Donald Trump has defended the way the FBI has handled the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s murder, insisting the bureau was “making big progress” in finding the gunman.
After more than 24 hours with the killer at large and an initial botched attempt at finding a suspect, Trump also claimed he has an “indication” of the shooter’s motivation, but added: “I will tell you about that later.”
“He’s an animal, a total animal,” Trump said as he left the White House on Thursday for a New York Yankees game to commemorate September 11.
Asked what his message was to conservatives who feel targeted by “radical groups,” Trump replied: “We have to be brave in life… We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them.”
The comments were made as the nation continues to reel from the brutal attack on Kirk, the outspoken and controversial right-wing activist who helped mobilize young people, particularly men, to vote for Trump at last year’s election.
A single bullet to his neck killed the 31-year-old on Wednesday, fired from a gunman who remained at large on Thursday evening, even after the FBI released photos of a person of interest.
Authorities on Thursday recovered the weapon used in the attack–a high-powered, bolt-action rifle that the gunman left in a wooded area.
But the handling of the investigation has put the heat on FBI director Kash Patel, who has cut resources across the bureau and prematurely announced on social media on Wednesday that a suspect had been apprehended.
Within hours, however, local Utah officials contradicted that statement, saying no suspect had been confirmed in custody.
Patel later clarified that two individuals had, in fact, been questioned over the case but were then released.
The FBI director and his deputy, Dan Bongino, were on their way to Utah on Thursday evening as the search intensified.
Asked if he was concerned that 24 hours had already passed without finding the shooter, Trump replied: “Well, I hear they’re making big progress and we’ll have to see what happens.”
He also said he spoke at length to Kirk’s wife Erika, and she was “absolutely devastated, as you can imagine.”
Kirk, the founder of youth organization Turning Point USA, was one of the best-known figures in the MAGA movement, and a regular fixture on college campuses, where he would debate issues such as transgender rights, gun control and abortion.
But his brutal death while sitting on a stage in front of thousands of students at Utah Valley University shocked the nation and reignited concerns about political violence in America.
While it is not known why Kirk was targeted, Trump was quick to blame the “radical left” for its rhetoric against the right -something that has been an issue across both sides of the aisle for years.
As tensions escalated on Thursday, Democrats and Republicans began cancelling events amid concerns over security and potential copycats.
Such was the regard for Kirk within the White House that Vice President JD Vance dropped plans to attend the 9/11 memorial in New York on Thursday so he could instead fly to Utah to be with Kirk’s family and fly his remains home to Arizona on Air Force 2.
Trump also paid tribute to Kirk during a speech at the Pentagon, announcing that the father of two would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
“Charlie Kirk was a great person, a great man, great in every way, especially with youth,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“And what this man did was disgraceful,” he said of Kirk’s killer. “So hopefully we’ll have him - and we will deal with him very appropriately.”
