The Killing of Kirk

On Wednesday afternoon, Charlie Kirk was speaking at a Turning Point USA event in the campus amphitheater of Utah Valley University. The right-wing activist and MAGA Media personality sat in a chair under a bright white tent wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the word “FREEDOM” and addressed a crowd of about three thousand who had gathered to watch him spar with his detractors. Then suddenly, a gunshot rang out, sending the audience fleeing and casting a dark shadow over the campus—and the country. Hours later, Donald Trump announced that Kirk had died.

In the wake of the assassination, commentary has poured in from across the political spectrum. Kirk, a 31-year-old who rose to digital stardom and political power by embracing the MAGA movement, long embraced fierce debate on culture war issues, often taking contrarian and outlandish far-right positions, while relishing the verbal combat with those of opposing views. He recorded his interactions on college campuses and posted viral clips online that catapulted him to political fame and turned him into a well-known personality, with shows on right-wing radio and television platforms, a devoted social media following, and published books.

His activism meant that he had plenty of critics and fans. What should be clear to everyone, however, is that his killing was nothing less than a horrific and intolerable act of violence. In a democracy, no matter how deep the disagreements, violence is never the answer.

Yet the tragedy in Utah is part of a disturbing pattern. Acts of political extremism are surfacing with alarming regularity in this country. Paul Pelosi was brutally attacked in his own home. Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last summer. Luigi Mangione was charged in December with killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in what authorities described as a politically motivated act. In the spring, an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence and prosecutors later charged a suspect with attempted murder. In Minnesota over the summer, a man was charged after stalking Democrats and murdering House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband. Last month, a gunman sprayed more than 180 bullets at the Centers for Disease Control headquarters, killing a police officer. Each of the incidents were different, but together they paint an unsettling portrait: political violence is increasingly becoming the norm in America.

Much remains unknown about what led to Wednesday’s shooting, but the backdrop for which this violent act occurred could not be more clear. As society fractures and online algorithms feed people a steady diet of outrage and extremism, the nation is becoming increasingly polarized and political violence is breaking out into the open. These are not isolated events. They are symptoms of a country whose divisions are giving way to something far more dangerous and alarming.

It goes without saying, but moments like this demand leaders who lower the temperature, not raise it—and in the aftermath of the Kirk attack, many prominent voices in mainstream and progressive media are doing exactly that. Mehdi Hasan, who has often clashed publicly with Kirk, wrote: “Charlie Kirk called me a ‘lunatic’ and a ‘prostitute’ and demanded I be deported. Nothing, nothing, justifies killing him, or robbing his kids of their dad. We don’t know the identity or motive of the shooter but murder can never be the response to political disagreements.” It was a model of how to respond: empathetic and clear about the bright red line that must never be crossed. Fortunately, it’s how the vast majority of mainstream media personalities and progressive figures reacted.

The reaction on the right, however, has been markedly different. Fox News host Jesse Watters declared on air, “They are at war with us! Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us! And what are we gonna do about it?” Laura Loomer, who has Trump's ear, posted on X, “It’s time for the Trump administration to shut down, defund, & prosecute every single Leftist organization… We must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The Left is a national security threat.” Elon Musk declared, “The Left is the party of murder.” Andrew Tate described the state of affairs as a “civil war.”

That type of rhetoric has been particularly alarming, especially given that it comes from people with large audiences and significant political power. At a moment when the country desperately needs cooler heads, some of the most influential voices in MAGA Media have chosen instead to ratchet up the language.

“I am so angry—and I understand everybody out there says, ‘Well, we have to tamp down the anger,’” Clay Travis acknowledged on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program. “I’m not willing to do that right now. Because I get angrier the more I think about this, Sean. They put the wheels of motion for this in order. They did it, Sean.”

Political violence cannot be excused, or rationalized, or turned into fodder for partisan gain. It is a poison that eats away at democracy. Everyone—politicians and media figures alike—has a responsibility to lower the temperature. Ratcheting it up will send the country down a darker path. Unfortunately, that seems to be the direction some are pushing toward in this fragile moment, as the nation convulses following yet another heinous act of violence.