Conservative firebrand Ben Shapiro on Sept. 11 disputed rumors about canceling a speaking tour following the assassination of his friend Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University and vowed to continue “telling the truth.”
Shapiro spoke out following the postponement of a book signing scheduled for the night before at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California.
“I saw a lot of rumors online … that I canceled some college tour,” Shapiro said in an impassioned video statement on X. “They are false. I will be coming to college campuses, many of them this year. So will we all, I am sure. Because we’re Americans. We are not going to be deterred. Charlie’s voice is not silent.
“We’re going to pick up that bloodstained microphone where Charlie left it,” he continued. “We will not stop telling the truth. We will never stop telling the truth. We will never stop debating and discussing. We will never stop standing up for what America is, and for what she should be. And we will never let Charlie Kirk’s voice die.”
The library in Simi Valley, California, has not yet released a new date for the event, a representative of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute told The Epoch Times.
“Out of respect to Charlie Kirk’s family following the devastating and tragic loss of Charlie’s life yesterday, we opted to postpone our event with Ben Shapiro,” the foundation’s spokeswoman Melissa Giller told The Epoch Times in an email.
“It will be rescheduled, but at this time we haven’t had the time to work with his office to find an appropriate date,“ Giller added. ”Once a new date is set, anyone who had registered for the event that was supposed to be yesterday will get an email from us asking if they’d like to be re-registered for the new day.”
The library holds events and book signings with featured political guests several times a month. A previous lecture and book signing with Shapiro held in 2019 was sold out.
The next event scheduled at the library—a free concert by the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West, was also canceled. No reason was provided on the website. A conversation and book signing with Fox News host Bret Baier is scheduled for Oct. 28.
Fred Ryan, chairman of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, issued a statement after Kirk’s death.
“The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a shocking example of the dangers posed by political extremism and violence,” Ryan said. “These acts are not random—they are driven by hatred and designed to silence voices and sow fear. They are an attack not only on individuals, but on America’s civic culture.
“As President Reagan reminded us: ‘Democrats and Republicans alike must be resolute in disassociating ourselves from any group or individual … whose arguments are supported only by intimidation or threats of violence. We must, and will, continue our unified rejection of such elements of hate in our political life, for while there are many issues which divide us, it is fundamental principles such as this which will always draw us together.’”
