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Steve Bannon
This is an I heart podcast.
Dr. Dennis Black
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Steve Bannon
My friends, welcome to America's Voice, live on a shocking day. News just coming out of Utah, Orem, Utah. Charlie Kirk, my friend, my colleague, has been gunned down at an event there at Utah Valley University. I've seen the video, my friends, I don't want to share with you at this point. Charlie Kirk shot down during one of his vents where he takes questions and answers people in the crowd. A shot rang out, a single shot. It appears that he was hit in the neck. He went down at the time, and I'll be honest with you, my friends, it is what looks to be a devastating injury. We don't have any updates on Charlie's condition at this moment. He is our friend, he is our colleague, and he is a voice of reason out there that has been gunned down for daring to be an American, to tell the truth, to believe in free speech and to believe in this country and to believe in the future. Emotions here are high. As you can imagine, this event happening within the last 20 or 25 minutes. We're going to monitor it closely and we're going to bring in some other folks. Joining me, Christina Bobb, who has been the focus of threats herself in the past, an attorney for Donald Trump. Donald Trump, the focus of an assassination attempt, as we all know, Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13th of last year and again at his own Golf course. Christina, welcome back to the program. I know this is happening fast. We're trying to monitor the situation. Look, I'm upset, I am prayerful, and I am angry that a guy that's out there talking to college kids is gunned down in Orem, Utah. Beautiful sunny day. Charlie Kirk, we don't have any update on his condition at this point. I know you've just seen the video.
Christina Bobb
Your first reaction, it's shocking. I mean, you and I were talking about it before I had a chance to see the video, and I just before I came on here and it. I mean, it takes your breath away. It's disgusting. It's horrific. The people that are doing things like this are absolute animals. I don't know. We better hear some really, really strong condemnation from the left immediately. We're sick of all of this talk from the left that says it's not a problem, white people aren't being hunted. There's no problem. There's no animosity towards white males. It's all white privilege. It's a bunch of BS and it's getting people hurt, potentially killed. And it has to stop. And the left has to come out and condemn it. This is evil. What we just witnessed, what we saw happen with Charlie Kirk is evil. My heart goes out to him, to his family. Take a minute to pray for his family. Everybody, please pray for the Kirk family. This is a really devastating thing that happened. I hope he survives, but it is absolutely tragic.
Steve Bannon
Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah. The scene of this horrific crime. Again, if you're just joining us, Charlie Kirk has been gunned down at one of his speaking events for Turning Point usa. Of course. He is the founder of Turning Point usa. He goes from campus to campus to talk to students about Christianity in America and the Constitution and free speech, according to one witness here. And again, this is unconfirmed, but we're going with the information we get as it comes in. There is a suspect in custody. According to the university, according to Newsweek, there is a custody. A person of interest, a suspect in custody at this very moment. I'm watching the videos here. According to those close by, they did not see Charlie get up afterwards. Again, we do not know the condition of Charlie Kirk at this hour. What I do know is that violence in America, targeting political opponents, targeting those who say things you don't like, is. Is the antithesis of who we are as Americans, Christina. We believe in free speech. We don't gun down our political opponents. We. We do not stand idly by and allowed to have it. And I agree with you. If I don't hear from, from liberal commentators, from those on the left that are politicians that say this is wrong and this has gone too far, the gunning down of conservatives, the attacks on conservatives, whether it's a Catholic school or Charlie Kirk or anything else, it's out of control. Right now. We're waiting for any information to give us an indication of Charlie's condition. If you've seen the video, it is devastating to me. It sounds like a high powered rifle. I wasn't there. I can't verify that. I'm just going by my own experience in my own ear. Go ahead.
Christina Bobb
I agree with you. I did hear it when I watched the video and that is what it sounded like. Nothing confirmed, of course, but. But this is so tragic. And the left continues to protect the villains. The left continues to protect these shooters and they refuse to condemn the people doing these shootings. And it has to stop. And the fact that they are moving their targets from completely innocent children, conservative Catholics, to political opponents, people exercising their free speech, where you have a happy environment where kids, university students are coming out to learn, to debate, to engage in political debate, that is the heart of democracy. And they are coming for us. They are targeting us. They are targeting our families. This is so sick and it's so wrong. And the left has to condemn it. Now the right has been condemning it and the left is stirring and stoking violence by coming out and saying, oh, Donald Trump is creating violence by sending in the National Guard. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I'm sick of.
Steve Bannon
That's absolutely false. Yeah, that's absolutely false. Donald Trump did not spark this violence. Free speech. And the people that hate free speech in America and are willing to attack their political rivals with violence, willing to kill them if possible, it appears. Again, again, for anybody joining us, let me just run through the facts. They're thin. At this hour. It's only been about 25 minutes. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, our friend, our colleague on this network, my friend, apparently shot in the neck during a student question and answer session at Utah Valley University. That is in Orem, Utah, according to bystanders. Here's what we know. Kirk was reportedly shot in the neck while seated during a Q and A session, which he does. He goes out, he talks to students, he takes questions, all comers, he'll debate anybody. Eyewitnesses say he fell from the chair. The video that you have shows him get shot and get hit, but the video cuts away. But those standing there said he fell to the Ground which would make sense. An evacuation of the UVU campus was initiated following the reports of that active shooter. US Senator Mike Lee posting that he is monitoring the situation. Urging prayers for Charlie Kirk. I urge the same, my friends. We don't know his condition. We don't know how grievously wounded he may be at this hour. Multiple sources have confirmed the shooting. Official details remain limited. JD Vance now coming out urging prayers for Charlie Kirk. After the shooting, he's called for prayers for the conservative activist. In a brief post on social media, the vice President described Kirk as a genuinely good guy and a young father and a young husband. Utah Valley University has released preliminary details following the reported shooting of Charlie Kirk during this campus event hosted by Turning Point USA spokesman telling Newsweek. Kirk began speaking around 1 o' clock Wednesday. The shooting happened sometime around 1:20. A single shot from a nearby building, roughly 200 yards. That's the latest information that would confirm to me that it's some sort of a rifle. Obviously, Christina, as we work through the details as they come in the university confirming that Kirk was in fact shot, that a suspect is in custody, an immediate lockdown has been prompted. This is all part of his national campus tour. Look, Christina, we both know Charlie. He's willing to talk to anybody, debate anybody, any topic, and he's pretty cordial about it. He'll take atheists, he'll take communists, he'll take anybody. He'll talk to anybody. Today he took a bullet for believing in free speech.
