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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Manhunt Underway For Killer Of Activist Charlie Kirk; White House Mourning Conservative Charlie Kirk; Conservatives Express Shock, Dismay At Kirk Assassination. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired September 12, 2025 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:18]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm Brian Abel. Rahel Solomon is off.
It is Friday, September 12th, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C.
And straight ahead on EARLY START.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: New details and evidence that authorities are releasing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot do our job without the public's help right now.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House still reeling after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am really concerned for our country. We have a radical left group of lunatics out there.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Members of the MAGA movement are now talking about war.
ALEX JONES, INFOWARS HOST: We're in a war.
REEVE: Good versus evil, and an American tipping point.
MADISON CAMPBELL, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: The next person who starts to take his place is going to be much more far right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ABEL: We begin with the investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk. More than a day after the conservative activist was shot dead in Utah, authorities have yet to identify the gunman, but they do have images of a suspect and they are asking for the public's help in naming him. Surveillance footage shows him wearing a baseball cap, jeans and a
dark shirt emblazoned with an American flag and then on his feet, Converse style shoes with a white sole. And the FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the shooter's identification and arrest.
You see some of the images of that suspect here. Officials say the gunman used a high-powered rifle to fire from the rooftop of a nearby building. And here, it's going to zoom in in a minute. This video of a man on that roof dropping to the ground, then moving across some grass in a parking lot, eventually making his way into a wooded area.
Authorities say more than 7,000 tips have been received, and more than 200 interviews have been conducted, but they still need help tracking down the assassin.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has been closely following this investigation, and reports from Orem, Utah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are now into day two of the massive manhunt to find the killer of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk here on the campus of Utah Valley University. The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon, and there is still no clear indication that authorities are any closer to finding out who this suspect is, or where he might be.
We were told earlier in the day that there were rapidly changing developments and gave us the impression that perhaps there might be some breakthrough in finding out who this person is and whether or not he had been taken into custody. But this press conference that was delayed some eight hours did not give us that kind of clarity and information. So, we are left with new information and new details and evidence that authorities are releasing in hopes that people will see these pictures, and it will force them and inspire them to call the FBI tip line and the state police tip line here in Utah.
So I'll walk you through some of this new video evidence. Authorities here releasing video of this suspect walking across the rooftop. They believe that the gunman used to get the vantage point on Charlie Kirk as he was speaking with students in this courtyard area of the campus.
You can see the suspect running across the building and then getting to the edge and hoisting himself down and falling, dropping to the ground from the -- from the top of the rooftop there. And then confidently and casually walking away toward the street. And that's where the video cuts off.
And there are also a number of enhanced still pictures showing the gunman with jeans, a black shirt, a hat. And they're hoping that people will recognize this and call it in, and in hopes that this will lead to identifying who this suspect is.
But what is interesting is that the video does cut off as the suspect heads off onto the eastern edge of the campus into this neighborhood where authorities found in a wooded area on the edge of this neighborhood, the rifle that was used to kill Charlie Kirk. That is being processed and analyzed. And there's also a great deal of focus on that neighborhood, because in that area, it appears that that allowed -- gave the suspect the cover and the ability to escape from this shooting location, as thousands of other students started to run away from the shooting scene as well.
But the major headline here in Utah tonight is that they have released these new video images, and they're hoping that someone in the public will see this and that it will trigger some sort of identification of this suspect, as the manhunt for this killer continues.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, in Utah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:05:00]
ABEL: And as the investigation moves forward, Charlie Kirk's casket is now in Phoenix, Arizona, where the activists lived. Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, escorted Kirk's remains, as well as the activist's wife and their two children as they departed Utah. In a somber moment, you see it here, Vance placing his hand on the coffin as it was carried toward Air Force Two, the vice president's plane.
In Phoenix, plans for Kirk's funeral are underway. It is expected to be held in the coming days, with President Donald Trump planning to attend.
(BEGIN VIDOE CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you going to go to Charlie Kirk's funeral, sir?
TRUMP: I will be.
REPORTER: You will?
REPORTER: Do you know when that will be?
TRUMP: I believe it's in Arizona and they've asked me to go, and I think I have an obligation to do it.
REPORTER: Do you know when that will be?
TRUMP: I'm hearing the next -- I hear next weekend. Whenever it is, I'll be going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: The president went on to call the gunman an animal and vowed to deal with him very appropriately. While speaking to reporters, he also chose to politicize Kirk's murder, even though we don't yet know the motive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you concerned for your own safety?
TRUMP: Not really. I'm really concerned for our country. We have a great country. We have a radical left group of lunatics out there, just absolute lunatics. And we're going to get that problem solved. I'm only concerned for the country. Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: CNN's Kristen Holmes reports from the White House on the impact of Kirk's death.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House still reeling after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. All eyes on the investigation trying to get answers. We talked to a number of people within the White House who said they are monitoring every move the FBI makes, every piece of this investigation incredibly closely. But part of them is still in disbelief. We talked to advisers who talked about how difficult the last two days have been, some of them moving from sadness to anger.
During an interview with Scott Jennings, the chief of staff, Susie Wiles, said this about Charlie's death.
