(NewsNation) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is calling for a cultural shift towards unity in the U.S. following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.
“History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country,” Cox said. “But every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us.”
On Friday, authorities announced in a press conference that the 22-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting Kirk was in custody following a days-long manhunt. During the press conference, Cox called on Americans to reflect on Kirk’s passing, but also on the political tension in the country.
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“This is certainly about the tragic death, the assassination, the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. But it is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us,” Cox said. “It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been and who we could be in better times.”
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Speaking directly to American youth, Cox stressed the need for compassion and communication if the country wishes to change the current narrative around political debate.
“To my young friends out there, you are inheriting a country were politics feel like rage. It feels like rage is the only option,” Cox said. “Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different from what we are suffering through right now. Not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.”
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Cox said if Americans continue to point their fingers at one another over political debates, the divide in this country will only widen.
“We will never be able to solve all the other problems, including the violence problems that people are worried about, if we can’t have a clash of ideas, safely and securely. Even, especially, especially those ideas with which you disagree. That’s why this matters so much.”