Christina Bobb
It's disgusting and it just to show the first thing I can think of with this, besides the horrificness of it and how terrible this. But when. I mean, he's good, he's a good debater, he makes very good points. And when the left can't win a debate.
Steve Bannon
Hold on, Christina, one second, Christina, one second there. Just hold your thought right there. Bring that full, guys, if you could. I want to be able to see that. We've got a response from Donald Trump on Truth Social. I am told if we can bring that up, it would be greatly appreciated. There it is. We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom, God bless him. This just coming in from, from the White House. Look, this is a terrible, terrible situation. I don't know how else to describe it. I cannot believe that in America in 2025 that believing in something and standing for something and having principles and believing in this country and the young people, that's who Charlie believes in, young people. He gets gunned down for. Christina, Go ahead. You can continue.
Christina Bobb
Yeah. This is what the left does. They can't win. They know they've lost the American people. They've lost the popular vote. They've lost on every policy issue, almost every policy issue. The American people are not with them by the day. People are fleeing the Democrat Party, moving over to the Republican Party because the Democrats have completely lost their minds. And rather than trying to actually cater to the American people and serve the people who would elect them into office, they want to kill us all. They want to throw us in prison. I'm currently a criminal defendant as we speak. They're trying to throw us in prison. They're trying to kill us. They're trying to bankrupt us. This is unacceptable. It has to be condemned immediately and.
Steve Bannon
It has to be condemned. It has to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. And in Utah, yes, I would have to condemn. Penalties are severe. The penalties are severe in Utah. One second. Hold that thought right there for one second. We have Marjorie Taylor Greene. She weighed on this. In on this, did the congressional member from Georgia just a few moments ago. Here's what she said.
Christina Bobb
I like to ask for prayer for Charlie Kirk. It's being reported that he's been shot at an event.
John Solomon
Oh, my.
Steve Bannon
Wow.
Grant Stinchfield
Well, have a moment of silence. Thank you for pointing that out.
Steve Bannon
Any other, I would also like to say we'll take time here to pray. Unreal. America's Voice for our friend and colleague, Charlie Kirk. My friends, I'll just be square with you here. I have a lot of experience in the woods. I have a lot of experience with this sort of situation. To me, it looks devastating. I hope and pray that I'm wrong, but this looks like a devastating hit from 200 yards. We're told in the latest update that I have here, Charlie fell from his chair, gunned down at this event in Utah. Under a tenth that says American comeback. Under a tenth, it says American comeback. Because he believes in Donald Trump, because he believes in this country, because he believes in the principles and the foundation of this nation, he gets gunned down. What the hell is wrong with people in 2025 that they gun somebody down because they believe in the Constitution and they believe in the promise of America. Christina, one more word before we go to break.
Christina Bobb
Conservatives need to hear from our government leaders right now and understand that we are safe, exercising our First Amendment freedoms, exercising our political freedoms, that we can voice our political opinions. I was going to say dissent, but it's not even dissent. We're the majority. And you have a radical, crazed minority, a very small minority that wants to kill all of us and wants to kill the president and wants to kill because they can't win on policy. This has to end. To have unified leadership from our government. Demand all of this stop. Tell people this is terrible and that it can't continue. Yeah, we have to have unified leadership.
Steve Bannon
Continue.
Christina Bobb
Conservatives have.
Steve Bannon
My friends, let's take a moment. We have to. We have to take this moment. Take a moment. Bow your head. Pray for Charlie Kirk. We'll be back. Welcome back to America's Voice Live. A gut wrenching afternoon for all of us here at Real America's Voice and across the nation, our friend, our colleague, Charlie Kirk, gunned down less than an hour ago on a college campus in Orem, Utah. Here's what we know. Kirk was shot in the neck while seated at a Q and A session on his college tour. He's on a nationwide college tour. It's what Charlie does for Turning Point usa. You're sitting in a chair. A shot rang out, we're told, from about 200 yards away. It appeared to hit him in the neck and he crumpled to the ground. Eyewitnesses say he fell from the chair. An evacuation of the UVU campus was initiated. University. It's the University of Valley of Utah. U.S. senator Mike Lee posted that he is monitoring the situation at this hour. Multiple local sources confirmed the shooting. J.D. vance, Donald Trump, all making comments. At this hour. We do not know the condition of Charlie Kirk. But my friends, again, I've watched the video. I'm praying for Charlie. But I've got to be honest, it looked like a devastating hit. I just. I can't believe in 2025. I'm sitting here talking about one of my colleagues being gunned down for caring about this country. I can't believe in 2025. I'm sitting here talking about Charlie Kirk being gunned down because he loved America, because he believed in free speech and in young people and the tenets of this country and the promise of America. I can't believe I'm sitting here having to tell you that he might not make it. It's gut wrenching to me. It makes me angry. It breaks my heart. It hurts. Could be me. Could be Christina Bobb. Could be Grant Stitchfield. Could be anybody that speaks their mind in America. Could be a young girl on a train in North Carolina that did nothing wrong. Bring Christina back in. I think I got Grant Sinchfield here. I got Christina. Is Grant coming? We'll get to him when he's there. I'll put the split screen up and Grant's there. Grant, there you are. Look. It's a lot, Grant. It's a lot.
