An Emotional Cox Explains How Kirk's Own Words Helped Him Overcome His Anger About the Assassination

Leah Barkoukis | September 12, 2025 11:10 AM

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced during a press conference Friday morning details about the gunman suspected of murdering Charlie Kirk. Jeff covered the disturbing information here, but after others spoke about the investigation, Cox returned to the podium, wanting to discuss "where we are and how we got here."

As many have argued in the days since Wednesday’s horrific and very public assassination of Kirk, Cox explained his murder is “much bigger than an attack on an individual.”

"It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment, it is an attack on our ideals," he continued, noting that political violence "cuts to the very foundation of who we are."

Given that Kirk was murdered doing what he did best—championing free speech and engaging with those who disagreed with him—it makes it "more difficult for people to feel like they can share their ideas," Cox said.

"We will never be able to solve all the other problems - including the violence problems that people are worried about - if we can't have a clash of ideas safely and securely,” Cox added. “Even, especially, especially, those ideas with which you disagree.”

Cox, visibly emotional, described that his anger over the assassination nearly pushed him over the edge but it was Kirk's words that grounded him again.

“Charlie said, ‘When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence.’ He said, ‘The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive, welcome without judgment, love without condition, forgive without limit,’” Cox read. “[Kirk] said, ‘Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.'"

He implored the youth to understand life in America doesn't have to be this way.

"You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option. But through [Kirk's] words, we have a reminder that we can choose a different path," he said. "Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now. Not pretending differences don't matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations. I think we need more moral clarity right now ... words are not violence, violence is violence, and there is one person responsible for what happened here and that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable. And yet all of us have an opportunity to do something different."

🙏 Gov. Cox shares a poignant message:

"Over the last 48 hours, I am as angry as I have ever been...but Charlie's words pulled me back.

He said when you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes easier to commit violence. We as a culture have to… pic.twitter.com/15jsMd0U8G
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