After Donald Trump Jr. sat in a Provo courtroom this week and listened to prosecutors present evidence they say shows who fatally shot Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus, Trump said he believes the case is “very cut and dry to me.”
The president’s son said in a Wednesday interview on the Fox News program America’s Newsroom that he felt the evidence presented so far in the preliminary hearing led him to believe that Tyler Robinson — the now-23-year-old Utah man who has been charged with aggravated murder and other crimes — was the shooter.
“I haven’t been that vocal because I haven’t known what’s real and what’s not,” Trump told Fox News host Bill Hemmer. “But having literally been there in the room, seen the evidence with my own eyes, it’s very clear to me that Tyler Robinson will be found guilty.”
Trump has sat alongside his wife, Bettina Trump, in court this week as they quietly listened to prosecutors lay out their case. They’ve been in the same row as Kirk’s parents and his widow, Erika Kirk — who at times have left the courtroom when there has been testimony or evidence of the actual shooting. Trump said on Fox News that he wanted to be in the courtroom to support the Kirks and to “honor Charlie’s legacy.”
When asked about how Erika Kirk was doing, Trump said: “She is doing as well as she can be under the circumstances. She was obviously very grateful that Bettina and I were there to support her. Obviously, I’ve been friends with her as long as she’s known Charlie. And she’s just a great person, a mother trying to get by, trying to fulfill her husband’s legacy.”
(Marielle Scott | AP) Erika Kirk leaves the Fourth District Courthouse, Monday, July 6, 2026, in Provo after a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Trump said some of the testimony this week was frustrating, like when he learned that Utah Valley University had only six officers on duty for the Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10 and there was no security briefing beforehand. “Anyone who’s watched the news in the last decade or so would realize there’d be thousands of people on this campus,” he said.
This week’s preliminary hearing is not a trial, and the burden of proof is much lower. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf will determine whether there is “probable cause” that Robinson likely committed a crime, compared to the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard that jurors must find in a trial.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, in Provo on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
If the judge finds there is probable cause, the case will move forward and Robinson will enter a plea to the charges. A trial date has not been set.

Jessica Schreifels