Young voters who supported President Donald Trump in last year’s election were shaken by conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, detailing in new focus group conversations how his death affected their own senses of safety — and, in some cases, their personal relationships.

“I felt like I kind of knew him,” said Shana S., a 27-year-old Republican from Nevada. “I followed him pretty much from the start, have, at least to my knowledge, have watched pretty much every video he’s put out, listened to most of his podcasts. … Nobody deserves that to happen to them.”

All but one of the 14 swing-state Trump voters, ages 18 to 29, said they had heard of Kirk before he was killed. The focus groups were observed by NBC News as part of the 2025 “Deciders” series produced by Syracuse Univer

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