Politics

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of his push to combat crime.

The president said on “Fox & Friends” that he wanted to replicate the results of his deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

“Memphis is deeply troubled,” he said during the interview. “We’re going to fix that, just like we did in Washington.”

Trump said part of the crime crackdown could include federal forces, National Guard and even “the military, too,” if needed into Memphis.

“And anybody else we need,” Trump said of the forces he planned to send into Memphis.

Trump has said that local leaders across the country should ask for federal help and indicated that he has such backing from Tennessee officials.

“The mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat mayor, the mayor is happy. And the governor, Tennessee, the governor is happy,” he said.

Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office said in a statement on X that he would be speaking with Trump to “work out the details.”

“I’m grateful for the President’s unwavering support and commitment to providing every resource necessary to serve Memphians, and I look forward to working with local officials and law enforcement to continue delivering results,” he said in the post on Friday afternoon.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young confirmed at a news conference Friday afternoon that the National Guard will be sent to the city, but the Democrat added he didn’t ask for the National Guard.

Young added he needed more details on the Guard’s deployment from the governor and the federal government.

“When will they come? How many people are gonna come? How long will they be here? What are they going to wear?” Young asked.

The mayor cited the city’s drop in crime over the last year.

There have been 29,978 reported crime incidents in Memphis in 2025 as of Sept. 11, a roughly 44% drop from the same period in 2024 when there were 53,805 reported incidents, according to data from the city.

Homicides in the city dropped nearly 30% during the year with 182 reported incidents in 2025 so far compared to 261 during the same period last year, the data showed.

Trump’s comments on Friday come amid his push to crack down on crime nationwide — including his federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

However, before Trump began his deployment, the city had seen a two-year decline in crimes, according to police data. As of Friday, there have been 17,806 reported crime incidents in the city so far this year, compared to 19,501 during the same period last year — a nearly 8% drop, the data showed.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Friday, in her first public news conference since the federal surge expired earlier this week, that the city will continue to partner with federal law enforcement.

“We have a long history of working with federal law enforcement, and we’re going to continue to partner in ways that make sense for D.C. safety,” Bowser said. “This also gives me the opportunity just to emphasize that we’ve always been about safe communities, safe streets and driving down crime.”

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a lawsuit last week that sought to end the D.C. Guard deployment arguing it was a “military occupation.”

Critics have noted that the president has focused his threats of federal deployments on cities that are led by Democratic mayors.

For the last few weeks, Trump has made threats that he was going to send National Guard troops to Chicago, citing its crime rate, and was met with vocal protests from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“I want to help people, not hurt them,’ says the guy who just threatened an American city with the Department of War,” Pritzker wrote on X on Monday.

The president continued to argue that federal intervention was needed in Chicago.

“You’re about to lose Chicago,” Trump said Friday. “I can fix Chicago, much bigger than D.C., but we can bring in the military. We can bring in the National Guard. We’ll do what we have to do.”

ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim and Matt Foster contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — As voices across the political spectrum call to lower the temperature following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, many in the MAGA world are mourning his loss, with some enraged and escalating their rhetoric online.

Across social media, some of the most popular voices in the pro-Trump movement are calling for a crackdown on Democrats and for the Trump administration to take action in the aftermath of the killing.

In private, peers of Kirk say they are shocked and horrified by the shooting — with some MAGA influencers telling ABC News they may be hesitant to do public events in the future — but they are also equally angry and demanding consequences.

“This will be the real turning point,” one person told ABC News.

“The best way President Trump can reinforce Charlie’s legacy is by cracking down on the Left with the full force of the government,” said Laura Loomer in a post on X after Kirk’s death was announced.

“No mercy. Jail every single Leftist who makes a threat of political violence,” Loomer added.

In an earlier post, she wrote that “we must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The Left is a national security threat.”

Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has largely avoided politics in recent months, posted that “the Left is the party of murder” and added “if they won’t leave us in peace, then our choice is fight or die.”

