Former President Barack Obama denounced the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 16, while simultaneously criticizing President Donald Trump for politicizing the shooting and not taking further actions to bring the nation together.

During his speech at the Erie Insurance Arena alongside Steve Scully, Obama referred to Kirk’s assassination as both “horrific and tragic.” He emphasized that the foundation of the nation’s democracy is based on the principle that people can have differing opinions without resorting to violence. Obama expressed that he was cognizant of Kirk’s ideas, and although he deemed them incorrect, he still views Kirk’s passing as a tragedy and offers his condolences to the family.

“Still, that does not mean people cannot debate ideas promoted by victims of political violence,” he stated.

He criticized the Trump administration for attributing the shooter to the far left before any details about the shooter were disclosed. Obama further elaborated on his efforts as president to emphasize the “ties that bind us together.”

For instance, after the 2015 Charleston church shootings, he opted not to address the racial motivations or exploit the tragedies to attack his political rivals. Obama also commended Utah Governor Spencer Cox for his initiatives aimed at uniting the nation following Kirk’s death. However, he noted that Trump is not taking that approach.

“When I hear not just our current president, but his aides, who have a history of calling political opponents ‘vermin,’ enemies who need to be ‘targeted,’ that speaks to a broader problem that we have right now…” Obama said, describing the situation in the United States as a “political crisis.”

He emphasized the importance of acknowledging the presence of “extremists” on both sides of the political spectrum.

“I will say that those extreme views were not in my White House. I was not embracing them. I was not empowering them. I was not putting the weight of the United States government behind extremist views,” he said, adding, “when we have the weight of the United States government behind extremist views, we have got a problem.”

Following Kirk’s passing, Trump and his allies announced their intention to target ‘radical left’ groups, despite Utah prosecutors not linking these groups to the shooting. The former president stated that the current administration and several Republicans in Congress seem “okay with just breaking the rules, just breaking the system in certain ways.”

He mentioned Trump’s recent deployment of the National Guard to Washington D.C. and their collaboration with immigration officials. Obama stated that the established guidelines and norms have become irrelevant.

“That makes this a dangerous moment,” he said. “That’s why citizens have to pay attention. That is why those who are in positions of power need to stand up on behalf of these norms and rules,” he concluded.