WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah had particular resonance for public figures who have experienced political violence themselves.
as chief executive and cofounder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, made frequent appearances on college campuses and in other settings, engaging in political dialogue with students in public settings.
Several leaders who have survived public attacks or had family members victimized joined in bipartisan condemnation of the attack on Kirk.
Nancy Pelosi
The former House speaker’s husband was seriously injured at their California home in 2022 by , who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.
, a Democrat, posted that 鈥渢he horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.鈥
Donald Trump
The president sustained a minor ear injury when he was last year. He was also the target of while playing golf in Florida. He had a close relationship with Kirk and announced his passing Wednesday on his Truth Social site.
Trump described Kirk on Truth Social as a 鈥済reat guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!鈥
He also posted, 鈥淣o one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Gabrielle Giffords
The , a Democrat, suffered a serious brain injury from a 2011 shooting while meeting with constituents at a shopping center in her Arizona congressional district. She survived and has taken up the cause of .
Giffords posted on social media that she was 鈥渉orrified鈥 to hear of Kirk鈥檚 shooting.
鈥淒emocratic societies will always have political disagreements,” she wrote, “but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.”
Steve Scalise
The , a Louisiana Republican, was for a charity baseball game involving members of Congress in the Virginia suburbs in 2017. The man who attacked Scalise had grievances against Trump and Republicans and was later fatally shot by police.
Scalise asked people on the social media platform X to 鈥減lease join me in praying for Charlie Kirk after this senseless act.鈥
Josh Shapiro
The Pennsylvania governor, a Democrat and potential national candidate, was evacuated with his family from the governor’s mansion earlier this year after a man that caused significant damage.
鈥淲e must speak with moral clarity,” Shapiro wrote on X. “The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.鈥
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor, a Democrat, was the subject of by right-wing extremists who hoped to ignite a civil war. Two men were imprisoned for their 2020 attempt to kidnap the governor during her first term.
鈥淲e should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence,” Whitmer wrote on social media.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The appeared to invoke his family鈥檚 losses as he reacted to Kirk鈥檚 killing. Kennedy鈥檚 father, for whom he was named, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy Sr. was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and an advocate for civil rights legislation as attorney general during his brother鈥檚 presidency and after John F. Kennedy鈥檚 assassination in 1963.
鈥淥nce again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era,鈥 Kennedy wrote on social media. He called Kirk a 鈥渞elentless and courageous crusader for free speech.鈥
