Just hours after MAGA activist Charlie Kirk was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound — and without any suspect yet arrested or motive discovered — President Donald Trump blamed his death on "radical left political violence" in a video posted to his social media platform. Now, multiple journalists and commentators are sounding the alarm over his remarks.
In his speech, Trump promised to find and prosecute both the person responsible for Kirk's murder, and then broadened his focus by pledging to crack down on "other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials and everyone else who brings order to our country." Trump did not immediately elaborate on which particular organizations he had in mind, but his words raised red flags among many political observers on social media.
"The president is laying a pretext for investigations and other actions against a currently undefined group of people and organizations in the wake of Kirk’s murder, in ways he has not for other murders," CNN reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote on X.
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"It won’t make a difference, but I can’t help but point out that they don’t know who did it or why and it doesn’t make any difference to them," Jewish Currents podcast editor Jesse Brenneman wrote. "They know what they want to do and they don’t even care enough about us to bother with a pretense."
Vox writer Eric Levitz argued that Trump's comments prove Americans are "living in an Orwellian nightmare," noting that Trump "fomented an insurrection, then bestowed pardons and military honors on its perpetrators." He also observed that Trump lauded "free speech" before "attribut[ing] all political violence to his ideological foes and vow[ing] to crack down on their organizations." Pennsylvania Capital-Star reporter Nick Field tweeted: "They haven't even found the murderer yet but he's talking about retribution."
"Donald Trump's response is irresponsible and the opposite of what presidential leadership requires," wrote The Lincoln Project's Jeff Timmer. "But it's par for the course with him. Anyone looking to capitalize on senseless tragedy for partisan/power gain is deplorable. None of us should tolerate this."
"Imagine if Biden or Obama had done a televised address attacking only ‘radical rightwing political violence’ just weeks after a GOP lawmaker was murdered with her husband by a Biden or Obama supporter," Zeteo News co-founder Mehdi Hasan wrote. "Imagine if they hadn’t even mentioned the GOP lawmaker’s death. Just imagine."
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