Grant Stinchfield
Yeah.
Steve Bannon
Could be either one of us, could be anybody on the screen right now. There's something wrong with the left in America today when they gun down people who believe in free speech and freedom of religion and, and the Constitution and liberty. For the love of God, it's got to stop. Grant, your thoughts?
Grant Stinchfield
Steve, I'm listening to you and I'm literally thinking about those two little children that Charlie has. I'm thinking about that organization that he has. Here's a guy that loves America and I watched that video as well. And I'll be honest with folks out there. If Charlie survives this, this is going to be another miracle of God. It will take the hand of God to save Charlie. Kirk, after the video that I saw. Now, I've known this man, I agree, for probably close to a decade. We worked together at Salem Radio. We work together at Real America's Voice. We've done numerous events together. This is, this is outrageous what has happened. And it is always someone on the left. Now I've seen pictures of somebody in custody and again, it's, it's. I'm not going to do what the mainstream media does and jump to conclusions on this. But I promise you he was shot for speaking the truth. He was shot for speaking his mind. He was shot for defending the Constitution, believing in God, believing in gun rights and speaking up against transgenderism and the radical left. I will tell you right now, that's why he was shot. And nobody in America deserves to be shot for simply standing up for what they believe in, Steve. Not Charlie Kirk.
Steve Bannon
How dare they?
Grant Stinchfield
Not you, not me, not President Trump, nobody.
Steve Bannon
That's right. That's right. I just saw here in my studio my 20 year old daughter who had the privilege of meeting Charlie here a few months ago in Washington at the Real America's Voice studios, devastated my wife. Same way. It's hard. It's a lot of emotion to me right now and it's hard for me to report to you that I've seen the hit. It will take the hand of God, an absolute miracle for Charlie to survive what I witnessed and what the people there witnessed. Apparently there's a suspect in custody. What motive could there possibly be to target a man for assassination? Because I'm going to tell you folks, be very difficult for him to survive this. Christina, I know you've got some, some obligations. I want to get you in one more time. Your thoughts as this starts to sink.
Christina Bobb
In, it's absolutely heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking. I mean, Charlie Kirk has done so much, he's been so vocal to try to repair the injustices, to try to correct some of the wrongs that have been happening at the hand of our government against the American people. I mean, he really was promoting American values to promote American people and he was shot for it. It's absolutely devastating. My heart absolutely breaks for the Kirk family, for the Kirk children, for real America's Voice, the real America's Voice family. I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say other than I'm just so sorry for everybody that's closely connected to him and works with him and lives with him.
John Solomon
And.
Christina Bobb
This is devastating. And I pray for a miracle. We've seen miracles. We've seen miracle after miracle and I pray for another miracle right now.
Steve Bannon
We have to. Christine, I appreciate you being here. Difficult day. We'll let Christina go. Grant, you and I can continue this conversation. Again, for anybody joining us now, let me just give you the facts as we know them. Sometime about one hour ago, while giving a question and answer session as Charlie does for his Turning Point USA Events, he's on a national tour. He was gunned down in Orem, Utah, Utah Valley University. He appeared to be struck in the neck. And again, folks, I've got to be honest, Grant and I were just talking about this. I have experience with this. I think that it's a devastating injury. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It is a devastating hit. It looks like he was hit in the neck by a high powered rifle at about 200 yards. That's according to news from Newsweek. They said the shot came from about 200 yards away. The university also saying there is a suspect in custody. We don't know who it is. I've got some pictures appearing online. I'm not going to go with those yet. We will confirm that before we get anything else, but we've got some pictures of a potential suspect online. Grant, go ahead.
Grant Stinchfield
You know, as I think about everything that went down and everything that happened, CNN has blood on its hands today. Steve. I watch Van Jones and I watch Brian Stelter vilify this man yesterday, basically all out calling him a racist. They encourage this kind of behavior. They do it quietly. They do it the way CNN does it, underhanded, but they encourage this kind of behavior. Brian Stelter, Van Jones, cnn, vilified Charlie Kirk as a racist for no reason other than calling out what the real reason was for that poor white girl who was killed on that train in North Carolina because the suspect uttered, I killed a white girl. And they went after Charlie Kirk all day long on CNN yesterday. Do you think it's a coincidence that somebody shoots and kills him after the left wing media vilified Charlie Kirk for nearly 24 hours yesterday? I don't think it's a coincidence, Steve. I really don't.
Steve Bannon
I don't think it's a coincidence either. I think that the vile rhetoric of the left should be called for what it is. They're inciting violence against voices that support Donald Trump. You see people on social media every day, Grant, calling for the murder of Donald Trump himself. They say that they'll celebrate his assassination. You see it, it's out there every day.
Grant Stinchfield
And yet you're like me, wag their.
Steve Bannon
Bony fingers at us. How dare they. I'm going to pray for Charlie here. I don't think we're going to have a good outcome here today. I'm hoping for the best, but this is not a good situation. People on the ground now who are closer to the situation giving graphic updates. I'm not hopeful here, Grant. I'm praying, my friend, but I am not hopeful. I'm sad to say.
