Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was publicly assassinated at Utah Valley University, on Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Kirk, 31, had built Turning Point USA into the nation’s largest conservative youth organization with more than 3,000 chapters across the country. He was renowned for mobilizing voters, including the block of conservative Gen Z male voters who came out in droves for President Donald Trump last November. He is survived by his wife Erika and their two young children.
Kirk’s death underscores a sobering reality: political violence has been on the rise and for the sake of the nation and common humanity, we must come together to stop it.
The public assassination has sparked outrage from prominent figures on both sides of the aisle.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom of California, who filmed a podcast with Kirk in March, called the violent act “disgusting”. Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who found himself the target of an anti-semetic arson attack in April, called for “moral clarity” and that there is no place for political violence in America. Liberal TikTok influencer Dean Withers broke down on a live stream when he heard the news of Kirk’s death, despite their history.
The four living former U.S. Presidents each gave their condolences to Kirk’s family. President Trump has ordered all flags to fly at half mast in honor of Kirk through Sunday, Sept.14.
This heinous act is just the latest in a string of politically motivated attacks over the last several years that have targeted not only activists like Kirk, but also judges, state senators and congressmen.
Two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses were shot and killed in shocking home assassinations. A former Wisconsin judge was also killed in his home back in 2022. There was also a series of letters laced with ricin poison sent to former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Perhaps most infamously was the attempt on President Trump’s life last year at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania which killed a crowd member.
While politicians condemn the act now, the key to preventing more of these attacks is to come together, in spite of our differences.
Part of the blame can be placed on us, the media. The 24 hour news cycle has rewarded us as journalists with shock value. The race to be the first to show the news of tragedy and horror has become bloodshed for profit.
Experts also suggest that when coverage focuses excessively on the perpetrator — their identity, manifesto and motives — rather than the broader sociopolitical issues or the harm done to victims, it normalizes or glorifies violence.
Political divisions are also fueled by the internet. No bigger culprit of this are algorithm based platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. If one likes a video calling Charlie Kirk a Nazi or saying hateful things about AOC, similar content gets generated for the user. This engagement fuels the creators of said content to make more of it, thus wedging an even bigger divide.
The vicious and public execution of Charlie Kirk is not just another isolated tragedy. It is a sign of a republic under siege. Political violence doesn’t just take lives, but undermines the people’s faith in institutions and most importantly in each other’s common humanity. It silences others and leaves the participation of discourse to those who are willing to endure threats and put their lives on the line, just as Kirk did.
The responsibility to end political violence does not lie with law enforcement alone. Leaders must reject incendiary rhetoric, communities must guard against dehumanization and the media must resist the urge to turn violence into a spectacle.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once warned: “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”