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Source: Utah News
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s campaign to turn down the nation’s political temperature has long stood out as a rarity in a Republican Party led by President Donald Trump.
But Cox’s commanding role as the nation grapples with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk gives his calls to end the cycle of violent division a new prominence.
It also laid bare a sharp divide within the GOP over the way forward, even as prominent Democrats and some Republicans praised Cox’s performance before a national audience Friday.
Cox said Americans faced a decision: “Is this the end of a dark chapter of our history, or the beginning?”
Among those who count Cox as a close friend is Wes Moore, Maryland’s Democratic governor. Moore said he thought Cox had shown “the importance of being authentic.”
“Spencer Cox is Spencer Cox,” Moore told CNN on Friday. “And he doesn’t change depending on who the audience is, and he doesn’t change depending on who he’s standing in front of. And that’s one of the things I love about him most.”
“He’s just a deeply good human being,” he added, “and I’m thankful that in this moment of real tension in our country, that Spencer is helping to lead us through.”
Cox implored the country to dedicate themselves to end a cycle of violent division, echoing his longstanding calls for civility in the nation’s political discourse and urging people to “disagree better.”
“I desperately call on every American – Republican, Democrat, liberal, progressive, conservative, MAGA, all of us – to please, please, please follow what Charlie taught me,” Cox said Friday, sharing a lesson he recounted from Kirk: “Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.”
While the governor has built a strong conservative record, he has faced at times sharp criticism from Trump-aligned Republicans. The disconnect raises the question of whether there is truly an audience inside the GOP for the type of message Cox has sought to deliver.
In 2022, as Cox was about to veto a ban on transgender youth athletes playing in girls’ sports, Kirk tweeted: “Utah Governor Spencer Cox should be expelled from the Republican party.” Cox wrote in his message to legislative leaders that he had tried “to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion.” Still, the legislature overrode his veto.
Steve Bannon, the Kirk and Trump ally, alluded to that veto on his “War Room” podcast Friday and called Cox “a governor who’s also known, I think, to be particularly obnoxious.”
“We don’t need a governor to step up and give us basically a political pep talk and a rally and ‘let’s just all come together,’” Bannon said.
Underscoring the divisions among conservatives, Utah Sen. John Curtis, a Republican, sounded similar notes to his state’s governor Friday on CNN.
“Somehow, as a society, we need to figure out how to turn down the dial,” Curtis said. “Every one of us, every morning, should wake up, look in the mirror, and see what we are doing in our own personal relationships.”
Cox on Friday did not directly address Trump’s earlier suggestion of blaming the “radical left” for Kirk’s murder. Yet his words stood in stark contrast to the president’s.
Despite leading one of the nation’s reddest states, Cox has not followed most of the party in aligning himself closely with Trump.
Cox supported Marco Rubio in 2016 before switching his endorsement to Ted Cruz in the final stretch of the Republican presidential primary. At the time, he said he could not support Trump, saying: “He does not represent neither goodness nor kindness.”
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cox frequently spoke out against Trump’s behavior and rhetoric. He built a political brand that extended beyond party labels.
In the final stretch of his 2020 campaign for governor, Cox cut an ad with his Democratic opponent in which the two vowed to respect the outcome of the presidential election, and said they wanted Utah to serve as an example for the nation.
“Although we sit on different sides of the aisle, we are both committed to American civility and a peaceful transition of power,” Cox said in the ad.
He didn’t endorse Trump last year until after the assassination attempt on the then-former president’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Because of that miracle,” Cox said, “you have the opportunity to do something that no other person on earth can do right now: unify and save our country.”
Cox has spent years urging Americans to embrace a more civil approach to politics and disagreement.
As chairman of the National Governors Association, he launched the “Disagree Better” initiative aimed at encouraging civility. He’s filmed videos with Democratic governors to encourage Americans to disagree with each other without vitriol. One alongside Colorado Gov. Jared Polis featured Cox saying the two were “here to help save your family dinners.” Another, with Moore, featured the two discussing their love for basketball and joking about their own baldness.
