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The assassination of Charlie Kirk is objectively terrible for America. We all live in constant threat of political violence, and this act in particular accelerates the threat. It’s not lost on me that there was a school shooting, an act of terror I also view as political violence, happening at roughly the same time. With each act of violence, we’re all less safe and more likely to become the victims of political violence ourselves.
For the Trump Regime and the MAGA coalition, the violence has always been a feature rather than a bug. They incite violence constantly against marginalized communities and anyone they deem as the enemy. Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was a constant stream of hate speech, conspiracies, outrage, and incitement. We obviously don’t know details of the shooter or their motive yet, but we know that Kirk’s rhetoric played a role in creating the instability and constant threat of violence we’re currently living through.
I’m struck by two things about Kirk’s assassination. First, as shocking as his death is, what came next has been disturbingly predictable. Beat by beat, this is what I would have expected to unfold. Gory videos of the shooting immediately went viral, and an FBI run by conspiracy theorists that had recently gutted its staff seemed to fumble almost immediately. Currently, the FBI are claiming that the shooter, who, as of my writing this, still hasn’t been caught or identified, had trans and antifa ideology engraved on the bullets used. (Color me skeptical, as this claim feels dubious.)
Most predictable is MAGA’s exploiting Kirk’s murder to incite even more violence. MAGA influencers are calling for all-out war and encouraging Donald Trump to use the power of the state to wage it. Not that Trump needed encouragement, as his own statement blamed the “radical left” for the shooting and promised retribution.
The continued incitement makes everyone less safe, including MAGA — something Trump should know by now, as he’s survived two assassination attempts himself. But MAGA clearly believes the benefits outweigh the risks, and given how much power they hold, that's a calculation that so far has worked out for their movement.
The other thing that struck me was something I wouldn’t have predicted but probably should have: the sudden institutional eulogizing and canonization of Kirk by so many non-MAGA elites. It was surreal to see Democratic governors in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Oregon announce that they would lower flags half half-mast this weekend out of respect for Kirk. Even more surreal (though less of a surprise) to see California Governor Gavin Newsom release a fond statement that called on people to “continue” Kirk’s “work.”
But it gets even more surreal. Ezra Klein penned an admiring column saying that Kirk “practiced politics the right way.” NBC fired commentator Matthew Dowd, a Republican and former political strategist for Bush-Cheney, because he said on-air that the hateful rhetoric Kirk espoused might have contributed to his own death. Dowd: “You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and then not expect awful actions to take place.” A reporter in Florida was suspended from his job because he texted a MAGA congressman to ask if the member still supported open carry on campus after the shooting.
As I was trying to put into words why this was happening, and what it says about how some elites and institutions in America continue to enable the Trump Regime, I saw a Bluesky post from essayist Tressie McMillan Cottom who put it succinctly: “This is class solidarity. In case you’re at all confused.”
I’m working on a newsletter about Trump and elite power for Sunday, so I don’t want to dive too deep into this, but it’s worth mentioning here. I think there’s an understandable and human desire to show compassion after a tragedy, especially when we think about Kirk’s widow and his two young children. But that’s not what’s happening here. The non-MAGA praise and whitewashing of Kirk’s politics and the media capitulation on covering his life and views says a lot about class and power in America. None of it good.
No matter what we learn about the shooter in the coming days, it’s crucial that we take care of the most marginalized among us and have their backs. The Trump Regime is coming for them, and the MAGA coalition is out for blood. The most important thing we can do is stand with the trans community, immigrant communities, and other communities who will come under attack. I urge you to take care of one another and take care of your own mental health as best you can. These are frightening times, but community and solidarity are sparks of light in that darkness.
speaking of surreal, have you seen the response from Netanyahu and his cronies?