Charlie Kirk's Assassination: A Dark Moment for America and the Violent Left's Celebration
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Charlie Kirk's Assassination: A Dark Moment for America and the Violent Left's Celebration
The brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah has exposed the depths of depravity on the radical left. From gleeful celebrations on social media to victim-blaming by mainstream media outlets like MSNBC, the response reveals a disturbing tolerance for political violence. President Donald Trump condemned the murder as domestic terrorism, noting a pattern of leftist violence from the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania to the shooting of Steve Scalise. Charlie Kirk, who dedicated his life to engaging young people through Turning Point USA and championing free speech on campuses nationwide, was murdered for his ideas. Documentary filmmaker Ami Horowitz reflects on Charlie's generosity and the chilling reality that one in three students now believe political violence is acceptable.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and one of the most prominent voices in conservative politics, was brutally murdered on a college campus in Utah. The shooting of this thoroughly decent, principled man sent shockwaves through the nation, but the response from the radical left revealed something far more disturbing than the act itself.
Within hours of the assassination, social media erupted with celebrations from leftists who openly cheered the death of a man whose only crime was engaging in political discourse. When asked how they felt about Charlie Kirk being shot and killed, multiple individuals responded with shocking callousness: "Happy. Goodbye," "That's good," and "Someone had to do it." One person justified the murder by calling Kirk "a misogynist" and "a disgusting person with disgusting beliefs."
MSNBC's Depraved Coverage
The mainstream media's coverage of this domestic terrorism proved equally disturbing. MSNBC immediately engaged in speculation, with one commentator suggesting they didn't know "if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration." Charlie Kirk supporters don't go around shooting their guns in celebration like they're attending some wedding in Iraq.
The network then pivoted to victim-blaming, describing Charlie Kirk as "a divisive figure" and "polarizing, lightning rod." One MSNBC commentator, Matthew Dowd, delivered what can only be described as depraved commentary shortly after the shooting: "He's been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that's the environment we're in that people just you can't stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place."
The commentary was so vile, so hateful and frankly deranged and dangerous that even MSNBC had to take action and sacked Matthew Dowd. But it's MSNBC, so he may be back before the end of the month.
Political Leaders Blame the Victim
The asinine commentary wasn't restricted to media commentators. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker blamed President Donald Trump, the man Charlie Kirk worked tirelessly to reelect, for "fermenting political violence." Pritzker stated: "Political violence unfortunately has been ratcheting up in this country. We saw the shootings, the killings in Minnesota. We've seen other political violence occur in other states and I would just say it's got to stop. And I think there are people who are fermenting it in this country. I think the president's rhetoric often ferments it."
The governor actually mentioned the Minnesota shooter, the trans-identified lunatic who shot children in a Catholic school and wanted to kill Donald Trump. Somehow, it's Trump who was almost killed by an assassin's bullet who is to blame for leftist violence, not the lefties celebrating Kirk's death.
The Pattern of Left-Wing Political Violence
The rhetoric from the left has long included calls to violence. A montage of statements from prominent leftists reveals the pattern:
"I'd like to punch him in the face."
"If we were in high school, I'd take you behind the gym and beat the hell out of him."
"Punch some people in the face."
"When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"
"They're still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump. And that's a fact."
"Where is John Wilkes Booth when you need him?"
"I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House."
"I will go and take Trump out tonight."
"If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere."
President Trump's Response
President Donald Trump called the murder of Charlie Kirk "a dark moment for America." In his statement, Trump said: "To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. This is a dark moment for America. Charlie Kirk traveled the nation joyfully engaging with everyone interested in good faith debate. His mission was to bring young people into the political process, which he did better than anybody ever, to share his love of country and to spread the simple words of common sense. On campuses nationwide, he championed his ideas with courage, logic, humor, and grace."
The president noted the spate of deadly political violence from the left, calling such acts, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, acts of domestic terrorism: "It's long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible. For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis. From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others. Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives. Charlie was the best of America and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country. An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet but he failed because together we will ensure that his voice, his message and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come."
Remembering Charlie Kirk's Generosity
Documentary filmmaker Ami Horowitz shared personal memories of Charlie Kirk that paint a picture of a generous, kind-hearted man. "I considered him a friend," Horowitz said. "Even though we were a generation apart, he was somebody that if I had a question or some advice, I'd call him and reach out to him. And he's so generous with his time."