“Politics is important, but it shouldn’t define us or destroy our relationships,” Cox says in the video.
Cox and Moore were together last week for a National Press Club lunch, where they discussed the inevitability of crises that governors face. Moore’s came last March, when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. Cox’s came days after that conversation.
Moore said he reached out to Cox as soon as he heard about Kirk’s assassination, and the two have spoken every day since.
“I prayed for him,” Moore said. “And then I just told him, I said, ‘Listen, the only thing I ask is, just make sure you’re taking care of yourself, because your people are going to need you right now.’”
Cox on Friday also renewed his call for all Americans, particularly the nation’s youth, to disengage from social media and forge a connection with whom they agree and disagree.
“You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option,” Cox said. “Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now, not by pretending differences don’t matter but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.”
Cox described social media as “a cancer,” and urged those watching to “log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.”
That comment won the Utah governor plaudits from one of the Senate’s more liberal and online Democratic voices. Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz posted on X: “I know this guy is a Republican and all but I swear you could win all the electoral votes with this message in 28.”
Curtis, the Republican senator, said Cox’s urging of Americans to sign off social media was “one of the wisest things I think he said today.”
Cox also drew praise from conservative media outlets for his highlighting of Utah’s reaction to Kirk’s death. “There was no rioting. There was no looting. There were no cars set on fire. There was no violence. There were vigils and prayers and people coming together to share the humanity,” he said.
Moore, often mentioned as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender himself, said if Cox — who won a hard-fought 2020 gubernatorial primary — wants to run for the White House, he shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Anyone who thinks that his message could not resonate in the Republican Party, I think you’re underestimating the hunger the country has for unified leadership — for a person who brings us together rather than tearing us apart,” Moore said. “And I think you’re also underestimating Spencer Cox.”
Source: Utah News
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LOGAN, Utah – Hundreds of Utah State University students still reeling from the assassination of Charlie Kirk came together at a tearful vigil hosted by the campus’ Turning Point USA chapter on Friday night.
“We just want to have our community come together in this really dark time,” Kaitlyn Griffiths, president of the school’s chapter, told Fox News Digital at the emotional and faithful tribute to the late conservative activist. “Especially something that happened so close to home for us. And we want to be able to gather and celebrate this man’s life.”
The somber vigil comes two days after Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of the conservative student program Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University, the first stop on TPUSA’s The American Comeback Tour.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT
Hundreds of Utah State University students gather for an emotional tribute following the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
A heavy police presence was seen throughout the university as hundreds of mourners filled the campus to pay tribute to Kirk, with the vigil including prayers from the student body and a moving film featuring key moments in his career.
“I’m a Christian,” Griffiths said. “I believe that Jesus Christ died for us, and Charlie Kirk believed in the same things. The thing that he always said he wanted to be remembered [for] was his courage and his faith, so we’re trying to focus our event tonight on celebrating his faith, and the man that he was, and how strongly and harshly he worked for the things that he cared for.”
USU student Travis Ferraro echoed the same sentiments surrounding his Christian faith while attending the candlelight vigil, hosted on the campus’ quad.
CHARLIE KIRK ANSWERED ‘HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED’ LESS THAN 3 MONTHS BEFORE KILLING
Students gather for an emotional tribute to Charlie Kirk at Utah State University in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“I felt called by God to pray over everybody, and pray for their families and for everyone surrounding him,” Ferraro told Fox News Digital. “And also just to give a devotional, just about how to treat each other with kindness.”
On Friday, authorities announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with Kirk’s murder. Robinson was taken into custody after a family member notified a friend that he admitted to the killing, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a news conference.
However, Kirk remained at the forefront of mourners’ minds as students came together to celebrate his life and legacy while the sun set on USU’s campus.
