Gavin Newsom Condemns ‘Vile’ Charlie Kirk Shooting: ‘We Must Reject Political Violence in EVERY Form’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk “vile” and urged Americans to “reject political violence” in an X post, moments after Kirk was shot at an event in Utah on Wednesday.

“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” Newsom posted. “In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

Newsom’s post follows Kirk being shot in the neck at an event at Utah Valley University, located in Orem, Utah.

The Democratic governor’s post also comes after the 31-year-old Kirk was Newsom’s first guest on his podcast earlier this year. Both men, despite their political differences, have had nice things to say about one another, both during and after their podcast conversation.

Newsom, on the March podcast, asked Kirk for advice on how Democrats can be more appealing to voters, and also mentioned his son is a big fan of the popular right-wing commentator. And Kirk, after the podcast, complimented Newsom for his “charisma.” 

Beyond Newsom, Vice President JD Vance asked his followers on X to say a prayer for Kirk, whom he called a “genuinely good guy and a young father.” And President Donald Trump echoed Vance soon after, posting on Truth Social:

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”

Kirk was rushed to a local hospital after the shot, which one attendee told Fox News came right after Kirk was asked about transgender shooters.

He is the founder of Turning Points USA, a conservative nonprofit organization, and one of the more well-known conservative influencers in the country, with 16 million combined followers and subscribers across Instagram, X, and YouTube.