In the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, there were sickening statements made by both journalists and celebrities that either blamed Kirk himself or conservative rhetoric for his death.
Before Kirk’s death was even confirmed, MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd criticized Kirk for constantly pushing “hate speech” and added: “hateful words….lead to hateful actions.”
CBS Mornings host Nate Burleson pressed former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: “Not everyone took to his [Charlie Kirk] words or his rhetoric….They were offensive to specific communities….Is this a moment for your party to reflect on political violence?”
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann actually put the onus on the President: “Charlie Kirk is dead – as so many others are dead or threatened or wounded or living in fear – because there is a Donald Trump.”
The Hollywood Left also pushed the angle that conservatives were at fault. ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s spreading of this disinformation got him briefly suspended: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Sadly, the calls for the left to tone down their rhetoric (in the wake of the Kirk shooting) went largely unheeded as they quickly returned to their attacks on “authoritarian” Trump’s attacks on democracy.
The following are just some of the most obnoxious outbursts by leftist journalists and celebrities from the past month:
[LANGUAGE WARNING]
MSNBC: Charlie Kirk’s “Hate Speech” Got Him Shot
Host Katy Tur: Talk to me about the environment. You know, we are — there are the reports of exactly what happened — are not confirmed yet, but talk to me about the environment in which a shooting like this happens.”
Contributor Matthew Dowd: “Yeah. And again, I emphasize what you just emphasized. We don’t know the full details of this. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or — so, we have no idea about this. But following up on what was just said, he’s [Charlie Kirk] been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this who has 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, 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 and that’s the unfortunate environment we’re in.”
— Conversation between Tur and Dowd just moments after the first report of Charlie Kirk being shot, as aired on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports, September 10.
“Offensive” Kirk Was Shot, Is This a Time for GOP to “Reflect on Political Violence?”
“Not everyone took to his [Charlie Kirk] words or his rhetoric. You know, at times they were offensive to specific communities. But with that said, this is not the time to focus on that, we are focused on this tragedy. Speaking of tragedy, is this a moment for your party to reflect on political violence?”
— Co-host Nate Burleson to former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on CBS Mornings, September 11.
Keith Olbermann: Kirk Is Dead Because of Donald Trump’s Rhetoric
“Charlie Kirk was killed in Donald Trump’s America. It is not just that Trump is the leading threat in this country, in this moment, to the safety and the lives of conservatives and Republicans and MAGA. It is that he has been for a decade. Charlie Kirk is dead – as so many others are dead or threatened or wounded or living in fear – because there is a Donald Trump.”
— Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, after listing various past Trump statements, on his Countdown podcast, September 18.
Don Lemon: Can’t Excuse Kirk’s “Behavior,” Most of Political Violence Is Done by Right-Wingers
“I want Charlie Kirk to be okay. But, no one is excusing Charlie Kirk’s behavior and what he’s done and what he stands for. And, a lot of that political violence, if not most of it — it happens on both sides of the aisle—but a lot of that political violence comes from the right….The MAGA right can say what they want, but most of the political violence, especially the shootings, have been done….by young, white men who are usually right-wingers, and some of them far right-wingers.”
— Former CNN anchor Don Lemon on The Don Lemon Show podcast, September 10.
Kirk Has Become a “Symbol of the Toxic Culture” That We’re In Now
“He [Charlie Kirk] said a lot of things that got a lot of people riled up, right? And that was part of his style about race, about gender, about affirmative action and Islam and things like that…..He’s – you know – become in this last few days, I think, a symbol of the toxic culture that we’re in right now, in politics.”
— The New York Times’s Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker on PBS’s Washington Week in Review, September 12.
“Divisive” Kirk Was “Known to Make Racist Statements”
“The reason that he [Charlie Kirk] is seen as a divisive figure, and why the left has had a reaction as well in this is because he has been known to make racist statements….and has definitely lobbed a number of attacks on transgender individuals. And so there's a lot across the LGBTQ advocacy space who are opposed to him.”
— MSNBC White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez on PBS’s Washington Week in Review, September 12.
At Least Kirk Wasn’t As “Caustic” As Rush Limbaugh
“Charlie Kirk, I think, kind of patented almost was the ability to do this and seem likable, friendly, open….He modeled himself early on after Rush Limbaugh, but without Limbaugh’s hard edges. I mean, Limbaugh was, you know, caustic constantly.”
— Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols on PBS’s Washington Week in Review, September 12.
John Dickerson: “Shooter’s Motive Remains Elusive”
“Five days after Charlie Kirk’s murder, the shooter’s motive remains elusive. No writings left behind. Vague, secondhand testimony. That uncertainty, and the risk of drawing sweeping conclusions, suggests the murder may share similarities with recent violence not driven by an obvious political ideology.”
— Anchor John Dickerson on CBS Evening News Plus, September 15.
Kirk Assassin’s Texts Were “Touching”
“The other thing that stood out to me, David, is those text messages….It was very touching in a way that I think many of us didn’t expect — a very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love’ and ‘I want to protect you, my love.’ So, it was this duality of someone who the attorney said not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd….and then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner.”
