President Donald Trump Wonders Whether the Charlie Kirk That He ‘Knew’ Truly ‘Loved His Enemies’

President Donald Trump seemingly walked back his previous comments in which he claimed right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk “did not hate his opponents.”

“He was able to fight people that were enemies, and he didn’t necessarily love those enemies so much,” Trump, 79, said during a White House ceremony on Tuesday, October 14. “You know, I heard he loved his enemies and I said, ‘Wait a minute, is that the same Charlie that I knew?’ I’m not sure. But I didn’t want to get into it.”

Trump’s remarks come one month after he and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, stood in front of thousands at the podcaster’s memorial in Arizona.

Erika, 36, claimed in her public eulogy that Charlie would have forgiven the shooter who killed him.

“The answer to hate is not hate,” Erika said at the September 21 service. “The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

At the time, Trump echoed Erika, saying, “Charlie Kirk truly was … he was a missionary with a noble spirit and a great, great purpose. He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them,” adding, “That’s where I disagreed with Charlie.”

Trump’s Tuesday remarks are a stark contrast to his lengthy eulogy in which he continued, “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry, I am sorry, Erika. But now Erika can talk to me and the whole group and maybe they can convince me that’s not right, but I cannot stand my opponent.”