VIGILS HELD ACROSS US AFTER ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK: ‘WE MUST HEAL’
Libby Rasmussen, a student at Utah State University, attends a candlelight vigil for Charlie Kirk on the school’s campus in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“I am here because Charlie Kirk made a really big impact on my life,” Libby Rasmussen said. “I started watching him probably about 3 or 4 years ago when I was a senior in high school, and he’s just really shaped who I am, what I believe in [and] my values. I don’t think there’s anyone else on this earth like him.”
Rasmussen went on to describe how Kirk impacted both her political and religious views.
“Just him going around and preaching that the Bible is the way, and that you just have to believe in God and be faithful,” Rasmussen told Fox News Digital. “His faith was [unwavering], and that is what I really just want to carry along throughout the rest of my life as well.”
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Hundreds of Utah State University students gather for an emotional tribute following the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025. Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and two young children.
“I definitely believe in God,” Manny Chapa said. “I believe in Christ, and [Kirk] just stands behind that. And one of the last things he was able to preach, before his passing, was God. He was able to preach God while he was up on that stage. And it’s just beautiful to see a man like that.”
Fox News Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
Source: Utah News
The chairman of the board of supervisors in Johnson County, Iowa, said the county will defy an order from state Gov. Kim Reynolds to fly flags at half-staff in memory of Kirk.
The chairman, Jon Green, said in a post on Facebook last night that Kirk did not encourage inclusivity.
“I condemn Kirk’s killing, regardless of who pulled the trigger or why,” Green stated. “But I will not grant Johnson County honors to a man who made it his life’s mission to denigrate so many of the constituents I have sworn an oath to protect, and who did so much to harm not only the marginalized, but also to degrade the fabric of our body politic.”
Green said he made the decision under his own authority.
“Any blowback belongs to me alone, and I accept that,” he said in an interview with NBC News today.
Green said he made the decision to fly county flags at half staff in mourning for Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman in June, after she was killed in a politically motivated assassination, criticizing the governor because she “said nothing” of the incident.
“I stand by that determination and I stand by the decision I made today,” he said, adding “the governor knows where to find me.”
In a statement Wednesday, Reynold’s office ordered flags to be flown at half-staff “as a mark of respect in memory of Charlie Kirk.” It’s not clear if the order, which extends from Wednesday through Sunday, applies to Johnson County and other counties.
In the statement, the governor’s office said the Capitol and Capitol Complex will fly flags at half-staff, as well as “all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state.” However, the statement also indicates county governments can decide on their own.
“Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties, and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect,” the governor’s office said.
Today, Reynolds suggested Green’s decision was not befitting the moment.
“It’s disgraceful that a locally-elected official has chosen to put politics above human decency during a time like this,” she said on X.
Reynolds’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
Johnson County is the home of the University of Iowa and has a population of approximately 153,360, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Utah News
By MICHELLE L. PRICE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made an impassioned plea on Friday for Americans and young people to use the horror of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s public assassination as an inflection point to turn the country away from political violence and division.
“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox said at a news conference in Utah as he announced authorities had a suspect in Kirk’s killing in custody. “It’s a choice.”
Throughout his political career, Cox, a two-term Republican governor, has issued pleas for bipartisan cooperation and at times drawn national attention for his empathetic remarks.
His speech on Friday was his most emotional and high-profile example yet, as he urged an appeal to common ground and humanity to forge a better society. It was a marked departure from the bellicose rhetoric often employed in recent years by U.S. politicians, especially President Donald Trump, who is known for provocative language and has blamed Kirk’s killing on “radical left” rhetoric.
On Wednesday, after Kirk’s killing, Cox made a similar plea.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pauses as he speaks at a news conference, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pauses as he speaks at a news conference, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
On Friday, acknowledging he was running on only 90 minutes of sleep after days of the manhunt for Kirk’s killer and heated rhetoric unfurling online, he went further.
His voice appearing to break at times, Cox said that the response to violence and hate can be more violence and hate. “And that’s the problem with political violence,” he said. “It metastasizes because we can always point the finger at the other side. And at some point we have to find an off-ramp or it’s going to get much much worse.”
