New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman on Friday said President Trump and his surrounding staff are “struggling” after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“So many people around President Trump are very close to Charlie Kirk. President Trump was very close to Charlie Kirk. And President Trump faced two assassination attempts, one near miss last year,” she said during a Friday appearance on CNN’s “The Source.
“And so all of that is a lot of the context for how people in the White House and the president are responding to this. I think that he is struggling with this in terms of how to deal with this,” she added.
Kirk’s fatal shooting has been replayed on social sites for the past four days as online debates have emerged regarding who was to blame for his assassination.
The Turning Point USA founder was shot in the neck in front of a crowd of approximately 3,000 on Wednesday and later died.
Vice President Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other GOP leaders have publicly mourned the loss by sharing personal memories with Kirk in a series of posts and statements.
His surviving wife, Erika, said she hasn’t slept in days following his death but promised to continue Kirk’s work through his Turning Point USA organization.
Haberman said while Trump will likely not be the “clearest talker,” he’s experiencing pain from the passing of Kirk in a fashion similar to his close confidantes.
Earlier this week, Trump described Kirk as a “giant of his generation.”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” the president wrote in a post on X.
“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
