Washington: About 2.30pm on Wednesday, White House aides brought a message to US President Donald Trump.

Charlie Kirk, the conservative influencer and close Trump ally, had been shot while speaking at a Utah college campus . They briefed the president on the initial reports about Kirk, who had been struck in the neck.

In the hour that followed, the apparently shocked president asked for updates and took calls from a few reporters on his cellphone. Kirk, the president said, was a terrific man.

He was already speaking of Kirk in the past tense. By then, Trump and White House aides knew that Kirk had not survived the shooting, according to two people familiar with the situation. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Kirk’s death would be confirmed publi

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