Donald Trump has revealed that his son, Barron Trump, has been left “very hurt” by the death of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a popular political activist, was shot dead on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University shortly after answering a question regarding mass shootings in the US.
Given Kirk’s relative fame and history of generating viral clips through the debates commonly occurring at his talks, it was hardly surprising that a good many event goers were filming with their mobile phones at the moment when the shot – believed to have come from the rooftop of a nearby building – was fired.
Said videos immediately made their way to the internet, with a number of them doing the rounds.
Social media has erupted in the wake of Kirk’s death, with political figures from both the right and left of US politics having condemned the shooting.
A concentrated manhunt has been underway since Wednesday. Yesterday the FBI released footage of a suspect climbing down from a nearby rooftop and skirting the edge of a car park before disappearing.
Following the finding of a rifle and ammunition, wrapped in a blanket in a wood area close by the university campus, images of the suspected shooter soon emerged.
President Donald Trump this morning made an appearance on Fox News, where he announced that a suspect had been taken into custody.
During his appearance, he was asked about the process of telling children about the horrific incident, and how he would broach the subject with his youngest son, Barron Trump.
Trump revealed that Barron and Kirk had lunch together after Barron had revealed his wish to meet the right-wing influencer.
“Barron’s a very good student, and Barron came to me and said he would like to meet someone you know: Charlie Kirk,” Trump explained.
“I set up a lunch, he came back and said ‘that guy’s great, dad’. Charlie had a magic over the kids, and very diverse, black white.
“He was very hurt when he saw this.”
