'He had a good shot at being President...': Trump says Charlie Kirk 'just wanted to take care of youth'

Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk

US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a joint press conference on Thursday after the two nations signed a landmark tech partnership.

During the press conference, Trump dedicated part of his opening remarks to Charlie Kirk, the conservative founder and close ally of Trump, and said that he "was a great young man, incredible future."

"Some people said he might be president someday," Trump said. "I told him, I said, 'Charlie, I think you have a good shot someday at being president.' And he just wanted to take care of youth," he added.

Further speaking about Kirk's recent death, Trump reiterated that he would attend Kirk's memorial this weekend, saying they would "celebrate Charlie and all that he's done, so incredible." Never seen anything like it," Trump further said, adding that he appreciated Brits who extended condolences after Kirk's death.

Kirk was fatally shot during a public event at Utah Valley University in Orem. The 31-year-old, an iconic figure in the US conservative movement, had previously said that even though gun deaths are tragic but a part of America’s reality to preserve Second Amendment rights.

Shortly after his death, Charlie Kirk’s remarks on gun violence resurfaced on social media. He had once said, "I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe."

While speaking about mass shootings, Kirk would often shift discussion toward “mental health” or broader cultural issues. He also rejected calls for stricter gun control, stressing the importance of protecting Second Amendment rights.

"You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death," Kirk had said, adding, “That is nonsense. It's drivel. But I am—I think it's worth it.”