OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:09 PM – Wednesday, September 10, 2025
President Donald Trump has ordered American flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the “truly Great American Patriot” Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while holding an event on a college campus.
On Wednesday, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah.
After announcing Kirk’s death in a Truth Social post, President Trump issued a proclamation, ordering United States flags to be flown at half-staff across the United States.
“As a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, September 14, 2025,” the president wrote.
“I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations,” President Trump added.
After the shooting, numerous officials in Trump’s administration offered their condolences, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who stated, “Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era. My dear friend Charlie Kirk was our country’s relentless and courageous crusader for free speech. We pray for Erika and the children. Charlie is already in paradise with the angels. We ask his prayers for our country.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung poignantly stated that “America has suffered a great loss” in Kirk’s death.
“There will never be another Charlie Kirk. He is one of one. Charlie wasn’t just a force of nature in politics, he was a dear friend who would drop everything if you needed him. His legacy is a beacon of light into the world’s darkest hour,” Cheung wrote.
“Jeanette and I are devastated. Charlie Kirk’s commitment to America’s future generations and sense of patriotism will resonate for decades to come. May the Lord bless Charlie and his family,” added Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two young children.
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