subsequently released.

Prominent conservative figures echoed the president’s emphasis on left-wing rhetoric. Fox News host Jesse Watters blamed politicians, the media and others for the shooting, while Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., described leftist ideology as “pure evil.” Their comments followed a wave of conservative commentary that attributed the attack to political animus from the left.

The shooting prompted immediate attention from both parties and from media outlets across the country, with some conservatives characterizing the attack as the culmination of a climate of hostility toward right-leaning figures. Trump’s statements, and those of other conservative commentators, drew criticism from those who said the remarks did little to lower tensions or to call for bipartisan de-escalation.

Law enforcement officials have not publicly released the suspect’s name or motive. Investigators arrested the 22-year-old after he was turned in by a family member, according to the president’s account. Two other people briefly detained in the investigation were released after questioning.

The episode intensified debate over political rhetoric and public safety as the 2026 midterm campaigns approach. Trump’s decision to frame the shooting as a product of left-wing rhetoric rather than using the moment to call for unity illustrates the deep partisan divisions that have characterized recent political discourse.

Neither the White House nor local authorities provided a fuller timeline of the investigation in the immediate aftermath of the capture announcement. Officials have said they will release additional details as the inquiry proceeds and as legal processes allow.