Donald Trump has been slammed as “The Divider in Chief” on social media after comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Indy100.com reports that Conservative influencer Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University, Orem while attending an outdoor debate event.
Kirk is believed to have been shot dead by a gunman from a nearby rooftop.
The manhunt for the person or persons responsible is ongoing.
Kirk was close to President Trump and co-founded the organisation Turning Point USA – believed to have been integral for drumming up support for Trump amongst America’s youth.
Trump was seemingly devastated by the news of Kirk’s assassination and wrote on Truth Social, “The Great and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk is dead.”
Later during a speech from the White House, Trump explained, “To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah.
“Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America.”
He later added, “It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.
“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.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country.
“From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”
Critics on social media have suggested that Trump apportioning blame to the “radical left” is extremely divisive and have made a point of comparing his words with those of Former President Obama.
In his statement, Obama condemned political violence from any faction and made the point that the motivation of Charlie Kirk’s killer is not yet known.
We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 10, 2025
Barack wrote on X,“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
People were quick to call Obama’s statement a “presidential response” whilst many condemned Trump’s as divisive. One argued, “This is the time to bring the country together, not be divisive.”
This is the time to bring the country together, not be divisive. https://t.co/k8REfdhju9
— Jacob in Cambodia 🇺🇸 🇰🇭 (@jacobincambodia) September 11, 2025
Brian Krassenstein wrote, “Instead of bringing Americans together, Trump just delivered one of the most divisive and disgraceful speeches by any president in the aftermath of someone’s death. He dishonors Charlie Kirk’s name by turning his passing into a rallying cry to smear Democrats.”
Another simply called him, “The divider-in-chief.”
The Divider-In-Chief https://t.co/SnR7c8f7Mt
— stephen c (@stephenmcramer) September 11, 2025
