For the approximately 40 hours between the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the announcement Friday that a suspect had been apprehended, finger-pointing reined on the right.
Some Republicans and right-wing pundits and influencers spoke of “war” and their side becoming radicalized in response. President Donald Trump, who’d floated cracking down on leftists and liberal organizations he baselessly blamed for political violence, topped it off Friday morning by suggesting conservative extremists have been radicalized for legitimate reasons, while saying that “radicals on the left are the problem.”
At a time when politicians and presidents usually call for calm and unity, his rhetoric was throwing fuel on the fire. And it wasn’t difficult to see how that could lead to even more ugly places.
But the tragedy in Utah also happens to have cast a spotlight on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox — a Republican who has spent years calling for quite the opposite approach: a more civil and less angry version of politics. And over the last 24 hours, he’s seized the moment.
During two press conferences late Thursday and early Friday, it’s Cox who did most of the talking. He used that time to project a far different message than that of Trump and leading MAGA figures.
He at one point explicitly decried the tendency to “point the finger at the other side,” something Trump and others have repeatedly done.
“We can return violence with violence. We can return hate with hate. And that’s the problem with political violence,” Cox said. “It metastasizes, because we can always point the finger at the other side.
“And at some point, we have to find an off-ramp, or it’s going to get much, much worse.”
At another point, Cox emphasized that “there is one person responsible for what happened here” – a counterpoint to those like Trump who speculatively blamed the rhetoric of the political left even before there was a suspect.
People visit a makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 11, 2025. – Cheney Orr/Reuters
Investigators are still working to develop a fuller idea of the suspect’s motivations. Cox said Friday that a family member told the authorities the person in custody had become more political in recent years, and in at least one conversation, he mentioned Kirk and “why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had.”
(And some on the left have responded to Kirk’s assassination with glee, but that’s come almost wholly from random internet users rather than high-profile political figures.)
Cox made a point to cite a series of comments from Kirk himself in which he espoused the importance of forgiveness, nonviolence and not getting caught up in internet rage.
“Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox said. “And again, it’s a choice. It’s a choice, and every one of us gets to make that choice.”
The night before, Cox had urged people to log off social media and cited foreign adversaries – naming Russia and China, specifically – who he said were attempting to foment violence with disinformation.
“I would encourage you to ignore those, to turn off those streams, and spend a little more time with our families,” Cox said.
He added Friday: “I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.”
This is all very much in keeping with Cox’s political brand. At the National Governors Association, he and Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore have spearheaded a “Disagree Better” campaign focused on healthier political dialogue.
Late in his 2020 gubernatorial campaign, Cox actually cut an ad with his Democratic opponent in which both candidates emphasized civil politics and Cox spoke of the need for a “peaceful transition of power,” just weeks before Trump began trying to overturn his 2020 loss.
President Donald pumps his fist after taking questions from reporters on Charlie Kirk, while departing the White House on September 11, 2025. – Win McNamee/Getty Images
This attitude has put Cox in conflict with Trump from time to time. The GOP governor, for example, urged Trump back in May to adopt a more conciliatory style.
“I think if he were here, he’d tell you it’s not his top priority,” Cox said at the time, adding, “I think when there’s been opportunities for him to reflect and change course to bring people together, he can be really good at it.”
Cox has said he didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 and 2020. And in 2024, he said he wouldn’t do it that year either. But he reversed himself after the first assassination attempt against Trump, saying the then-GOP nominee had “the opportunity to do something that no other person on earth can do right now: unify and save our country.”
It remains to be seen whether Cox can help turn down the temperature in this moment. Emotions are still running very high, and to the extent a perception of disproportionate political violence sets in, that’s difficult for people to set aside.
But it feels like it was a choice for Cox to have been doing the bulk of the talking at press conferences the last two days, even as he stood next to FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials. It came as some on the right have begun urging Trump and his allies to cool their rhetoric.
And quickly after Friday’s press conference, Cox earned plaudits from across the political spectrum.
“I know this guy is a Republican and all,” Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz said Friday morning on X, “but I swear you could win all the electoral votes with this message in (20)28.”
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