'Is this it?' Utah governor calls on Americans to repair a broken country

Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times on Sep 10, 2025

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called on Americans to come together to repair a country that appears to be broken.

“More than the leaders, we just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be and to ask ourselves — is this it?” he said during a news conference Wednesday.

He promised that the gunman responsible for the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk would be held accountable “to the furthest extent of the law,” stressing that Utah has the death penalty.

“This is a dark day for our state,” he said. “It’s a tragic day for our nation.”

He said Kirk was first and foremost a husband and father of two young children and was a believer in free speech and debate.

“Historically, our university campuses in this nation and here in the state of Utah have been the place where truth and ideas are formulated and debated. And that’s what he does,” Cox said. “He comes on college campuses and he debates.”