Donald Trump has ordered US flags to be flown at half mast to honour Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot dead at a university in Utah on Wednesday.
“In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly Great American Patriot, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Sunday evening at 6 P.M.,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Eyewitnesses told the Guardian that Kirk was being questioned about mass shootings when he was shot in the neck at the event. Utah governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, said that law enforcement had “a person of interest” in custody who was being interviewed.
Here’s the day’s Trump administration news at a glance.
Trump ally Charlie Kirk fatally shot in Utah as ‘person of interest’ in custody
The FBI director, Kash Patel, posted on X that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” Utah director the department of public safety, Beau Mason, said that there were security camera images of a suspect and that the shooter was dressed in dark clothing and had potentially fired from a roof.
A spokesperson for Utah Valley University told the New York Times that Kirk was struck by a suspect who had fired from a building about 200 yards away.
US lawmakers unite to condemn Charlie Kirk shooting: ‘Reject political violence’
The killing of Kirk prompted outrage among both Democrats and Republicans over the latest act of political violence in the United States, with Donald Trump lamenting the loss of a key ally.
“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,” tweeted JD Vance, who had earlier in the day called Kirk “a genuinely good guy and a young father”.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, said: “Political violence of any kind and against any individual is unacceptable and completely incompatible with American values.”
Trump asks EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and China
Donald Trump has asked the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and China as part of an effort to force the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to end the war in Ukraine.
The US president made the demand during a meeting between US and EU officials discussing options to increase economic pressure on Russia on Tuesday, according to a White House official.
Ex-FBI officials sue Kash Patel over claims they were fired for investigating Trump
Three former senior officials at the FBI have sued its director, Kash Patel, and the federal government for wrongful termination, saying there had been widespread unlawful political influence at the bureau.
How Trump’s deportation program shuttles immigrants into lawless limbo
The Trump administration is shuttling immigrants around the US in irregular and unprecedented ways, according to the findings of a Guardian investigation, in effect vanishing people into a “purgatory” that denies them constitutionally – protected rights.
What else happened today:
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An Irish grandmother who has lived in the US for most of her life and holds a green card is facing deportation because she wrote a bad cheque for $25 in 2015. Donna Hughes-Brown, 58, was detained in July after landing in Chicago on a flight from Dublin and is being held in isolation in a detention centre in Kentucky.
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A rightwing influencer accompanied officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in Chicago on Sunday as the agency ramps up arrests in the city. Ben Bergquam, the rightwing internet personality, was with agents, filming and making content as well as getting into altercations with local residents along the way, according to a video the Guardian viewed.
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Kamala Harris calls Joe Biden’s decision to seek re-election in 2024 “recklessness” in her new memoir and questions the former president’s judgment while revealing her own frustrations about being marginalized within the administration.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 9 September 2025.