“History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country. But every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us,” Cox said.
The 50-year-old governor, who has four children who are teenagers and young adults, directed some of his remarks to young people.
“You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option,” he said.
But, Cox said, there’s a different path: “Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now.”
He said the 22-year-old suspect in Kirk’s killing had become “more political” in the run-up to Wednesday’s shooting on a university campus.
Cox also spoke of the harms of social media and said it was terrible that Kirk’s slaying was “so gruesomely displayed” for everyone to watch online.
“We are not wired as human beings biologically, historically we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery,” Cox said. “This is not good for us. It is not good to consume. Social media is a cancer on our society right now.”
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
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Source: Utah News
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) on Friday sought to lower the temperature following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, issuing a heartfelt plea for calm and unity, a message that stood in sharp contrast to that of President Donald Trump.
“We need more moral clarity right now,” Cox said at a press conference. “I hear all the time that ‘words are violence.’ Words are not violence. Violence is violence. There is one person responsible for what happened here, and that person is in custody, will be charged soon, and will be held accountable.”
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“We can return violence with violence, we can return hate with hate,” he added. “That’s the problem with political violence. It metastasizes. We can always point the finger at the other side. At some point, we have to find an off-ramp, or else it’s going to get much worse.”
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Cox’s comments came as a breath of fresh air amid 31-year-old Kirk’s gruesome shooting earlier this week at a college campus in Utah. They also contrasted starkly with remarks made by the president of the United States, who shrugged off a question about “fixing the country” when asked earlier Friday about radicals on the right.
“I’ll tell you something that’s gonna get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News. “The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem.”
In this combination photo, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) speaks at the National Governors Association, July 11, 2024, in Salt Lake City, left, and President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall, Aug. 29, 2024, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. (AP Photo) via Associated Press
While Trump did condemn political violence in the wake of the shooting, he did not recognize or acknowledge the recent threats and violent attacks against Democrats, including two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses who were shot in their homes earlier this year, and the arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home, crimes Cox made note of.
On Thursday, before a suspect in the Utah shooting was apprehended and a motive had been established, Trump said, “we just have to beat the hell” out of “radical left lunatics.” Nevertheless, he went on to urge his supporters to follow a nonviolent path. “[Kirk] was an advocate of nonviolence,” Trump said. “That’s the way I’d like to see people respond.”
Politics: Reporter Reveals Nancy Mace’s Stunning Hypocrisy On Charlie Kirk’s Death With Just 1 Question
Cox, a moderate Republican, has previously urged Trump to spend more time trying to build common ground with his political opponents, to little effect. The president often launches wild attacks against Democrats on social media and shares conspiracy theories that have no basis in truth.
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In his remarks at Friday’s press conference, the governor urged the public to stay off social media, which he called a “cancer,” and lamented the fact that violent acts like Kirk’s gruesome shooting can be seen in video clips that have proliferated widely online.
“We are not wired as human beings, biologically, historically, we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing [that] violent imagery,” Cox said. “This is not good for us. It is not good to consume. Social media is a cancer. And I would urge people to log off, turn off, and touch grass.”
“History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country, but every single one of us gets to choose right now,” he added. “If this is a turning point for us, we get to make decisions. We have our agency.”
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) have confirmed that a manhunt for the person responsible for shooting right-wing political commentator Carlie Kirk is “ongoing”
Kirk, 31, was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10 when he was fatally shot in what the DPS have called a “targeted attack”
Two suspects were initially taken into custody but have subsequently been released and the investigation continues
A manhunt is ongoing after right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at age 31 during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10, authorities have confirmed.
Kirk was speaking at a student-sponsored event with his non-profit organization Turning Point USA at around 12:20 p.m. local time before shots were fired. He was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital before being pronounced dead hours later, per a Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) news release.
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“This shooting is still an active investigation. The Utah Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are co-leading this incident in unison with the Utah County Attorney’s office, the Utah County Sheriff’s office, and the local police departments,” the DPS said.