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo called for a J. Edgar Hoover–style campaign to target the “radical left.” Hoover, as head of the FBI, led a sweeping, controversial crackdown amid the civil rights movement through surveillance and other means to target political groups.

“The last time the radical Left orchestrated a wave of violence and terror, J. Edgar Hoover shut it all down within a few years. It is time, within the confines of the law, to infiltrate, disrupt, arrest, and incarcerate all of those who are responsible for this chaos,” he wrote on X.

Pro-Trump influencer Joey Mannarino, who has over 600,000 followers on X, urged Trump to take an El Salvador–style approach — a reference to the country’s controversial campaign of mass arrests and suspended civil liberties, which drew accusations of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.

“Trump has to go full Bukele. Now. Fill the jails up with these terrorists,” Mannarino said.

Elsewhere, on Steve Bannon’s podcast, MAGA figure Jack Posobiec called for retribution.

“There’s never going to be another Charlie Kirk, but there’s never going to be another assassin to take out someone like the way they did because of what comes next will be swift, quick and it will be retribution,” Posobiec said.

One word in particular was echoed by leading voices in the MAGA movement: “War.”

Lone time Trump ally Bannon called Kirk’s death an assassination, remembering Kirk as a “warrior.”

“Charlie Kirk did not die,” Bannon said on his WarRoom show Wednesday, adding, “Charlie Kirk was assassinated today in Utah.”

In the conversation with Posobiec, Bannon said that his friend Kirk was a “casualty” whose life was taken in cold blood.

“Charlie Kirk is a casualty of the political war,” Bannon said. He also said, “We are at war in this country and you have to have steely resolve.”

Others echoed Bannon’s sentiment.

“THIS IS WAR,” the account Libs of TikTok posted on X after the shooting. The post has more than 78,000 likes.

Venture capitalist and Musk ally Shaun Maguire said in a post, “We’re not supposed to say this but the truth is we’re at War.”

And far-right radio host Alex Jones speaking in a video he posted on X declared, “we’re at war.”

Some prominent Republicans, however, called for an end to political violence on both sides of the political aisle.

Former President George Bush released a statement saying, “Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens,” he wrote.

In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing, House Speaker Mike Johnson said during an appearance on Fox News “We have got to turn the heat down a little bit. We got to have civil discourse.” “That’s what’s so important for us to remember,” Johnson said. “We shouldn’t regard one another as enemies. We’re fellow Americans, and we should have vigorous debate, but it cannot lead to political violence. It’s just too much.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told CBS the day after the shooting, “we cannot let what happened yesterday be the norm.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen politics degrading where some people feel if they disagree with you politically, they’ve got to try to go and eliminate those people,” Scalise said. “That is not what America is. You know, we solve our differences at the ballot box.”

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(CHARLOTTE, N.C) — North Carolina Republicans are blaming Democrats’ “woke” policies and lenient crime enforcement for the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte, North Carolina, light-rail train. Meanwhile, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is firing back, accusing Republicans of politicizing a tragedy.

Republican leaders in Charlotte held a joint news conference on Wednesday during which they condemned Democratic leaders’ “woke” policies and “ongoing failures” that they say contributed to Zarutska’s tragic death last month. Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested on Aug. 22 after police say he stabbed Zarutska three times while riding the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.

“Iryna Zaruska died because of the Democrat policies in Charlotte-Mecklenburg — woke politics that perpetuate cashless bail and refuse to prioritize public safety over appearances,” said Kyle Kirby, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party.

Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party Jason Simmons claimed that “Democrats have chosen to side with criminals” — contributing to a “crime epidemic.” Simmons, without giving any specifics, listed Democrats’ “policies of appeasement” and their “weak on crime policies” as reasons leading to criminal activity in Charlotte and the country.

The 34-year-old suspect has a criminal record including larceny and breaking and entering charges. He also spent five years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon starting in 2015, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

Democratic leaders have pushed back on the GOP’s portrayal of the killing as evidence of systemic Democratic failure.