Grant Stinchfield
No. I believe there's power in the strength of prayer. And we've gotta have everybody literally praying for this man. But again, it will take the hand of God to save Charlie Kirk from what I saw. And I'll say this as well, and I wanna make sure everybody out there knows this. I have never once wished ill will or physical harm upon any of my political foes. None of them. I believe that the war in this country being waged from both sides, you win it with the truth, you win it with words. You win it with the Constitution, you win it with the Bible, you don't it with guns. Now, you defend yourself with guns, but you don't go fight your political foes with guns. In America, that's not how we do things. Sadly, it is how the left does things. And that's what they've been doing today. And to me, it's an absolute. I'd say it's a sad day, but as I saw your anger earlier, it's also a very maddening day. And it tells you where we are as a country with this polarizing divide that many people talk about being close to civil war. I don't know how else you describe it other than that, but we're at a point where this, this cannot. This cannot keep up. It Can't.
Steve Bannon
All right, Grant, hold on one second. Bringing another one of our colleagues here at Real America's Voice, another dear friend of mine, John Solomon. John, obviously a devastating day. You've been watching the news develop here out of Orem, Utah. I've seen the video. I have experience with this. It looks like a devastating injury to Charlie Kirk. I don't, I don't frankly, see how it's survivable, but the power of prayer is remarkable. It's all I've seen. The video shocked that one of the young voices of conservatism, the founder of Turning Point usa, is gunned down in cold blood on a sunny Utah afternoon. John, your thoughts?
John Solomon
Well, there's a lot we still need to learn. I think it's obvious to make the assumptions that we're going to make, but I think at the end of the day, we need to know who the shooter is, why he did it, and. But I think regardless of the specifics of this, we have seen this pattern play out since the baseball game in 2017, the Congressional Baseball game practice where a leftist terrorists tried to kill members of Congress. And if it weren't for a few brave police officers, we might have had a much worse tragedy that day. We've seen it in the shooting that still is unexplained in Las Vegas at mgm. We've seen it in the two assassination attempts with President Trump in the last year. And I think at the end of the day, after the first or second assassination attempt on President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump said something profound, which is we've allowed our political anger to become so vitriolic that we no longer see humans, we see video game figures. And people don't feel any moral consequence in shooting someone in the name of political anger or whatever is troubling them. And I think that that is a really dangerous place to be in this country. The division, the rhetoric. We can have political disagreements without settling them this way. We can have discourse and a debate about the future of the country, but this is never going to be the way to do it. And whether this was a political act yet, we don't know. But we certainly know the rhetoric encourages things like this far too often. And until we get a grip on that, until people on both sides of the political aisle start speaking out aggressively to stop it, I fear we're going to have more episodes like this. And I was just with Charlie two weeks ago. I spoke at his event in Colorado, and he's acutely, he was acutely aware of the risk, but he also said this country's worth fighting for. And I feel like we're in a moment of extraordinary opportunity and he was never going to be unbowed by those who criticized him or threatened him. And I think even in this moment, as he's fighting for his life, I think Charlie probably still reflects that way, that what he was doing the last few years is worth doing because we're trying to save a country and handed off to a new generation in better shape than it is right now. So a lot there. We're all praying for Charlie, know him well, known him for a long time, went to one of his very first TPS TPUSA events. We talk often on the phone and we're all praying for him and hoping that the first responders did a great job and that we get some good news out of this in the near future.
Steve Bannon
John, I agree with you. You and I sat together in July, the day after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on the President. We were in Milwaukee with the R. You and I have been through this together before, but I think you're right. Here is Charlie Kirk, a guy who I believe knew the risks. He's out there talking to young people all the time. He has security, but you can't secure an entire campus that way. He knew what the risks were, but he also knew this country was worth fighting for. He knows what the stakes are going forward for his two young children, for the young people that he would do questions and answers with. That's what made Charlie so special. He would talk to anybody. He would take questions from anybody on any topic at any time and have a conversation and never hostile. He didn't have to agree with him, but he wasn't hostile to them. He would accept their question and have a real conversation. John, I think that's what made him so special.
John Solomon
You're right. He was the antithesis of intolerance. He was willing to debate without demean, he was willing to engage without insulting. And he, he believed strongly that we could solve a lot of our differences with just a good old fashioned conversation. And sadly, someone today tried to stop that conversation. I hope that person, whoever he or she is, does not succeed and that we learn from this lesson. But Charlie, for all of his strong political briefs, was a very tolerant person. He was willing to have a debate. He was supremely confident that his positions would win in the debate. But he was not a person to demean. He was not a person to be mean. And I think those who today tried to take his life, they picked the Wrong person to fight with. He's the ultimate example of how we should have political discourse, intellectual discourse, just like our founding fathers. And so we're all praying and hoping for the best. But you're right about that, Charlie. I mean, Charlie, I had many, many personal conversations and debates over the years. And when they were conversations. Recent data around the US labor market.
Steve Bannon
Has been disappointing job seekers. The sectors across the economy have been.
Christina Bobb
Very stagnant at best.
Steve Bannon
Responses. Most. One of the biggest offenders, msnbc. One of its anchors calling Charlie Kirk divisive and polarizing after he had been shot. Another MSNBC anchor saying the shooter might have been a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration. I mean, what kind of nonsense is being. What kind of filth is being spewed on MSNBC or cnn? Look, I try to focus on the facts. You and I know each other pretty well. We try to make sure that we talk in facts and ground our conversations in reality. And I look at this filth. It's filth. It's like a manure spreader at some of these networks. Where am I wrong?
