Utah’s Republican governor makes case for unity – in stark contrast with Trump

In a nation seemingly on the brink, they were words that Americans needed to hear – coming not from the president but a politician with civility, compassion and rhetorical grace notes.

“We can return violence with violence, we can return hate with hate, and that’s the problem with political violence – it metastasises because we can always point the figure at the other side,” said Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah. “At some point we have to find an offramp or else it’s going to get much, much worse.”

In a tone of moral urgency, Cox added: “These are choices that we can make. History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country but every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us.”

The two-term Republican governor has frequently worked with Democrats and issued pleas for bipartisan cooperation. He drew national attention with a deeply personal response to the 2016 shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub and has long espoused a vision of politics rooted in unity and respect.

That was evident in the calm, measured yet impassioned remarks that he made on Friday as the Trump-appointed FBI director, Kash Patel, looked on. “Over the last 48 hours I have been as angry as I have ever been, as sad as I have ever been,” Cox said, a tremor in his voice.

The 50-year-old governor, who has four children who are teenagers and young adults, directed some of his remarks to young people. “You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage,” he said. “It feels like rage is the only option.”

But, Cox insisted, there was a different path. “Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now. Not by pretending differences don’t matter but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.”

Cox drew a comparison with the political violence of the 1960s that included the assassinations of President John F Kennedy and the civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cox said he believed God had a hand in sparing Trump’s life and suggested Trump was uniquely positioned to save the country “by emphasizing unity rather than hate”.

Trump, however, has a history of exploiting tragedies to berate opponents and sow further division.

As governor of Utah, Cox went against the grain among Republicans and vetoed a 2022 bill that would have banned transgender athletes from playing on girls’ teams. He said the law would affect just four of the 85,000 student athletes in Utah at the time and noted suicide statistics for transgender youth.

His move provoked a backlash among conservatives. “Utah Governor Spencer Cox should be expelled from the Republican party,” wrote one.

His name was Charlie Kirk.