Cooper, who is running for Senate in North Carolina in 2026, responded to Republicans’ attacks, appearing to accuse his opponent, former Republicans National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, of trying to score “political points.”

“The murder of Iryna Zarutska is a horrible tragedy and we must do everything we can to keep people safe,” he wrote in a Sept. 9 post on X.

“Only a cynical DC insider would think it’s acceptable to use her death for political points, especially one who supported cutting funding to law enforcement in NC,” Cooper said, appearing to reference Whatley.

Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said he is calling for more police enforcement to help prevent these kinds of crimes.

“We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe. That’s why my budget calls for more funding to hire more well-trained police officers,” Stein posted on X earlier this week.

“I call upon the legislature to pass my law enforcement recruitment and retention package to address vacancies in our state and local agencies so they can stop these horrific crimes and hold violent criminals accountable.”

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump weighed in on the stabbing, demanding Brown receive the death penalty.

Trump’s comments come amid his push to crack down on crime nationwide — including his federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

More than half of the overall public approves of Trump’s handling of crime, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted Aug. 21-25. However, there is a stark partisan divide between Republicans and Democrats, with 88% of Republicans approving of Trump’s handling of crime compared to 16% of Democrats.

With Brown’s impending court date set for later this month, Republicans are calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who lawmakers argue didn’t hold Brown accountable for his past alleged crimes.

North Carolina Rep. Tim Moore posted a letter written to Chief Judge Wiggins stating Stokes “authorized the release of Brown based solely on his ‘written promise’ to appear for a future court date.” The letter was signed by seven other North Carolina representatives.

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(MISSOURI) — The Missouri state Senate voted on Friday to pass the bill with a new congressional map that favors Republicans, sending it to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk and notching Republicans a second win in their efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor the GOP, although the maps are facing a new legal challenge as well.

The Missouri House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to pass the map. President Donald Trump had encouraged the state to redraw its congressional lines mid-decade, and Kehoe proposed a map in late August as what he said was a way to more fairly represent Missourians. The new map would likely allow Republicans to hold seven of Missouri’s eight congressional seats, of which Democrats currently hold two.

It is possible that implementing the map may be decided by voters, as opponents of the congressional map bill can try to gather enough signatures in most of the state’s congressional districts to force a statewide vote on the bill.

During hours of debate on Friday, which Republicans eventually shut down using a procedural move, Democrats continued to slam the new map as detrimental to voters – particularly for voters in Kansas City, Missouri, which would be split among multiple districts. One Republican said he would vote against the map because the Senate did not have enough time to look at the provisions in the bills it is considering.

Democratic state Sen. Barbara Washington, who represents part of Kansas City and is close with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, whose seat is redrawn in the new map to be much more favorable to Republicans, alleged that the new map dilutes the political power of Black voters and hurts their communities.

“You don’t like our voice, so you’re trying to take it away. You don’t like our power, so you’re trying to dilute it. You don’t like our community strength, so you’re attempting to weaken it,” she said.

“We haven’t even had the opportunity to talk about why, the why behind the new map, the why behind Republicans deciding to erase Kansas City voters and to erase Kansas City values… in this map, Kansas City is erased,” Democratic state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern said earlier.

One Republican Senator, state Sen. Mike Moon, said he would not support the congressional map, decrying the process in the Senate and how it seemed as if the bill was being pushed through because of pressure from Trump.

Addressing his constituents, Moon said that he is “probably alone as a Republican. I don’t know if someone else will join me in this,” and would vote no on the bills because the Senate has not debated and deliberated enough on parts of them. “It’s not because I don’t want Republican ideals to win the day,” he said, but because he’s not “a yes man.”

During a hearing on Thursday by the Missouri Senate’s Local Government, Elections and Pensions committee on the proposed new congressional map, Cleaver framed the new map as discriminatory and as fanning the flames of a mid-decade redistricting war.

“There’s already a plan for California to respond, then another state’s going to respond, then New York is going to respond, then another state’s going to respond, and then Maryland is going to respond,” Cleaver said.

