In a shocking turn of events, US right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday at an event at a Utah university, Trump said.
Viral videos of the event shows Kirk, a Trump ally, giving a speech at the moment when he was shot.
"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us," Trump wrote on social media.
A university spokesperson told Reuters that police were yet to apprehend any suspect.
Kirk and the group he co-founded, Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organization in the country, played a key role in driving young voter support for Trump in November.
Kirk's appearance on Wednesday was the first in a planned 15-event "American Comeback Tour" at universities around the country. He often used such events, typically drawing large crowds of students, to invite attendees to debate him live. Before he was shot, Kirk was sitting at what he calls a "Prove Me Wrong" table to field questions from the audience.
After winning his second presidential term, Trump had credited Kirk for mobilising younger voters and voters of colour in support of his campaign.
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