Photos Circulate of Tyler Robinson Wearing a Donald Trump Piggyback Halloween Costume

After being named the prime suspect in the September 2025 shooting of influencer Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson’s name quickly became internationally known.

He was taken into custody during the early morning hours of Sept. 12, just two days after the incident, after his father tipped off police that Robinson had alluded to, or outright admitted, shooting Kirk.

Family accounts suggest Robinson wasn’t fond of Kirk, even mentioning at a family dinner before the event that the MAGA supporter would be speaking at Utah Valley University (UVU). What makes things even more confusing, though, is the discrepancy between his background, the inscriptions reportedly etched on the shell casings used in the attack, and the fact that Robinson once wore a Donald Trump piggyback costume for Halloween.

Check it out below.

A photo of Tyler Robinson wearing a Trump costume during his younger years is now circulating online, thanks to a 2017 Facebook post shared by his mom, Amber Robinson.

While her account now appears to be inactive following what her son allegedly did, outlets, like DailyMail, were quick to screenshot the pictures, and they’ve since been circulating online.

In the photo, Tyler, who would have been around 14 at the time, is on the right wearing a “Presidential Piggyback” costume, the one that shows Donald Trump carrying someone on his back. Spirit Halloween and other retailers were selling the costume at the time.

While it could be interpreted as showing support for Trump, it’s not clear where Tyler’s political beliefs stood back then. His brother, meanwhile, was dressed in hunting gear with a toy gun strapped across his back.

What’s more confusing about Tyler targeting a right-wing influencer is that Tyler’s dad, Matt Robinson, who reportedly helped police by tipping them off about his son, is a registered Republican. He's also a 27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, according to The Guardian.

All in all, the Robinsons come across as a tight-knit family based on Amber’s now-unavailable Facebook posts.

The family lives in a $600,000 home in Washington, Utah, where Tyler was reportedly staying. He was also enrolled in Dixie Technical College’s electrical apprenticeship program in St. George, the Utah System of Higher Education confirmed, per DailyMail. On top of that, he had been awarded a $32,000 presidential scholarship to Utah State University in 2021, though he only completed one semester, the outlet noted.

Between his past behavior (like the Trump Halloween costume), his family’s views, and his apparent upbringing, it may seem odd that Robinson would have targeted Kirk. However, Kirk’s outspoken MAGA views often drew criticism, some of it pretty controversial.

So, there’s a chance Robinson’s political beliefs slowly shifted away from his family’s, which lines up with what a family member told investigators, saying he had “become more political in recent years,” as Utah Governor Spencer Cox shared in a press conference following Robinson’s arrest.