“Democrats have said, you know, we’re going to fight fire with fire, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen. But I want to warn all of us, if you fight fire with fire long enough, all you’re going to have left is ashes.”

The congressional map is expected to be fought over in court. ABC affiliate KMIZ reported that voters in districts impacted by the map filed a lawsuit on Friday in the circuit court of Cole County, Missouri, asking for a judge to declare the map unconstitutional and to stop the Secretary of State from using the new districts in future elections.

ABC News’ Grace Sandman and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — As the deadline to keep the government funded fast approaches at the end of the month, congressional Democrats are vowing a fight over health care, possibly forcing a shutdown unless Republicans agree to restore Medicaid cuts and extend Obamacare subsidies.

Passing a government funding bill to avoid a shutdown would require at least some Democrats to go along. While a Republican majority in the House could pass a measure without Democrats, success in the Senate would be require at least seven Democrats to vote to keep the government open.

As of now, though, negotiations between the Democrats and Republicans are dragging out before the Oct. 1 deadline, as both parties work to firm up their red lines.

A group of senior House and Senate Democrats met Thursday to game out a strategy on government funding — Democrats united in warning that Republicans must compromise on bipartisan legislation that not only protects but also restores health care funding – or Democrats won’t vote to avert a shutdown.

“We will not support a partisan spending agreement that continues to rip away health care from the American people, period, full stop,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday.

“What the Republicans are proposing is not good enough for the American people and not good enough to get our votes,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed. “The Republicans have to come to meet with us in a true bipartisan negotiation to satisfy the American people’s needs on health care. They won’t get our votes, plain and simple.”

A key focus for Democrats is an effort to use this upcoming government funding bill as an opportunity to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. Those tax credits, which were signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2022, expanded eligibility for the ACA and capped premiums.

Democrats also say they want Republicans to reverse course on cuts to Medicaid that came as part of the massive “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Republicans enacted without any Democratic support in June.

Notching any health care related concessions from Republicans could be something of a win for Democrats, who are looking to prove that they’re using this relatively rare moment of leverage to fight for Democratic priorities in a GOP-controlled Washington.

Many are signaling a willingness to dig in during this round of funding negotiations after many, including Schumer, got blowback from the Democratic base for delivering the votes to offset a March shutdown without securing any substantial GOP concessions.

But even though there is some willingness from Republicans to discuss extension of the ACA health credits, Senate Majority Leader John Thune dug in during an interview with Punchbowl News’ “Fly Out Day.”

He said he thinks Democrats “see it as politically advantageous to have a shutdown.”

“I think their base is clamoring for that. They want a fight with the Trump administration. But they don’t have a good reason to do it. And I don’t intend to give them a good reason to do it,” Thune said.

Thune is pushing for Congress to pass a short-term government funding bill with little or nothing attached. This bill, he said, will buy congressional appropriators more time to reach an agreement on full-year funding. But this is a non-starter for Democrats who say health care must be a part of the funding solution.

President Donald Trump on Friday also endorsed a short-term funding solution and suggested it could be accomplished without Democratic support. It’s not politically possible to fund the government without some Democratic buy-in unless Thune makes major changes to Senate rules, something he has vowed in the past not to do.

Trump said Republicans should plow ahead without consulting Democrats.

“We have to get Republican votes. That’s it. If we do, we have the majority,” Trump said.

Democrats, Trump said, wouldn’t vote for a funding bill even if “you gave them every dream.”

“I told them don’t even bother dealing with them, we will get it through because the Republicans are sticking together for the first time in a long time,” Trump said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he does not want the government to shut down — acknowledging it will take Democratic cooperation to avert a shutdown. He has yet to divulge specifics on how Republicans plan to keep the lights on in Washington.

Johnson and Thune have not yet met with Schumer and Jeffries despite calls from the Democratic leader for such a meeting.

GOP Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that Republican appropriators are aiming to pass a package of three bills alongside a continuing resolution that funds the government through late November.

