President Donald Trump announced during a Fox & Friends appearance that authorities have detained a suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting, stating, "I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody."
The alleged killer, who Trump described as being 28 or 29 years old according to Fox News, marks a departure from earlier descriptions by authorities who had characterized the person of interest as being "of college age."
A religious leader played a crucial role in the suspect's capture, Trump revealed to Fox News, explaining that "someone very close" to the alleged shooter contacted authorities to identify him. The president provided additional details about the arrest process, stating that the individual who recognized the suspect was "a person of faith, a minister."
According to Trump's account, this minister approached the suspect's father, who subsequently contacted a US Marshal. "The father convinced the son," Trump explained during the interview. "They drove into the police headquarters, and he's there now."
The president acknowledged potential inaccuracies in his account, noting he was speaking "based on what I'm hearing." The president learned about the arrest moments before his television appearance, telling Fox & Friends that he received word "five minutes before I walked in."
Trump praised the collaborative law enforcement effort, stating that local authorities "did a great job, everybody worked together." The investigation began with minimal evidence, according to Trump, who noted authorities started with "absolutely nothing. We started off with a clip that made him look like an ant, that was almost useless. We just saw there was somebody up there."
Trump expressed deep personal loss over Kirk's death, describing the conservative activist as "like a son" to him during the Fox News interview. The president highlighted Kirk's political influence, calling him "a brilliant guy" who "helped me with TikTok" and noting that Republicans typically struggle to capture young voters. "I've never seen young people go to one person like they did to Charlie," Trump added.
The president declined to view footage of the shooting, explaining to Fox News that he chose not to watch because he didn't want to remember Kirk in that manner. Trump characterized the video as "horrific" based on descriptions he had received.
