'Trump has failed': Ex-GOP strategist slams president's response to Charlie Kirk slaying

A former GOP strategist on Thursday slammed President Donald Trump's response to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Maura Gillespie, who worked for Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and former Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), joined CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" to discuss the aftermath of Kirk's murder, which was widely condemned on both sides of the political aisle.

"Especially on this day, we are reminded of what leadership means," Gillespie said. "And I do feel as though President Trump has failed to meet the moment yet again. A moment when we need somebody to step forward and unify us, because what happened to Charlie Kirk doesn't impact us as Republicans, it impacts us as Americans."

"We have to stop siloing ourselves as Republicans or Democrats. We are all Americans," she continued. "The fact that there is political violence and we have become numb to it, this is not normal. This is not normal behavior. This is not normal for us, and we should not allow it to be."

On Wednesday night, Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office, where he blamed the "radical left" for Kirk's murder. Trump doubled down on those accusations on Thursday, saying the "radical left lunatics" are a "problem" the administration will solve.

"It's on all of us, how we talk to one another, how we talk about one another," Gillespie said.

Watch the entire clip below or by clicking here.