Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Gavin Newsom & More React to Charlie Kirk Shooting

Washington D.C. is left rattled following the shooting of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk … with several leaders speaking out in the aftermath of the violence.

As we reported … the Turning Point USA founder was shot in the neck while addressing students at Utah Valley University on Wednesday … and it didn’t take long for politicians from both sides to condemn the attack.

Senator Mike Lee from Utah was one of the first to speak out, assuring his constituents that he was “tracking the situation” and calling for prayers for the conservative commentator.

Within moments, Vice President J.D. Vance and President Donald Trump issued their own statements. While VEEP praised Kirk as a “genuinely good guy,” POTUS expressed a similar sentiment … calling CK a “great guy from top to bottom.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who previously had Kirk on his “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast in March 2025, issued a more heated response … blasting the shooting as “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”

He added … “In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

Gabby Giffords — the former Congresswoman from Arizona who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 — shared she was “horrified” to hear the news about Kirk.

She continued … “Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.”

Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel promised the “full support” of the FBI would be issued to agents on the scene.