Mary Trump, the niece of President Donald Trump, has publicly blamed her uncle for creating the political climate that led to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed by a single gunshot during a campus event.
Following the assassination, President Trump delivered an Oval Office address calling Kirk a martyr and declaring that the radical left was spreading rhetoric directly responsible for the terrorism occurring in the country. Trump vowed that his administration would find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and other political violence.
Mary Trump responded to her uncle’s statements by suggesting he should start his investigation with himself. Writing in her Substack publication “The Good in Us” on September 12, she argued that political violence and the rhetoric driving it are almost entirely on the side of the Republican Party. Mary Trump stated that “no person is more responsible for it than Donald Trump.”
The 60-year-old psychologist and author claimed that the country has been purposefully and maliciously divided against itself because of rhetoric coming from Trump and the Republican Party. She alleged that her uncle almost single-handedly created conditions where his grievance, vengeance, and cruelty extend to anybody that supports him.
Mary Trump cited the January 6 Capitol riot as evidence of her uncle’s pattern of inciting violence, noting his blanket pardon of roughly 1,600 rioters. She argued that he has incited violence against his perceived political enemies as well as against his own government and then pardoned those who committed it on his behalf.
The president’s response to questions about Kirk’s death also drew criticism from his niece. When asked by reporters how he was holding up following Kirk’s death, Trump responded that he thought very good and then immediately shifted to discussing construction of a new ballroom for the White House. Mary Trump characterized this as quite the display of grief on social media platform X.
Trump had told Fox and Friends on September 13 that he was holding a meeting about building the new White House ballroom when he learned about the shooting from his aides, prompting him to end the meeting immediately. He paid tribute to Kirk on Truth Social, calling him the Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, noting that no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than him.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced during a press conference on September 13 that Tyler Robinson was taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting. Robinson allegedly fled the scene after the incident, prompting officials to launch a multi-day search operation.
According to Cox, a family member of Robinson was interviewed by investigators. The family member indicated that Robinson had become more political in recent years and mentioned to another family member at a dinner that Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University. The family member said Robinson expressed that he did not like Kirk and the viewpoints he held.
Mary Trump also referenced what she viewed as celebratory reactions from the political right to the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She noted that Trump had joked about the assault, in which an attacker fractured Paul Pelosi’s skull with a hammer, during a state party convention in 2023.
In her written response, Mary Trump clarified that her arguments about Trump driving political violence did not mean she was rejoicing in what happened to Kirk. She condemned the assassination while maintaining that her uncle bears responsibility for creating the conditions that led to such violence.
The longtime family critic argued that messages from Trump and other right-wing figures casting the murder as evidence of dangerous rhetoric from the left were designed to pour gasoline on an already raging fire. She concluded by asserting that the fire was started by the Republicans.
Robinson was booked into the Utah County Jail, with Cox indicating he will be charged soon and held accountable. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, with FBI Director Kash Patel stating at a press conference that the FBI and their partners are proud to bring justice to Kirk’s family and honor his memory.
Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika, and their two young children. The conservative activist was known for his work with young people and his prominent role in right-wing political activism through Turning Point USA, which he co-founded.