John Solomon
No, listen. The divisions that listen. MSNBC lives on profiting from division and hatred. All the things they said about me and my reporting with Hunter Biden weren't true. As long as America creates a profit center for these divisive voices, they'll continue to be divisive. The way we stop it is by not supporting those networks with our eyeballs, not supporting those networks with our advertising dollars. And I think in America, the truth of the matter is MSNBC has a very marginally small audience. It really is irrelevant to most Americans, but for the few that it is, it revs them up. And you worry about whether they put people into a frenzy to do silly things. But we have the power to fix this. We've always had the power to fix this. And there was a moment in the 90s where the far right, with people like Tim McVeigh, thought that violence was the way to perpetrate their thoughts. And we spoke up against it and we stopped it. We need the same moral clarity and moral verses today on the left to come up and say, this is not the way we solve our differences and really mean it. Not do the lip service, but to really mean, we gotta stop this. And part of it may be punishing people who boil the water too much, even with punishing with ad dollars and other things. But we've gotta find a way to get to a more civil discourse or our enemies overseas will have succeeded in creating the division they want Here in this great country.
Steve Bannon
Let me bring it back to something else here, John. That's become part and parcel to the left's tactics when it comes to being over the line. In my estimation, that's doxing. Who's safe anymore, John? Are you? Am I? Are people that are out there willing to say what they believe and to put their opinions out there, mostly conservatives, Because I don't see it going the other way. Are you safe? Am I safe? Are people like those that appear on this network or other right leaning networks, are they safe or are they free game today based on what we've seen because of doxing and the targeting and all the vile rhetoric coming from places like MSNBC or the View or pick your poison.
John Solomon
Now listen, the great American experiment isn't safe. If we continue to allow this to be the way we settle our political disputes. If violence becomes the solution to it, then the entire American experience and all that our founding fathers fought for with the First Amendment isn't safe. And by the way, I think it's in great danger. What I see in Great Britain and what I saw Joe Biden's administration tried to do to free speech in America, the American experience is not safe right now from those who want to destroy it from outside and from with inside. You know, I just got docs last week an FBI, former FBI whistleblower that was mad about something put my phone number out. I can't tell you the amount of mean, hateful and sometimes threatening calls I got as a result of that doxxing. So it happens. It's immature, it's stupid. There needs to be a penalty for people who do it because they're trying to create harm to people. I believe in free speech and I'll let someone debate all day whether I'm right or wrong, but putting my family in jeopardy or putting my personal safety or my phone in jeopardy is just childish. It's below those of us who have an IQ in America. And for those who do it, they ought to pay a price. And all of us play a role in solving this. We start by praying with Charlie today and getting him through this moment if we can. And then I think we need to have a more serious conversation. I think the President of the United States who saw what political violence and hatred looks like, has an extraordinary moral pulpit to lay in on this and help us. And I think other presidents, other leaders, those who at times have boiled the water, the Pelosi's of the world and Adam Schiffs of the world, if they have an ounce of decency. If they have a moment of concern for this country, it's time for them to put their political vitriol aside and start being concerned about the environment they've helped create. I hope that moment is around the horizon. I'm not naive. It may be hard to get there. But if there are real leaders like in past generations of America, some of those who borrowed the water in the past will step into the void in the next 24 hours and try to comment and try to create a new dynamic for political discourse. If not everyone who stays silent is a perpetrator in this demise of discourse and free speech in America.
Steve Bannon
Let me ask you this, John. Who is that person for the Democrats? Who is that person on msnbc? Who is that person on the left? Because right now nobody comes to mind for me, John. And I'm sad to say that today there were times in this country when you set things aside. On the, on the eve of 9 11, we sit here and reflect. 24 years ago we came together when America was attacked and 2,997 people died in the Twin Towers. And in the aftermath, we all said together, what happened to America in the last quarter century, John? Because I don't see Democrats on the other side. They're not the same as they used to be. Look, I'm the same guy. I believe in freedom of speech. You can say things that offend me and upset me. I'm not going to attack you or your family. I'm certainly not going to shoot you. I'm not going to assassinate you in front of a crowd of people.
John Solomon
That's right. Yeah, listen, I don't know who that person is. Josh Shapiro recently had a horrifying experience in his own governor's mansion. Nancy Pelosi's husband suffered from a violent act in his home. These are people that could have taken those moments and done something with it and they might still do something with it. I don't know. But someone, many people are going to have to fill this void pretty quick if we're going to get past this moment in history. You look at the polling, you look at young Americans and again, we don't know anything about the person who is the alleged shooter here. But a jaw dropping amount of Americans currently believe that political violence is a righteous way for solving matters in America. That was not the case in earlier generations. How did we create a generation of people in our school system and in our social media platforms who think that shooting someone is a way to solve a political issue in America? I don't know. But if you're a social media platform, if you're one of those educators that taught that in school, you've done a great disservice, not just to those who are in your immediate realm of influence. You've done it to the entire country. And I think we've got to examine the social media platforms. We got to examine the Chinese influence on TikTok, which I think has encouraged a lot of this division. And I think we need to also take a look at our education system which has program people to think that hate and intolerance is a righteous thing, when in fact it's a reprehensible thing.