SUSIE WILES, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Charlie was very much a part of this family and maybe the highest profile MAGA person outside of those that are working here. So, I think it shook everybody to their core. I called everybody in, before they went home last night and said, go home, hug your children, hug your spouse, be careful. Take precautions, and don't let your voice get softer.
HOLMES: And on Thursday, Vice President J.D. Vance canceled his plans to go to New York for a commemoration of 9/11, instead going to Utah to meet with Charlie Kirk's family. He was a close personal friend of Kirk's, of his family, and then take Kirk's remains back to Arizona. Charlie Kirk is based in Arizona.
Very powerful video seen of J.D. Vance carrying the casket, loading it onto Air Force Two before that plane took off and headed to Arizona for Charlie Kirk's final resting place.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: And we are also hearing from Ronald Reagan's daughter, who says there's a big difference in how Americans reacted to when her father was shot back in 1981, and how they're reacting now to Charlie Kirk's killing. She spoke to CNN about it earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATTI DAVIS, DAUGHTER OF LATE FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: Every time this happens, I think back to 1981, and I think about the mood of the country when this happened was there was a suspension of politics and rancor, and I felt it really viscerally that this country kind of folded itself around us and remembered how to be compassionate and remembered humanity over politics.
And we don't have that anymore. And I'm sorry for Charlie Kirk's family that they don't have that because it mattered. You know, I mean, even many days later when I came back from D.C. and I was back here in Los Angeles, if I went to the store, I walked my dog or something. You know, people would stop me, and. And I don't know what their politics were. I don't know if they agreed with my father or not, but they were -- they were shocked and they were sorry, and they were concerned and they were very sincere about it.
And like I said, it mattered. One of the things that I find not helpful is when elected officials go on air and say, well, this is not who we are. This is not what America is about. Really? Because from where I sit, this is exactly who we are right now.
And I don't know how we change that or how we fix that unless you look at it straight on and take ownership of that and admit, yeah, this is who we are right now. What are we going to do about it. I don't know what to do about it. I don't know how to fix it, but I do know that you can't fix anything unless you stand, you know, toe to toe with what the problem is, and look at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:10:09]
ABEL: And joining me now is Irie Sentner, White House reporter for "Politico" and coauthor of the newsletter "West Wing Playbook".
And, Irie, I want to get to her comments a little bit more in just a moment. But first, some supporters of Kirk are viewing his killing as an inflection point. Weve also heard analysts on our air here say were living in an assassination culture.
Can you give us some insight from your reporting into how Kirk's death is rippling through the political landscape at the moment?
IRIE SENTNER, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: Right. I mean, if you've -- if you've been online at all in the past 48 hours, I'm sure everybody has seen just how this this has really hit a boiling point where people on the right are so incredibly hurt. And that is manifesting in you know, a lot of -- a lot of anger that's gotten really intense.
We, you know, were seeing that inside the White House, all the way up to the president of the United States, who's blamed this on the radical left and the media. We're seeing that on the Hill where, you know, there was this really stunning moment where the floor was cast into chaos and a screaming match.
I think there's a lot of pain right now, particularly on the right. And we're seeing that really escalate.
ABEL: Yeah. And Kirk's killing is highly personal for many in this White House, Irie. How has that manifested so far? How do we expect it to continue to play out in the coming days and weeks ahead?
SENTNER: Uh-huh. I mean, yeah, like, you know, the vice president was very, very close friend of Kirk's. You know, Kirk was texting and calling people in the White House every day, calling and texting people on the hill every day. I personally was at the White House when the announcement came through that that he'd been shot and then later that he'd been killed.
And it was a really somber moment because, you know, these are these are staffers that we speak to every day as reporters who knew him or if they didn't know him, really looked up to him. And that's just contributing to -- to that that pain, right?
This isn't just -- he wasn't just a political ally. He was somebody for the people at the very, very top of the American government, who, you know, they would text about their kids and their families and their faith.
ABEL: Irie, I heard Patti Davis, Ronald Reagan's daughter, talk about the reactions from then to now. But I also want to explore and get your thoughts on the response and reactions from political leaders from then to now, and the impact on the public's actions at this moment.
SENTNER: I mean, the president last night had had some pretty stunning words to say. He's continued again to blame it on the left. Typically, these types of tragedies, these types of national tragedies are times for the country to come together, right? In times when we see our leadership you know, transcend political lines and say, you know, this is a time for us to be strong as a country.
This is not what we're seeing the president do. It's not what we're seeing. A lot of prominent Republicans do you know, clearly, Democrats and Republicans were very quick to condemn it, to say, you know, there's no place in this country for political violence. But very quickly, also, we saw a lot of Republicans up to the vice president and the president say that this was a direct result of rhetoric coming from the left, and that that -- I think is really demonstrative of this, this new era that we're in.
ABEL: And to that point, Irie, are there any indications that that rhetoric is expected to change any time soon, whether it be at the White House, Capitol Hill, elsewhere?
SENTNER: I mean, your guess is as good as mine. I have not seen any indications personally, my reporting doesn't show that. You know, this -- this White House is, it leans into the voice of Trump, and the voice of Trump is harsh and it is inflammatory. And that is, you know, what worked in 2016 and what worked in 2024.
