Lawmakers call for prayers, condemn Charlie Kirk shooting

GOP lawmakers offered their prayers after videos emerged of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk being shot while speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus.

Less than two hours later, President Trump announced Kirk, 31, had died of the gunshot wound.

“Please join us in praying for our good friend, Charlie Kirk,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote in a statement on social media at 3 p.m. EDT, shortly after news of the shooting broke.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee also held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk. “All of our prayers are with him and his family,” Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote on social media.

Other leaders also shared their prayers for the Turning Point USA founder.

“There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said in a statement on the social platform X.

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace (R) provided a prayer for Kirk on the social platform.

“Stop and pray with us right now for Charlie Kirk. May the Lord surround him with protection, bring healing, and cover his wife, Erika, and their two young children with peace,” Mace said.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18”

Democrats weighed in, condemning the unexpected act of violence.

“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wrote online. Newsom had Kirk as a guest on one of his first podcast episodes.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke out against the incident.

“I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family,” she wrote in a post on X. 

“Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”