“We wouldn’t do a CR that both sides didn’t agree to. I mean, we’re not trying to jam the Democrats on the CR. We’re trying to work with them,” Cole said – acknowledging that time is running short as he targets a deal by the end of next week.

There are only seven legislative days before the funding deadline due to the Jewish holidays — which presents a real scheduling challenge for lawmakers. Congress is out of town the entire week third week of this month. Lawmakers aren’t slated to return until Sept. 29, just two days before the shutdown deadline.

Cole hinted that leadership may need to add a few legislative days to the calendar after Rosh Hashana.

As Democrats push to extend Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, Cole stressed that issue and debate is outside of his committee’s jurisdiction — though Johnson could hypothetically direct him to attach it to the CR.

“I think shutting down the government in a temper tantrum is not going to be helpful to the country,” Cole, R-Okla., said. “I don’t think it’s going to be good for them, either, but that’s up to them. I don’t get to make that call.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of his push to combat crime.

The president said on “Fox & Friends” that he wanted to replicate the results of his deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

“Memphis is deeply troubled,” he said during the interview. “We’re going to fix that, just like we did in Washington.”

Trump said part of the crime crackdown could include federal forces, National Guard and even “the military, too,” if needed into Memphis.

“And anybody else we need,” Trump said of the forces he planned to send into Memphis.

Trump has said that local leaders across the country should ask for federal help and indicated that he has such backing from Tennessee officials.

“The mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat mayor, the mayor is happy. And the governor, Tennessee, the governor is happy,” he said.

Representatives for the Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office and Democratic Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s office didn’t immediately return messages to ABC News for comment.

Memphis has seen a drop in crime over the last year, according to data from the city.

There have been 29,978 reported crime incidents in Memphis in 2025 as of Sept. 11, a roughly 44% drop from the same period in 2024 when there were 53,805 reported incidents, according to the data.

Homicides in the city dropped nearly 30% during the year with 182 reported incidents in 2025 so far compared to 261 during the same period last year, the data showed.

Trump’s comments on Friday come amid his push to crack down on crime nationwide — including his federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

However, before Trump began his deployment, the city had seen a two-year decline in crimes, according to police data. As of Friday, there have been 17,806 reported crime incidents in the city so far this year, compared to 19,501 during the same period last year — a nearly 8% drop, the data showed.

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a lawsuit last week that sought to end the D.C. Guard deployment arguing it was a “military occupation.”

Critics have noted that the president has focused his threats of federal deployments on cities that are led by Democratic mayors.

For the last few weeks, Trump has made threats that he was going to send National Guard troops to Chicago, citing its crime rate, and was met with vocal protests from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“I want to help people, not hurt them,’ says the guy who just threatened an American city with the Department of War,” Pritzker wrote on X on Monday

The president continued to argue that federal intervention was needed in Chicago.

“You’re about to lose Chicago,” Trump said Friday. “I can fix Chicago, much bigger than D.C., but we can bring in the military. We can bring in the National Guard. We’ll do what we have to do.”

ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of his push to combat crime.

The president said on “Fox & Friends” that he wanted to replicate the results of his deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

“Memphis is deeply troubled,” he said during the interview. “We’re going to fix that, just like we did in Washington.”

Trump said part of the crime crackdown could include federal forces, National Guard and even “the military, too,” if needed into Memphis.

“And anybody else we need,” Trump said of the forces he planned to send into Memphis.

Trump has said that local leaders across the country should ask for federal help and indicated that he has such backing from Tennessee officials.

“The mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat mayor, the mayor is happy. And the governor, Tennessee, the governor is happy,” he said.

Representatives for the Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office and Democratic Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s office didn’t immediately return messages to ABC News for comment.

Memphis has seen a drop in crime over the last year, according to data from the city.

There have been 29,978 reported crime incidents in Memphis in 2025 as of Sept. 11, a roughly 44% drop from the same period in 2024 when there were 53,805 reported incidents, according to the data.

Homicides in the city dropped nearly 30% during the year with 182 reported incidents in 2025 so far compared to 261 during the same period last year, the data showed.

