"Kirk was close friends with Vice President J. D. Vance and with Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., regularly texting on small group threads with them and a coterie of young male aides and allies. He was a frequent and welcome presence at the White House and at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club. And his conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA, helped elect Trump in 2024."
"By early this evening-after the visceral, gutting visuals of Kirk, 31, being shot in the neck during an event on a Utah college campus, followed by the sudden, jarring news that he had died-the mood at the White House was, unsurprisingly, funereal. In the West Wing, young aides, some red-eyed, others grim-faced, watched the TVs, all of which were sharing images of their friend and news of his death."
Charlie Kirk maintained close personal ties with top Trump allies, including Vice President J. D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr., and led Turning Point USA, which supported the 2024 campaign. Kirk was a frequent presence at the White House and Mar-a-Lago. He was shot in the neck during an event on a Utah college campus and later died, producing visceral visuals and shock. The White House atmosphere turned somber as aides watched coverage, flags were lowered to half-staff, and President Trump expressed vulnerability, called for prayer, and announced Kirk's death publicly.
Read at The Atlantic
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