Steve Bannon
It is a reprehensible thing. All right, there's the hospital Charlie Kirk was taken to after being shot about an hour and 20 minutes ago. Now, keeping track of this as we watch the clock clock, waiting to hear any update on Charlie Kirk's condition. For anyone joining, Let me give you the facts as as we know them. Charlie Kirk was shot around 1:20, around 1:20 local time in Orem, Utah at University Valley. University Valley of Utah campus youth Senator Mike Lee has posted. J.D. vance has posted. In fact, put back up, if you would. Donald Trump put up on Truth Social a comment on Charlie Kirk that we should be praying for Charlie and we are. It was a devastating hit. The video is all over social media. Sadly. JD Vance, say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and young father, two young children. Charlie Kirk has. That's the hospital in Utah do have Donald Trump's true social remarks too, please. We can put that up while we watch the hospital. We're hoping that the hand of God can work on Charlie's behalf there. We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, said the president, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom and God bless him. God bless him. Today shot in Utah. We do know that a According to, I'll say this, according to Newsweek, the university says that a suspect is in custody. There are pictures circulating on social media, but we're not prepared to confirm those yet, John, because we don't know. We've seen this too many times where pictures are circulated. It's not somebody that's actually involved with a case. The shots rang out approximately 1120 local time. A single shot fired from the top of a nearby building at roughly 200 yards from where Charlie was sitting and taking questions from the crowd. John, all we can do is sit here and wait and pray that the outcome is a good one. We're kind of pondering Here.
John Solomon
Well, listen, those facts, which, you know, we're going to get more facts, and often the fog of war in an incident like this, the facts change a little bit. But it does suggest that this was a significantly premeditated act, maybe the act of a sniper or someone who was trying to do something bad. And we've seen this far too often, whether it was the young man in Butler, Pennsylvania, or the gunman in Las Vegas setting up a parapet in a hotel window and spraying down on country music singers or country music fans in Vegas. These are people that have taken some time to carry out an act in these circumstances. And all of us know that that means other people might have been in the know or had some suspicion. And it's a reminder that if we see someone teetering towards such a horrific event, how important it is to say something immediately and to get to police. We saw recently an effort by Cash Patel and the local sheriff's department, North Carolina, to stop a person who was about to create a massacre at a school. Someone had to speak up to make that possible. I think that's great. We need more of that. But again, all of these events, the more we look at these events in the last few months, you have people that have spent some time thinking out how they're going to do this and preparing and prepping and potentially taking actions that might tip someone else off. And I think if that turns out to be the case here, with some of the early evidence that we're hearing, it's a reminder that if you see something suspicious, how important it is to speak up so that we don't have a regret a few moments later, and we're going to learn a lot more. But it's a pretty extraordinary and sad day for America. It's a sad day for Charlie, who's a young dad and a good young dad, somebody who's very proud of being a dad. And he wanted to hand off. He said this to me in Colorado. I want to hand off a country to my children who is better than the one I got. And that's what got him up in the morning and probably what he thought when he went to bed. He meant it sincerely. He said some very profound things in our Q and A on stage. And you got a sense that Charlie really has a great passion for this country. And I think today we all should be sad that someone that had that passion and that love, regardless of our political views, someone thought it was a righteous thing to do or an appropriate thing to do to try to silence that voice and I hope they haven't succeeded. I hope we get some good news out of this in the near future.
Steve Bannon
I hope we do too, John. Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point usa. I mean, let's just reflect on Charlie Kirk for a moment. Let's talk about the fact that he is a unique individual. He's only in his early 30s, right? 31, 32 years old, was able to create Turning Point USA in 2012. He's created this movement in America of young people. I mean, if you go to his events, John, which you have, and I have the enthusiasm, the young people. And you see young people becoming more conservative every day, right? You see this happening every day, people becoming more conservative. And Charlie Kirk is one of the driving forces behind that movement, isn't he?
John Solomon
He was. When I went to his first event, I think in December 2015 was the first time I spoke and was involved at event. Maybe there were six or seven hundred people there, tops. And now there are thousands. And Charlie said something to me two weeks ago when we were in Colorado, and he said that all that needed to be done was to let people who thought like me and grew up in values and families that taught right from wrong and that America is good, that it's okay to have those thoughts and to have those opinions. And it's. You can be conservative and cool. You don't have to be bowed into taking someone else's bullying into a new political viewpoint. And that's what motivated him. I said, well, did you ever imagine the success? And he said, I did, because I knew once someone would stand shoulder to shoulder with one person and the next person, next person, we'd create a movement and that lots of people who had these values wouldn't abandon those values because they were bullied in the public square or bullied in the schoolhouse or bullied on social media. So he understood what he was doing. He was creating a massive support system for people to feel comfortable about being conservative, about being law and order, about being Christian and not having to be apologetic or be forced to change those opinions. And he understood the power of positive peer pressure. That's, I think, what he called it, positive peer pressure. And I really realized at such a young age, because he starts at 18, 19, 20, dropping out of college to pursue this passion he had. How wise he was beyond his years, understanding that with social media and events and discussion, he could allow people whose natural values were to be conservative or to be life protecting or a liberty protecting, that all they needed to come out of the political closet was a few more friends alongside them. And he chained those friends across this country. It's in the millions now. And I think a lot of people I talk to believe that he's a significant reason why we're seeing Zoomers, Gen Z people become a more conservative, overtly conservative generation after the millennials who clearly lean to the left. He stood up for people who were bullied on campus. He stood up for those who had no voice. He stood up for those who saw their freedoms taken away for no reason other than mob mentality in these universities. And I think he's made college campuses a more tolerant, albeit a work in progress environment. And I think he's given an entire generation of Americans the courage to be who their values say they want to be, as opposed to what TikTok, social media or your leftist teacher told you you had to be. And I think that's an extraordinary accomplishment for someone in their 30s. And I hope when he's in his 50s and 60s, if he gets through this day, he'll have many more numbers to put under that accolade. But it's an amazing accolade. Look at that crowd that you're showing on screen there right now, Steve. That's just one location. But all across college campuses, people come to see him, to find fellowship in realizing that it's okay to love America, believe in freedom, believe in life, and be a Christian and not have to apologize for it. And I think that's an amazing legacy he's already created at a young part in his life.
