The suspect in the assassination of the conservative American activist Charlie Kirk espoused left-wing views, Utah’s governor has said, amid heightened tensions and recriminations over surging political violence in the United States.
In an interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the arrested suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, had a “leftist ideology” despite growing up in a conservative family.
But his ideology was very different than his family, and so that’s part of it,” Cox said.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, some left-leaning Americans took to social media to celebrate, prompting outrage from conservatives and the launch of online campaigns to get people deemed disrespectful of Kirk’s memory fired from their jobs.
Kirk’s assassination has prompted fears of further violence amid a documented increase in politically motivated attacks.
As tensions and accusations over the rise in political violence in the US increase, Utah’s governor has stated that the suspect in the murder of conservative American activist Charlie Kirk held left-wing views.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated in an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday that Tyler Robinson, 22, the arrested suspect, had a “leftist ideology” in spite of coming from a conservative family.
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We can reaffirm that, as reported by his family and those we are interviewing, he does indeed come from a conservative background. However, part of the reason was that his beliefs differed greatly from those of his family, Cox stated.
Republican Cox said the suspect had spent time in “dark places” on the internet but did not go into detail about Robinson’s suspected motivation.
“We are aware, as has been widely reported, that this was a very typical young man who was also very intelligent,” Cox stated.
While Robinson’s parents are registered Republicans, public records show that Robinson registered as a nonpartisan voter in Utah.
Cox claimed in a different interview with CNN’s State of the Union that family and friend interviews were the source of the information regarding Robinson’s left-leaning opinions.
In this battle, I truly have no dog in the hole. “If this was MAGA, and a radicalized MAGA person, I would be saying that as well,” Cox said, alluding to the Make America Great Again movement led by US President Donald Trump.
They’re not disclosing that. “”.
Additionally, Cox verified rumors that Robinson was romantically involved with his transgender roommate, who was changing from male to female.
He stated, “This partner has been very cooperative, was unaware that this was taking place, and is currently working with investigators.”.
Although Cox acknowledged that authorities were looking into the matter, he did not know whether Robinson’s relationship had anything to do with the assassination.
“We’re attempting to solve it. I completely understand that everyone wants to know the precise reason and who is to blame. “I agree,” he said.
Kirk was shot dead Wednesday while giving a speech at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a close ally of Trump and the leader and cofounder of the youth activist group Turning Post USA.
According to media profiles, Kirk, a prominent figure on the political right, was a “rock star” among young conservatives and was instrumental in boosting the youth vote for Trump’s reelection in November.
Kirk was seen by liberals as an incendiary figure who fueled hatred towards members of the LGBTQ community and racial minorities, while conservatives hailed him as a champion of free speech and a defender of traditional values.
Kirk’s murder has been denounced by both Democratic and Republican leaders, but it has also highlighted the sharp political division that pits common Americans against one another.
Some left-leaning Americans celebrated Kirk’s murder on social media, which infuriated conservatives and sparked online campaigns to have those who were thought to have disrespected Kirk’s memory fired.
Some of the figures on the right used war and retaliation rhetoric.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk stated on X that “we have to fight or die if they don’t leave us in peace.”.
Since Kirk was killed, Trump has missed chances to emphasize the need for unity and steer clear of partisan blame, despite his quick condemnation of the “radical left’s” rhetoric.
During his appearance on Fox News’ Fox and Friends on Friday, Trump attempted to portray left-wing extremism as being worse than right-wing extremism.
Trump claimed that the reason why right-wing radicals are frequently radical is because they don’t want to see crime.
“The problem lies with the radicals on the left; they are terrible, vicious, and politically astute. “.”.
While he wants to see the nation recover, Trump stated in an interview with NBC News on Saturday that “we’re dealing with a radical left group of lunatics, and they don’t play fair and they never did.”.
The assassination of Kirk has sparked concerns about more violence in the context of a documented rise in attacks with political motivations.
The US saw at least 300 incidents of political violence between the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol and the 2024 presidential election, according to a count by the news agency Reuters. This makes it the worst period for such violence since the 1970s.
