Former President Barack Obama has spoken out following the shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, calling the murder a “tragedy” and warning that the country is facing a dangerous “inflection point.”

Obama, 64, delivered his first public remarks on the killing during the Jefferson Educational Society’s global summit Tuesday night, following an initial statement he had posted on X just hours after the shooting.

“Even if you think they’re quote unquote on the other side of the argument, that’s a threat to all of us and we have to be clear and forthright and condemn it,” Obama said inside the Erie Insurance Arena.
He described Kirk’s death as a stark reminder of the rise in political violence. “We’re at an inflection point in the sense that we always have to fight for our democracy and we have to fight for those values that have made this country the envy of the world,” he added.

Remarks on Political Polarization
While expressing sympathy for Kirk’s family, Obama reflected on how different administrations have shaped the nation’s political climate.