Charlie Kirk Death Pushed Me To The Brink Utah Governor Admits Msn

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 8:09 PM

charlie kirk death pushed me to the brink utah governor admits msn

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox makes remarks during a news conference announcing an arrest of a suspect in the Wednesday shooting death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. During a news conference Friday in which he announced a suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination had been taken into custody, Gov. Spencer Cox pleaded with Utahns and Americans to choose discourse over violence and to maintain hope. Police arrested a 22-year-old Washington County man, Tyler Robinson, in connection with the shooting on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.

In his closing remarks, Cox — known for his “Disagree Better” slogan — urged people to choose a route other than violence. Here is a lightly edited transcript of his comments: Those were among the first words Utah Gov. Spencer Cox uttered as he faced the cameras soon after the young conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down in his state while engaging in a conversation with college students. The Republican governor has long championed civility in public discourse and has been an outspoken critic of political polarization. He toured the nation to foster healthier disagreements and once appeared in a campaign ad alongside his Democratic opponent.

But this week, Cox, dressed in a dark Utah Department of Public Safety polo shirt, found himself describing the unthinkable, what he called the "political assassination" of Kirk. “We mourn as a nation. If anyone in the sound of my voice celebrated even a little bit at the news of this shooting, I would beg you to look in the mirror and to see if you can... “I don't care what his politics are. I care that he was an American.” Cox listed other recent incidents of political violence aimed at individuals across the political spectrum.

He pointed to killings in Minnesota, where a state Democratic lawmaker and her husband were killed, the arson attempt against Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro − and the attempts on the life of Republican President Donald Trump. Gov. Spencer Cox talks to media after conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Hours after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, a morose Utah Gov. Spencer Cox took the podium at a news conference alongside state and federal law enforcement officials. Cox — a Republican who has devoted a large part of his political career trying to encourage bipartisanship in an increasingly politically polarized world — did more than condemn Kirk’s killing, calling it a... “This is a dark day for our state,” the governor said. “It’s a tragic day for our nation.” Though Cox has tried to combat polarization in favor of civil discourse through his Disagree Better campaign, his home state made worldwide headlines for the very thing he’s tried to discourage.

Politico’s headline put it this way: “Utah is now the epicenter of the political divide its governor warned about.” Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. The following speech was given by Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox at a press conference on Friday morning, US time, after announcing a suspect had been taken into custody in the assassination of conservative... I don’t want to get too preachy. But I think it’s important that we, with eyes wide open, understand what’s happening in our country today. I’ve heard people say: well, why are we so invested in this?

There’s violence happening all across our country. Violence is tragic everywhere, and every life taken is a child of God who deserves our love and respect and dignity. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. In a solemn and emotional statement on Wednesday evening, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA founder and dad of two, Charlie Kirk, to be a "political assassination" that strikes at the very heart of American democracy.

"This is a dark day for our state. It's a tragic day for our nation," Cox said, denouncing the act as an affront to the Founders' vision that "all men are endowed... with certain inalienable rights. The first one of those is life." The Republican governor reminded Americans that Kirk was "first and foremost a husband and a dad to young children," and that his commitment to free speech was why he was on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and to persuade people…

• Charlie Kirk, a conservative US political activist and campaigner for President Donald Trump, has been fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University. • The shooter – who is still at large – is believed to have fired once from a nearby roof in a “targeted attack,” according to the Utah Department of Public Safety, which is... • A manhunt is underway. Two people who were considered suspects were later released, the department said. • There has been an outpouring of condemnation from both sides of the aisle. Trump described Kirk’s death as a “dark moment for America” and blamed rhetoric from the “radical left” for causing political violence.

• As Trump remade the Republican Party over the past decade, Kirk embodied the GOP’s newfound populist conservatism in the social media age. Trump has credited Kirk with galvanizing and mobilizing the youth vote for him.

Charlie Kirk Death Pushed Me To The Brink Utah Governor Admits Msn

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