President Donald Trump told reporters that "we just have to beat the hell" out of "radical left lunatics," following the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, writes POLITICO.

The president, speaking on the South Lawn of the White House as he was heading to New York City, was responding to a reporter who asked what the president`s message was to conservatives who feel targeted by "adical groups."

Trump, who also had some more measured comments about Kirk`s killing during the roughly 10-minute exchange with reporters, said: "We have to be brave in life, in all fairness, we have a life. I probably shouldn`t be out here talking to you in all fairness but we will be brave. And we have a great country. We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them".

The president added in a separate answer that he would urge his supporters to follow a nonviolent path in response to the shooting. "He [Kirk] was an advocate of nonviolence," Trump said. "That`s the way I’d like to see people respond."