Trump’s comments on Friday come amid his push to crack down on crime nationwide — including his federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

However, before Trump began his deployment, the city had seen a two-year decline in crimes, according to police data. As of Friday, there have been 17,806 reported crime incidents in the city so far this year, compared to 19,501 during the same period last year — a nearly 8% drop, the data showed.

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a lawsuit last week that sought to end the D.C. Guard deployment arguing it was a “military occupation.”

Critics have noted that the president has focused his threats of federal deployments on cities that are led by Democratic mayors.

For the last few weeks, Trump has made threats that he was going to send National Guard troops to Chicago, citing its crime rate, and was met with vocal protests from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“I want to help people, not hurt them,’ says the guy who just threatened an American city with the Department of War,” Pritzker wrote on X on Monday

The president continued to argue that federal intervention was needed in Chicago.

“You’re about to lose Chicago,” Trump said Friday. “I can fix Chicago, much bigger than D.C., but we can bring in the military. We can bring in the National Guard. We’ll do what we have to do.”

ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers “to turn the temperature down” on Capitol Hill following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“You will hear me, as I have always done, I’m trying to turn the temperature down around here. I always do that,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday.

An emotional Johnson said, “It still doesn’t feel real to me. Charlie Kirk was a good friend of mine.”

“I’ll continue to do what I’ve always tried to do here, especially in a moment like this. We have colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are in a different place this morning than they were yesterday. People have been shaken by this event,” he said.

Several rank-and-file Republicans, however, only doubled down on their unsubstantiated claims that Democrats “caused” Kirk’s killing.

Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a close friend of Kirk, told ABC News she stands by her fiery exchange on the House floor on Wednesday night, which culminated in the Florida congresswoman shouting to Democrats who opposed a second prayer for Kirk: “Y’all caused this.”

“They use their national platforms to say that we’re fascists, that we’re going to take away their rights, that were basically demons in office,” Luna said.

When asked by ABC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Jay O’Brien if blaming Democrats turned the temperature up and not down, Luna replied, “No, it’s accountability. It calls them out for that.”

Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. A manhunt is underway for the gunman. The motive of the shooter is unknown, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the fatal shooting a “political assassination.”

Kirk’s murder sparked horror and condemnation from Republicans and Democrats.

But Luna dismissed the bipartisan response, and said she wouldn’t apologize for her comments on the House floor.

“What were the events leading up to this? What were the statements and rhetoric responsible? Every single person here knows that was the rhetoric that caused this. And I make no apologies for yesterday,” she said.

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace went even further, saying she was “absolutely” blaming Democrats for Kirk’s killing.

“This is what the left has done to brainwash people who are already mentally ill, already mentally fragile… This is about fighting for what’s right. I mean, all he did, all he used, were his words, and he was murdered for his words,” Mace said.

While several House Republicans were quick to point the finger at Democrats, without fully knowing the shooter’s motive and noticeably omitting recent attacks on Democrats such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the killing of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman, not all GOP lawmakers joined in.

“Everybody’s emotions are high. I’m not going to point the fingers at either party. Both parties have some guilt,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, told ABC News. “So hopefully we can, we can take a tragedy like this and try to all do better. And I think we can all do better — myself included.”

Members on both sides of the aisle reiterated concerns for their personal safety. Mace, currently running for governor of South Carolina, said she won’t be doing public events until “we have a better handle on greater security controls.”

“We always overreact. We need to react prior. Leadership is woefully ill-prepared,” Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett told reporters. He added that he’s afraid something “really bad is going to happen before we get something done up here.”

“Heck no,” Burchett said when asked if he feels safe on Capitol Hill.

On the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in floor remarks on Thursday condemned Charlie Kirk’s murder as “heinous” and “cowardly” and called for an end to political violence.

Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, also said that “finger-pointing” would not help cool tensions in the country.

“There should be no finger-pointing because this is an attack on our democracy itself. And if we fail to quell those fires, our democracy will be doomed. We should disagree. We can disagree with our ideas, but not with weapons and bloodshed and killing,” Schumer said.