Steve Bannon
Yeah, don't apologize for being an American. That's really what it's all about here. Because he believes in this country and the hope of the future and the hope of his two young children. He believes in these things, this Charlie Kirk. And he knew the risk, John, we talked about that just a moment ago. He knew the risks of going out there, that you could be targeted. Like the baseball game you spoke about back in 2017. When these things happen, it can steal the resolve. I don't think an attack on Charlie Kirk lessens what he has started. It galvanizes it, it moves it forward. Because people say, this is not the America I want. I don't want crazy, hateful people trying to kill those that are standing up for me and for my country and for my future. This insanity will not continue. It will not be tolerated. And everything that he stood for. And again, I go back to Charlie. When he talks on campuses, he takes everybody. He's not condescending, he's not hateful, he's not spiteful. He's conversational now. He doesn't agree with a lot of the things that are said to him on a variety of topics. That's okay. That's what America is supposed to be. We're supposed to be able to have a robust debate of ideas. That's the point of America. In fact, freedom of speech is the baseline, pivotal position of this country. It's the defining issue. The First Amendment of the United States of America is the envy of the world. Charlie knows that when he looks at what's happening in the UK or France or anywhere in a variety of other countries, he knows what the situation is. We're watching closely. Charlie's at a Charlie Kirk, for anybody joining us at this moment has been gunned down in Utah. Happened about 90 minutes ago now. Orem, Utah. Shot by a lone gunman, it appears. One shot rang out, appeared to hit Charlie in the side of the neck. As he was sitting, taking questions, he crumpled to the ground. We have no idea his condition except that he was taken to the local hospital, Utah Valley University, there in Orem, Utah. Classes canceled till further notice. The campus shut down as this investigation rolls out. Eyewitnesses there said Charlie fell from his chair. It's in the videos. If you care to watch them, I would recommend you don't. An evacuation of the campus was initiated. Everybody weighing in, from President Trump to J.D. vance. Senator Mike Lee. It's a tough day. Here's J.D. vance's post on social media. Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father. Joining me now is the director of the FBI, Cash Patel. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, my mistake. We are closely monitoring reports. It's a tweet, my friends, of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly, and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation. John, I can't help but wonder how this plays in with this initiative started by Donald Trump to lower violent crime in America and how this might, you know, be used to galvanize people against violent crime across this country, especially against political opponents. Sadly, regardless the outcome today, politics will rear its ugly head instead of coming together like we did 25 years ago on 9 11. Sadly, I believe that it'll be social media and the divisiveness that has come to define us. Too much in 2025 that we'll see too much of, probably. There's probably too much of it already on social media. As I've seen. Go ahead, John.
John Solomon
I fear this is going to be a day we're going to have a long conversation in America about the behavior, even on the cable networks right now. And the way they're dealing with this episode is I think a sign that we are not ready to really seriously address what happened today. And it's going to take some moral leadership from the pulpit, from Congress, from pulpit of the White House to understand the gravity of today and what we're learning and why we're having these moments. We shouldn't have to worry about a 31 year old man going out and having a conversation on the college campus and think he's going to be gunned down. We shouldn't think that some lawmakers on a baseball field would have to worry about their safety when they're just shagging ground balls. We shouldn't have to worry that people go to a concert in Las Vegas to celebrate and some gunman sets up in the window. We shouldn't have to worry about young school children going to a Catholic school or a Christian school in Minnesota or Nashville and not coming home that night because someone with deranged political views felt it okay to end their lives. And I want to say something about a moment when this political violence first started in 2017. And I'm staying in touch with some people. So I apologize, I'm multitasking. The FBI tried to hide the true motives of the liberal activist shooter that shot the law enforcement. It took that, we took it. And they tried to hide it as a cop by suicide event when it was a liberal activist clearly targeting Republicans whom he hated. And it took us eight years for the FBI to get us right with that information. Only Cash Patel recently got that information corrected. For us, it is a great disservice when the FBI hid from us the true motives so that maybe society could start evaluating what was going on. That maybe there was some moment in history that we were upon. And when the FBI hid the true intentions of that and so many other intentions of attacks in recent years, they've done a great disservice to this country under Chris Wray and under James Comey and others who tried to hide this, hide this growing scourge of political violence as a solution. And for those people who did it, they should be held accountable because they gave us a 10 year delay in being able to address what we're probably going to have to address tonight and tomorrow and the next day in the most tragic of terms. So we are. There are people to be held accountable for hiding this stuff. It wasn't just protecting the public. They actually harmed the public interest when they didn't tell us the truth of someone, or someone's plural who were using political views to motivate killing. And I think that's something we gotta come to reckon with. I think we're gonna have a very difficult few days ahead of us and I'm, I'm very worried about Charlie's well being right now and I'm very worried about the well being of this country as I know many people watching today are.
Steve Bannon
John Solomon summing it up as well as anybody. John, I appreciate you taking the time to spend some time with us here. I know you've got some other work to tend to now because of the circumstances.
John Solomon
I think we're going to get some news pretty soon.
