In brief
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's death, Barack Obama warned of a 'political crisis' unprecedented in modern history. At an event in Pennsylvania, he condemned the killing as 'horrific' while taking aim at inflammatory political rhetoric. The White House countered by labeling Obama as an architect of division. Kirk was fatally shot at a university event, and his alleged killer has been charged with his murder, raising further tensions in the political arena.
Former US President Barack Obama has warned of a 'political crisis of the sort that we haven't seen before' in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk.
At an event in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Obama said he did not know Kirk and disagreed with many of his views, but called the killing 'horrific and a tragedy'.
He criticized Donald Trump's remarks towards his political opponents and pointed to previous Republican presidents who, he said, emphasized national unity in moments of high tension, US media report.
In response, the White House called Obama the 'architect of modern political division'.
Kirk, 31, died of a single gunshot wound while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem on 10 September.
On Tuesday, Tyler Robinson, 22, was formally charged with Kirk's murder, weapons offenses, and other charges. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty.
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray said Robinson had sent text messages which allegedly said he shot Kirk because he 'had enough of his hatred'.
Before Robinson was captured, top Trump allies pinned blame for the killing on left-wing activists and rhetoric from Democratic lawmakers and their supporters.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested that the administration will crack down on 'hate speech' – although there is no specific US hate speech law. Vice-President JD Vance has led calls to expose people who celebrated or condoned Kirk's killing or were critical of him after his slaying.
Speaking in Erie, Pennsylvania, Obama said: 'I think at moments like this, when tensions are high, then part of the job of the president is to pull people together.'
He urged Americans to 'respect other people's right to say things that we profoundly disagree with'.
Obama praised Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a conservative Republican who he said had shown 'that it is possible for us to disagree while abiding by a basic code of how we should engage in public debate'.
The former president contrasted those reactions with comments made by Trump and his allies.
In a statement to the BBC, a White House spokesperson rejected the allegations and accused Obama of stoking division while he was president. 'Obama used every opportunity to sow division and pit Americans against each other,' the spokesperson said.