Horowitz recounted their first meeting over 10 years ago: "The first time I met him, God, it was well over 10 years ago, maybe 13, 14 years ago. He was a teenager. He was just starting Turning Point. I think we met at a PragerU conference in California. And somebody introduced the two of us. This is a guy you should know. His name is Charlie Kirk. He's a comer. And Charlie had been fundraising for Turning Point USA, right? He was the seed, the beginning of this organization. And in our conversation, he was talking about the people he's raising money from. And for anyone who knows who raises money as investors, you keep those things close to your vest, right? That's the lifeblood, the money that keeps and creates the organization you're creating. And he mentioned one of these billionaires that he raised some money from. And I just mentioned just casually, that's a great guy to get money from. I've been trying to reach him for years. Not even asking for a favor. And he immediately said, 'Here's the guy's cell phone number. Give him a call. I'm sure he'd be happy to help.' Okay, that was the kind of guy Charlie Kirk was. A friend to all. A hater of no one. He criticized people, but he did not have hatred in his heart, which makes this even more difficult."
The Fear Among Friends
Horowitz expressed deep concern about the current political climate: "I have all types of friends, right? I have friends on the far right. I have friends on the far left. I have friends everywhere in between. And I got to tell you, Rita, I am scared to call some of my friends on the center left, never mind the far left, to talk about this. I'm afraid what they're going to say. Going over the social media, going over Instagram and Facebook and Twitter and listening to what people are saying, even on the mainstream media. The callousness in which they're covering this saddens me and scares me. And if a friend of mine said to me, 'Oh, I'm so happy Charlie Kirk is dead,' I don't know if I could talk to that person again. I got to be honest with you, Rita."
He continued: "It's the left blaming the victim, right? He deserved it. What he said. By the way, he wasn't an alt-right figure. He was a mainstream Republican, right? He believed in family values. He believed that if you're a woman, you're a woman. If you're a man, you're a man. He didn't have hate in his heart. He was about openness. He had a free speech road show, right, where he went to engage people on the left, not to demonize them or attack them, to find out what they thought."
The Turning Point: Luigi Mangione
Horowitz drew a connection to a previous act of violence: "We talked about the violence of the left over and over again. I hate it, but we keep talking about it because it's a recurring theme in our political landscape. And this is another example of that truth that the political violence we've seen mostly, not exclusively, but mostly comes from the left. And we see on the right what that actually is is the exception that proves the rule. And I want to go back for a second to Luigi Mangione because I got to say every time I think about Charlie's death, I think about Luigi Mangione. That to me was really, and the pun is intended, the turning point to this because it was when he was murdered that this man who was a healthcare executive. He wasn't even a political figure, right? He didn't have, as far as I know, any political thoughts, certainly not publicly, right? He was a businessman who was murdered because he happened to be in the industry the left didn't like. And the mainstream left were talking about how wonderful it was and joked about the killing of this business executive. That to me was a significant change in our political culture."
Violence on Campus
Horowitz shared his own experience with political violence: "Our campuses are, look, as you know, I'm no stranger to violence from the political left. I've been attacked physically on a university campus not that long ago because why? Because I raised the American flag. Look, you said it. This is something they've unleashed something dark and terrible and I'm afraid of what's to come."
Research from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression shows that one in three students say that political violence is acceptable. Three in four say that shouting down someone is acceptable on campus. But one in three who think violence is acceptable to silence someone you don't agree with is truly chilling.
The Death of Free Speech on the Left
Horowitz noted the transformation of the left's relationship with free speech: "The truth is the left has no affinity for free speech, right? They just haven't for a long time. They used to be champions of free speech. I remember the days, and Rita I'm sure you do also, where the ACLU, right, a leftist organization, championed free speech to the point where, you know, I don't know if many of you guys remember, but when I was a kid the Nazis were marching in a town called Skokie outside Chicago and it was the ACLU, the left, defended their right to do that."
He continued: "What has happened to the ACLU is indicative of the left in general and how they've changed their views on free speech. The New York Times did this really fascinating article a number of years ago about the transformation of the ACLU and it says everything about the left and free speech. They admitted that they have completely changed their perspective. They have become an anti-free speech organization. They had become an organization that censors people's speech which tracks exactly with what we see on the left, particularly on our campuses where this has been a petri dish of radicalism that we've seen, right, and violence that we've seen."
A Dark Moment for America
The assassination of Charlie Kirk represents more than the loss of one man. It represents the culmination of years of escalating rhetoric, demonization, and violence from the radical left. Those celebrating his death fail to understand what they have unleashed. The anger and sadness over this assassination is profound, and the consequences of this dark moment will reverberate through American politics for generations to come.
