Former President Barack Obama described the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk as “horrific” and a “tragedy,” emphasizing that Americans must be able to disagree without resorting to violence. Speaking at the Jefferson Educational Society in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Obama also acknowledged the shootings of Democratic Minnesota state legislators Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman as similarly tragic.
“Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy,” Obama said, News.Az reports, citing ABC News.
“The central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree and have contentious debates without resorting to violence. When violence happens—even if you think the victims are on the other side of the argument—that’s a threat to all of us.”
Obama noted that while he did not personally know Kirk, he recognized that disagreeing with someone’s ideas does not justify violence. He praised Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox for his measured response to the tragedy, saying Cox demonstrated that political opponents can engage respectfully while disagreeing.
The former president also criticized what he described as the Trump administration’s tendency to target political enemies, calling it part of a broader problem of extremist rhetoric. “When we have the weight of the United States government behind extremist views, we’ve got a problem,” he said.
Obama stressed that the presidency should focus on unity rather than division. “Part of the role of the presidency is to constantly remind us of the ties that bind us together,” he said. “Moments like this highlight the importance of pulling people together, which is not a Democratic or Republican value—it is an American value.”