And it's a voice that the rest of the party has adopted. And so, you know, I'm not expecting to see the rhetoric really on either side change because the left has to be able to match what the right is doing.
And, you know, in this era of social media and of soundbites, I really don't see the temperature coming down anytime soon.
ABEL: Yeah. It seems social media seems to be adding fuel to this fire, certainly.
Irie Sentner with "Politico", thank you for joining us. Appreciate you.
Still ahead, some young conservatives in the U.S. say Charlie Kirk shocking assassination has them worried about the future. Hear their reactions ahead on EARLY START.
Plus, the attack on Kirk is raising fears of more political violence in the U.S. Lawmakers on capitol hill are pushing for greater security and scaling back public events as a result.
And still ahead, lockdowns and interior sweeps, the schools and buildings targeted following Charlie Kirk's death. It's all up next.
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[05:20:19]
ABEL: Authorities have not publicly named the suspect in Charlie Kirks assassination, nor have they publicly shared a possible motive for the killing.
But in this era that's dominated by social media, some on the right say the killing of a conservative activist will push more people to radicalization and divisive politics.
CNN's Elle Reeve reports on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN MCCROSSEN, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: I didn't want to see that video. It just kind of popped up on my timeline on X. I mean, it was horrific. It was the worst thing you can imagine. And seeing that was really devastating.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Young conservatives are in shock at the apparent assassination of Charlie Kirk.
RYAN LEONARD, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: I take no -- take no pleasure in thinking this way, but things might be about to get a lot worse.
REEVE: They were drawn in by the way Kirk mixed it up with ideological opponents on college campuses.
CHARLIE KIRK, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: Your life began not at birth, but at conception, about nine months before --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's your opinion.
KIRK: If I wear blackface and I don't become black, why does a man who wear a dress become a woman? MADISON CAMPBELL, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: It was because of his quick
wit, his debate style was much different than anyone really, in the conservative movement had.
REEVE: The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA inspired young conservatives to forcefully defend their beliefs even when outnumbered.
CHRISTOPHER BRAY, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: I think seeing someone that was willing to stand up to huge crowds at liberal schools was really powerful. Going to a liberal arts college in New York City in Manhattan, of all places, it can be very difficult to, like, navigate what you can and can't talk about.
LEONARD: It was just this place where I felt like I could be free and some of some of my closest friends in my life I met at these events.
REEVE: It's hard to escape, especially in alternative media, the members of the MAGA movement, who are now talking about war --
ALEX JONES, INFOWARS HOST: We're in a war.
REEVE: Good versus evil, and an American tipping point.
TRUMP: This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing.
STEVE BANNON, PODCAST HOST: Charlie Kirk's a casualty of war. We're at war in this country.
CAMPBELL: Look, there is political violence on both sides and political violence on both sides is equally reprehensible.
MCCROSSEN: I think people are going to become a lot more radical. I think that goes without saying. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, you could determine. But people are -- people are upset.
REEVE: These young conservatives saw Kirk as a moderate and are unsettled that someone with his views would be killed.
LUCIAN WINTRICH, NEW YORK YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB: For somebody who I personally consider kind of a normie conservative to be murdered, to be assassinated, for those views -- yeah. We're all struggling to process it.
CAMPBELL: The next person who starts to take his place is going to be much more far right, because in order to do that, you have to almost be willing to die for your opinions.
I think that is, in a way, beautiful. It's very, you know, it's -- it's a martyrdom, right? Which is beautiful to die for your beliefs.
REEVE: Elle Reeve, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ABEL: American lawmakers are increasingly concerned about their personal safety in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing, which has also sped up conversations about boosting their security, according to a Republican senator. Markwayne Mullin chairs the legislative branch subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He says discussions include the possibility of a security detail for every senator when they are back home in district.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I like being accessible, but being accessible is starting to look like being vulnerable. And, so I think there are a lot of us that are concerned about that.
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): Different people have different threat levels, those different threat levels may require a different stance, a different look for their -- for their detail. So, it's not one size fits all. We're going to have to be fluid and be able to build a flex when we need a flex. And be able to dial down when in doubt now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: While there may be bipartisan agreements with those sentiments, Washington remains bitterly divided. The blame game and heightened security fears from both parties underscore how tense and bitter this point is in American politics. A growing wave of threats in the U.S. also across the south, multiple historically black colleges and universities were placed on lockdown Thursday after receiving threats.
This comes just one day after conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah college campus. Most lockdowns have since been lifted, but still, some schools canceled classes and campus activities through the weekend as a precaution.
[05:25:01]
A bomb was also made towards -- a bomb threat, rather, made towards the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, but that was determined not to be credible by U.S. Capitol Police.
President Trump says Charlie Kirk's widow is absolutely devastated. Ahead, a closer look at the relationship between Charlie and Erika Kirk. Stay with us.
Plus, we're hearing from the last person to speak to Kirk, who says he is struggling to grapple with the shooting. All of those details are ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ABEL: President Trump says Charlie Kirk's widow is absolutely devastated.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more on Erika Kirk and her relationship with her husband.