Steve Bannon
You know, we're getting conflicting reports on the Internet again. We're not going to tell you anything till we have confirmation one saying that. And let's pray that it's true that Charlie has been stabilized. We'll see what happens. John Solomon is going to go run that down for us. Meanwhile, Eric Bowling is here with the. Eric, devastating news. I got just moments before this program. It happened at about 01:20 local time in Orem, Utah. This shooting at Utah Valley University. A devastating hit. Anybody that's seen the video knows it was a devastating hit. But the hand of God can intervene and heal. Anyone we know the hand of God can play a role because we saw what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania on the 13th of July, 2024. We know that miracles can happen. And if it's in God's hands, we could have a second miracle. And that's what we pray for here today. Eric, nice to see you.
Eric Bowling
Yeah, Steve, tough to see on, on, on this breaking news event. It's, it's just horrendous. It's, it's scary. And I think, boy, John Solomon just kind of nailed it. Are we ready to heal? Are we ready? It doesn't seem like we're ready to heal. Doesn't seem like we're ready to heal. And, and these events just, just keep on happening. It's horrendous. The crowd was just so engaged. They were so happy. They were in T shirts. A beautiful day. They're watching and just, just another horrific, horrific event happening. And, and you know, a conservative again at the top. The target, obviously target of some sort of hate crime. Steve, it's just horrendous. We cover this whole thing the full hour. But, but go ahead. I, I Apologize. I mean, to cut you off.
Steve Bannon
No, no, that's. Look, emotions are running high here. I got emotional earlier in the program. I can't help it because I think about people like you and I bowling. Are we safe? Are we just free game to these people on the left? Are we just targets? Can we be doxed and attacked and shot? I mean, to the most heartbreaking thing that I've seen in the last few minutes. My 20 year old daughter, yeah. Sent me a note and said, dad, it's time to retire. Because she's a big Charlie Kirk fan. She's devastated, says, dad, could you retire now? I'm like, I can't retire now, kid. I could never give up this fight at this point because I would never let him win.
Eric Bowling
Steve, I'm so glad you ended with that because there is, there's a discussion, in fact, I, we have Laura Logan on and a little bit had discussion with her and, and I said, is this to the point where conservatives have to, you know, change our habits of, you know, we need protection? And she said, you can't let them win, Eric. You can't let. And she's right. You're right. They can't win. I'm not suggesting we stand up there and, and taunt them, but we certainly shouldn't allow them to censor us because of these heinous, heinous acts. Whether it's, yeah, Charlotte, North Carolina or Utah Valley University, you know, a few days later, these people are after us. But you know what? We're stronger, we're bigger, and we will prevent.
Steve Bannon
All right, bowling. Hold on. Before, before, before we split here, Fox News reporting. Michael Mallinson, a member of the Democrat Party, Utah, looks to be a guy, maybe.
Dr. Dennis Black
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Steve Bannon
This is an iHeart podcast.
Date: September 10th, 2025
Episode Theme: Reaction to the Shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University
This emotionally charged episode of America's Voice Live, hosted by Steve Gruber, centers entirely on breaking news: the shooting of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a Q&A session at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The hosts, contributors, and guests—who include Christina Bobb, Grant Stinchfield, John Solomon, and Eric Bolling—respond in real-time to the developing story, sharing updates, personal reflections, and pointed commentary about political violence, free speech, media rhetoric, and the broader culture war in America.
Quote:
"Today he took a bullet for believing in free speech." – Steve Gruber ([06:55])
Quote:
"We better hear some really, really strong condemnation from the left immediately... This is evil." – Christina Bobb ([03:02])
Quote:
"CNN has blood on its hands today... They encourage this kind of behavior." – Grant Stinchfield ([22:17])
Historical References:
Reflection on National Decline:
Quote:
"We can have political disagreements without settling them this way." – John Solomon ([26:14])
Quote:
"He believed strongly that we could solve a lot of our differences with just a good old-fashioned conversation." – John Solomon ([29:41])
Hosts’ and Guests’ Emotional Responses:
Emphasis on Not Letting Violence Win:
Quote:
"You can't let them win... We certainly shouldn't allow them to censor us because of these heinous, heinous acts." – Eric Bolling ([57:44])
Quote:
"If violence becomes the solution to it, then the entire American experience... isn't safe." – John Solomon ([33:43])
| Speaker | Quote | Timestamp | |---------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------| | Steve Gruber | "Today he took a bullet for believing in free speech." | 06:55 | | Christina Bobb | "We better hear some really, really strong condemnation from the left..." | 03:02 | | Grant Stinchfield | "CNN has blood on its hands today. Steve." | 22:17 | | John Solomon | "We can have political disagreements without settling them this way." | 26:14 | | John Solomon | "He was willing to debate without demean, he was willing to engage without insulting." | 29:41 | | Steve Gruber | "Don't apologize for being an American. That's really what it's all about here." | 47:26 | | Eric Bolling | "You can't let them win, Eric...We certainly shouldn't allow them to censor us because of these heinous, heinous acts." | 57:44 |
Throughout this intense, evolving episode, hosts and guests process the trauma and broader significance of the attack on Charlie Kirk. Their commentary moves from shock and grief to anger and calls for structural, cultural, and political change. Personal relationships, reflections on American democracy, and fears for freedom of speech thread throughout, unified by an urgent plea for peace, unity, and moral leadership.
Note:
Coverage in this episode is highly partisan, featuring strong opinions and blame toward political opponents and media figures. The tone is emotional, urgent, and, at times, accusatory, reflecting both deep personal connection to the subject and a sense of national crisis.