Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs honored Charlie Kirk on Tuesday in the southwestern Salt Lake County suburb, six days after the conservative commentator was fatally shot at Utah Valley University.
Staggs declared the day “In Remembrance of Charlie Kirk Day,” and encouraged residents to “honor his legacy” through acts of service, civic engagement and respectful dialogue, according to the city’s proclamation. The proclamation came the same day 22-year-old suspected shooter Tyler James Robinson was charged with murder.
Staggs mingled with many top conservatives — including Kirk — during his unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate last year. Kirk spoke at an event with Staggs during the campaign in April 2024, according to videos shared on social media.
Kirk was one of the first people on the national stage to endorse Staggs during his U.S. Senate campaign, the mayor said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.
“This is not somebody that is just a name and a popular figure that we never met — just the opposite, he’s somebody who was very close to us, [who] I considered a friend," Staggs said.
He added that Kirk’s assassination was “absolutely devastating,” and it took a few days for him to process.
Staggs decided upon the proclamation over the weekend as a small token to recognize Kirk as someone who believed in “biblical principles” and the “open exchange of ideas.” The mayor said Kirk visited many environments that were “quite hostile to him, frankly, but it didn’t matter.”
“Riverton City mourns the passing of Charlie Kirk, whose dedication to civic engagement and public dialogue has left a lasting impact on our community,” the Riverton proclamation states. “... Charlie Kirk was tragically assassinated while exemplifying the very civic debate and free expression to which he devoted his life.”
In an Instagram post last week, Staggs said Kirk was “a father, Christian, and one of the greatest proponents of freedom of speech and expression of political beliefs in our history. He believed in me when so few did — I will never forget him, nor will my family.”
Staggs was tapped in May to join President Donald Trump’s administration as a regional advocate within the U.S. Small Business Administration. His term will end in January. Staggs has previously said he plans to serve out the remainder of his term and balance the two roles.