The release stated that one person had been taken into custody as a suspect, before later being released and charged with obstruction by UVU (Utah Valley University) police. A second suspect was also taken into custody and released after interrogation with law enforcement, DPS said.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Charlie Kirk at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
“There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals. There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter,” the release noted.
Kirk had been manning his signature “Prove Me Wrong” table as part of his American Comeback Tour at the Orem, Utah, campus when he was shot.
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DPS confirmed that its State Crime Lab, along with law enforcement, was working on multiple active crime scenes following the incident.
“These were identified based on where the victim was shot, as well as the locations where the suspect and victim travelled,” the release noted.
DPS added, “The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack. The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard. Any additional clarifications cannot be provided to protect the integrity of our investigation.”
“This is a tragic moment for Utah and our country,” the release said.
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty
A photo of the scene after shots were fired at Charlie Kirk
As previously reported by PEOPLE, the person of interest whom authorities believe killed Kirk was described in law enforcement dispatch audio as wearing all-black clothing and tactical gear.
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The audio, which was reviewed by PEOPLE, described a person in all-black — carrying a black long gun, wearing a black tactical helmet and mask, and possibly a tactical vest and jeans.
Other transmissions mentioned aviator-style glasses, a black bag, black long pants and longer hair.
A university spokesperson said the fatal round was fired from the school’s Losee Center, roughly 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking, about twenty minutes after Kirk’s event began. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the incident as a “political assassination” at a press conference on Wednesday.
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty
The event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025
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The school has since confirmed that all classes — whether in-person or virtual — campus events, and administrative operations would be suspended during this time, per a university update on its emergency information page.
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“On behalf of Utah Valley University, we are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk, a guest to our campus,” a message added. “Our hearts go out to his family. As we grieve with our students, faculty, and staff who bore witness to this unspeakable tragedy, UVU campuses will be closed from September 11-14.”
“This unspeakable attack is disturbing and frightening. University of Utah leaders are closely monitoring the situation,” UVU added in a separate post on Facebook.
Kirk is survived by his wife, former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve, and their two children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
The Utah DPS didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
Read the original article on People
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
By ED WHITE
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in a state that has permissive gun laws and allows firearms to be concealed or openly carried without a permit in most instances, experts said.
Investigators said a high-powered, bolt-action rifle that might have been used in the attack was found hidden in a towel in a wooded area near Utah Valley University.
Clark Aposhian, a firearms instructor and chair of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, said there is nothing in Utah’s permissive gun policies that would somehow make it easier for an assassin to kill Kirk, who was speaking outdoors to students.
“No law allows a person to bring a rifle on a campus, climb on a roof and shoot somebody. It was wrong from the get-go,” Aposhian said Thursday.
Attorney Mitch Vilos, who specializes in Utah gun law, agreed.
“This was obviously well planned,” he said.
Utah is considered a conservative state, culturally and politically. It allows adults to carry guns openly or conceal them without a permit, though there are restrictions for people ages 18 to 20. The state does offer concealed-carry permits, which some people prefer because they are honored in other states that require them, Vilos said.
“The reason we can open carry in Utah is because there’s no law that prohibits it,” Aposhian said.
There are some exceptions at public colleges. Aposhian said a permit is required to carry a firearm, either in the open or concealed.
At the University of Utah, “police will confirm that those carrying openly on campus have a concealed weapon permit,” the school in Salt Lake City says on its website.
Utah Valley in Orem, where Kirk was killed, says it follows state law and allows gun owners to carry a concealed firearm if they have a permit.
Kirk was answering a question about gun violence when a single shot was heard Wednesday.
“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” someone said.
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” replied Kirk, who was a firm supporter of gun rights.
Vilos, who was written a book about Utah gun policy, said the state believes in “protective gun laws.”
“The idea is to protect the innocent,” he said, “as long as you’re not doing things that would cause someone to believe that they’re being threatened by the presence of your firearm.”
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Source: Utah News