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(WASHINGTON) — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance will meet with Charlie Kirk’s family and a number of his close friends in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, a source confirmed to ABC News.

Kirk’s casket, along with his family and friends, will then be flown to Phoenix, Arizona, aboard Air Force Two, the source also confirmed.

Vance mourned Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, in a long social media post in which he described Kirk as a “true friend.”

“The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” Vance wrote on X. “I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he’d always have their backs.”

President Donald Trump earlier Thursday announced he will posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said at the top of his remarks at a memorial event at the Pentagon to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and courage put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” the president continued.

Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Trump later that day announced his death.

A manhunt for Kirk’s killer is underway. The FBI said on Thursday it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used by the shooter, and officials said the suspect is believed to be a college-aged individual.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the U.S. Trump said that the day of the ceremony would be announced soon, adding he thought it would surely draw a big crowd.

Trump also reporters with him at the Pentagon that he plans to speak with Kirk’s family on Thursday afternoon. Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two young children.

The White House moved Thursday’s 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon into the courtyard, away from the 9/11 memorial where the somber ceremony has been held for decades, in light of Kirk’s killing.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — While President Donald Trump has called for an end to political violence following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, he did not recognize or acknowledge the recent threats, violent attacks and killings of Democrats.

During his remarks Wednesday night, hours after Kirk, a conservative influencer who worked closely with Trump and his family, was killed, Trump posted a video condemning the shooting and other political violence and brought up some recent examples.

“From the attack on my life in Butler Pennsylvania last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a health care executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical Left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,” he said.

Trump’s comments didn’t recognize several acts of violence that affected Democratic individuals within the last year.

On June 14, a masked gunman police say was disguised as a police officer allegedly shot two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses in their homes.

Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed along with their dog, and State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot and wounded.

Investigators arrested and charged Vance Luther Boelter with the shootings and alleged that he had a hit list with dozens of other targets, including other Democratic lawmakers, abortion providers and pro-choice activists.

Boelter has been charged with state and federal crimes, including murder and animal cruelty, and has pleaded not guilty.

Following the Minnesota shooting, Trump called the incident “absolutely terrible,” however, he slammed Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and did not call him.

“I think he’s a terrible governor. I think he’s a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too,” he told ABC News’ Rachel Scott on June 15.

Vice President JD Vance, Walz’s vice presidential opponent during the 2024 election, did contact the governor the day of the shooting, according to sources.

However, Trump continued to lambast the governor to the press.

“Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ Uh, the guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. I could be nice and call, but why waste time?” Trump told reporters on June 17.

Trump did call Walz following the Aug. 22 shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 21 others were wounded.

The Minnesota state legislators’ shooting took place two months after a Democratic governor and his family were said by police to have been targeted in their own home.

On April 13, the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was set on fire by a suspect while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were celebrating Passover, police said.

No one was seriously hurt and the suspect, Cody Allen Balmer, turned himself in, according to the police.

Balmer allegedly told police he would have attacked Shapiro with the hammer if he happened upon the governor inside the residence, according to investigators.

Balmer has pleaded not guilty to his charges, which include terrorism.

Trump was asked about the attack a day after and said the suspect was “just a whack job.”

“The attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand just from what I’ve read and from what I’ve been told,” said Trump, adding that he was not informed of the motive in the incident.

“The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. Probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen,” he added.

Shapiro told reporters that Trump called him six days after the incident, and that he appreciated the call.

“He was very gracious,” Shapiro said.

Despite Trump’s lack of acknowledgment of these incidents, other Republicans have mentioned the Democratic targeting in their responses to Kirk’s shooting.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted Shapiro’s alleged attempted assassination and the Hortmans’ deaths during his news conference on Wednesday.

“When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened,” he said.

“Our nation is broken. We’ve had political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination of the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate and former president of the United States, and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can unite us as a country,” Cox added.

Several Democratic leaders, including former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, also put out statements condemning Kirk’s assassination.

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” Biden said.

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