On Wednesday, Turning Point USA founder and political commentator Charlie Kirk (Right bias) was shot and killed. During one of his “Prove Me Wrong” events at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah a suspect shot him in the neck. He was confirmed dead shortly after the shooting. No suspect is currently in custody.
Voices on the left and right condemned the shooting and spoke against political violence. Some on the left, however, pointed out Kirk’s past remarks about guns and said he got what was coming to him and some on the right blamed the left for “creating a climate of hysteria.”
Immediately following the shooting, Hasan Piker (Left), who was scheduled to debate Kirk at Dartmouth College on September 25, said, “This is a terrifying incident. The reverberation of people seeking out vengeance in the aftermath of this violent, abhorrent incident is going to be genuinely worrisome.” He also advocated for stronger gun control.
Richard Hanania (Lean Right) argued that the left should not be blamed for the attack. “What many Trump supporters would like to do is use this as an excuse to shut down political opponents. If not legally, then by creating a social stigma around speaking out about Trump’s authoritarian policies and methods of control. Nobody should be encouraging assassinations, but if a president is behaving in an authoritarian way, those who see what is happening cannot remain silent because someone out there might hear what they are saying and commit a violent act.”
Mattew Yglesias (Lean Left) said, “This may not be the incident that sparks it, but they [the right] are chomping at the bit for an act of violence that will serve as a pretext for shutting down all opposition politics.”
Elon Musk (Lean Right) said, “The Left is the party of murder.”
Mehdi Hasan (Left) said, “Gun violence is out of control. The victims of gun violence are Republicans, Democrats, independents, and kids, who have no political affiliation whatsoever. We need to tone down the incendiary political rhetoric, for sure, but we also need to do something about guns,” adding, “Judging by the shamefully opportunistic & politicizing rhetoric of some rightwingers on this hellsite, & their cynical use of Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder for political point scoring, it’s almost as if Rep. Melissa Hortman wasn’t murdered by a MAGA maniac just 12 weeks ago.”
Ben Shapiro (Right) said, “Like all of you, I am utterly stunned and heartbroken and sick to my soul today…It was a privilege to watch this principled man stand up for his beliefs and create the single most important conservative political organization in America. But more importantly, Charlie was a good man, a man who believed in right and wrong, who stood by his Biblical values. All of us will miss him, and I can’t imagine the pain of his beautiful young family, and we must all pray for them. And we must pick up the baton where Charlie left it, fighting for the things he believed in so passionately. And we must fight for a better America - an America where good people can speak truth and debate passionately without fear of a bullet. I weep for Charlie’s family, and I weep for my country today. Most of all, I weep for Charlie.”
In response to an X post saying, “Maybe Charlie Kirk shouldn’t have spent years being a hateful demagogic fascist and this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe he should take some personal responsibility.” Noah Smith (Lean Left) said, “Remember: Before social media, you would never have seen people saying things like this, or seen people approving of it. It would all be official condemnations and condolences. Social media is what unleashed the hate and chaos from the lowest depths of our society.”
Vivek Ramaswamy (Lean Right) said, “Charlie Kirk was more committed to peaceful, open dialogue with those who disagreed with him than anyone I know. God blessed him with immense gifts, and he used them boldly and without fear. He knew the risks he was taking, but he did it anyway because he loved his kids & felt a responsibility to the nation they would inhabit. I traveled the entire country with him last year, we spent 1x1 time together in Ohio two weeks ago, spoke to him again 2 days ago. He’s long warned of the rise of political violence & the growing culture of assassination, when few were willing to listen, with a clarity of vision unlike anyone I’ve known.”
