Obama condemns violence, calls Charlie Kirk’s murder “horrific” and urges presidential unity at Pennsylvania forum

Former President Barack Obama condemned political violence, calling the murder of Charlie Kirk “horrific” and “a tragedy,” and said the presidency should “pull people together,” during a conversation with journalist Steve Scully at the Jefferson Educational Society.

Obama said Americans must be able to “disagree and have sometimes really contentious debates without resort to violence,” adding that attacks against anyone—“even if you think they’re … on the other side of the argument”—are “a threat to all of us” and must be “condemn[ed].” He also described the shooting of Minnesota Democratic legislators Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman as “a tragedy.”

Noting he did not know Kirk personally, Obama said he was “generally aware” of some of Kirk’s ideas and thought “those ideas were wrong,” but added that “what happened was a tragedy and … I mourn for him and his family.”

Obama praised Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s response following Kirk’s killing, saying Cox has shown “it is possible for us to disagree while abiding by a basic code of how we should engage in public debate,” despite policy differences.

Obama criticized the tone of recent political language, saying the current president and some aides have a track record of labeling opponents as “vermin” and urging that they be “targeted,” which he framed as part of a wider problem. He drew a contrast with his own time in office, stating that he did not elevate extremist positions or use the authority of the federal government to support them.

He added that a core responsibility of the presidency is to serve as a unifying force—continually emphasizing the nation’s shared bonds. Obama noted that leaders from both parties, including George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney, have embraced that approach, and he stressed that during periods of heightened tension, the president’s job is to bring people together.