President Donald Trump dedicated a portion of his opening remarks during a U.K. press briefing to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university campus in Utah on Sept. 10.
“Just last week, a great American, Charlie Kirk, was heinously assassinated for speaking his mind. He was a great young man. Incredible future,” said Trump as stood beside British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Trump went on to say that Kirk, who he is awarding a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, could have been a future President of the United States.
“Some people said he might be President someday. I told him, I said, ‘Charlie, I think you have a good shot someday at being President,’” Trump noted, adding that he had “never seen anybody relate to youth like Charlie… they related to him, and they’re devastated.”
The President confirmed he would be attending a memorial service to “celebrate” Kirk on Sunday.
“I hope that together, our nations can lead a movement to defend the glorious traditions of freedom on both sides of the Atlantic,” added Trump.
Starmer also made remarks about the fatal shooting of Kirk, saying: “We all need to be absolutely clear about that whatever our political views, it is shocking and is to be condemned.” Starmer said he had reached out to Trump upon hearing the news, as he was aware of the President’s friendship with the influential conservative activist.
Read More: The Killing of Charlie Kirk and the Political Violence Haunting America
Later in the press conference, which was held directly after Trump and Starmer signed a billion-dollar U.K.-U.S. Tech Prosperity Deal, the President was asked about “free speech” and how Vice President J.D. Vance has said it is under attack in the U.K. The reporter went on to highlight the “dismissal” of American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended “indefinitely” on Wednesday over on-air remarks he…
