President Trump was meeting with architects about plans for a White House ballroom when staff interrupted to inform him that Charlie Kirk, the prominent conservative activist, had been killed.

"I didn't know what they meant. I said, 'What do you mean, dead?'" Trump recounted Friday, two days after the shooting. “‘Charlie Kirk was shot.’ They thought he was dead because it was so horrific.”

The president’s shock at the news reflected the widespread feelings at the White House in the aftermath of Kirk’s death: Shock, anger and disbelief that someone many considered a personal friend had been shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University.

Staffers and officials close to the administration — including Vice President Vance — have publicly recounted how they got to know Kirk and how he

See Full Page