— Correspondent Matt Gutman on live ABC News Special, September 16.
“Snowflake Fascism” of MAGA Got Get Kimmel Removed
“It’s another day that ends in Y and Donald Trump’s assault on American democracy. We have entered a new era of snowflake fascism, ladies and gentlemen, in the U.S., where the snowflakes on the far-right whine and complain every time somebody hurts their feelings. The weak-kneed corporate executives who only know how to smooch Trump’s butt simply go along with the dear leader’s demands. The latest example, the canceling of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night TV show. All Kimmel did was call out MAGA for attempting to capitalize on the death of Charlie Kirk – which of course, they did.”
— Former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta on The Jim Acosta Show podcast, September 18.
You Know Who Else Went After Comedians? Putin!
“[Vladimir] Putin came to power on New Year’s night, 1999-2000. And, you know who he went after first? This will sound a little familiar to you: comedians.”
— The New Yorker editor David Remnick to host Stephen Colbert on Jimmy Kimmel being suspended by ABC, as aired on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, September 18.
Olbermann’s Hateful Outburst
“Burn in hell, Sinclair. Alongside Charlie Kirk.”
— Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on his X.com account responding to Sinclair statement calling for action against Jimmy Kimmel for lying about Charlie Kirk’s killer motives, September 17.
The Biggest Threat From Kirk’s Assassination? Conservatives Imperiling Democracy
“Today’s conservatism is animated by resentment, fear, and a consequent will to dominate its opponents. Kirk’s assassination has reinforced these authoritarian impulses and provided a pretense for indulging them. In doing so, it has thrown our already imperiled democracy into even greater jeopardy.”
— Columnist Eric Levitz in a September 11 article for Vox.
Trump Declares War on an American City
“On Friday, President Trump rebranded the Department of Defense the ‘Department of War.’ Saturday, he announced the department’s first target, an American city. The President’s words: ‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of War.’ A chorus of criticism followed.”...And this chilling threat from President Trump comes after a week of challenges.”
— Moderator George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week, September 7.
ICE Going After “Anne Franks” In Chicago
“I posted about the fact that there are little Anne Franks, right? Anne Frank in Chicago – her name is Anita Franco, and she is terrified.”
— NPR’s Latino USA anchor Maria Hinojosa on MSNBC’s The Weekend, September 20.
“Trump’s Retribution Campaign” Reached A “New and Ominous Level”
“President Trump’s retribution campaign reached a new and ominous level late yesterday. The first criminal indictment of a man Trump considers a political enemy. Since the Watergate scandal, more than 50 years ago, presidents have refrained from interfering directly in criminal prosecutions by the Justice Department. The facts surrounding the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey showed that those norms have been shattered.”
— Co-host George Stephanopoulos opening ABC’s Good Morning America, September 26.
“Authoritarian” Trump’s “Unsavory, Unconstitutional” Retribution on James Comey
“We now have a president of the United States that has an authoritarian bent like we’ve never seen before and that he feels that retribution is his job in his second term….People in the Justice Department, careerists, are looking to leave. Why would you want to have a boss to tell you to make things up or behave in this sort of unsavory, unconstitutional way just to serve the whims of the President?”
— Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley on CBS Mornings, September 26.
Trump Out to “Shatter Norms and Carry On”
“Trump allies like Stephen Bannon tell me there is anxiety instead among some inside about not moving fast enough to overhaul the Justice Department and ramp up investigations, and the president is telling aides and allies to do more because he’s confident he does have the executive power to shatter norms and carry on.”
— Correspondent Robert Costa on CBS Evening News, September 26.
Trump’s Second Term Is an “Efficient, Ruthless” Turn Toward “Authoritarianism”
“The [Trump] first term was filled with impulses, and the second term is efficient, ruthless, and it’s happening every day. This movement toward authoritarianism is very distinct and needs to be taken seriously.”
— New Yorker editor David Remnick on NBC’s Meet the Press, September 28.
We Aren’t Sliding Into Authoritarianism Under Trump, We’re Already In It
“We’re talking about yet another level deeper into what lots of academicians and others have said, you know, the march to authoritarianism. People say we’re sliding into it. I say, no, we’re in it.”
— Contributor Jonathan Capehart on PBS’s News Hour, September 19.
Eddie Glaude Attacks “Evil” and “Monstrous” MAGA
“We are awash with monstrous behavior that suggests that what Trumpism and MAGA-ism – what they have tapped into is something that has been a part of this nation since its founding that has allowed us to look the evil of what we’ve done squarely in the face and to move on.”
— Contributor Eddie Glaude on Trump administration’s deportation policy on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, September 15.
George Stephanopoulos to Speaker of the House: Why Are You Against Americans Having Health Care?
Co-host George Stephanopoulos: “The Democratic proposal is designed to prevent millions of Americans from losing their health insurance, losing Medicaid coverage, or paying higher healthcare premiums. Why are you against that?”
House Speaker Mike Johnson: “That’s an absurd statement what you said there. Let’s be clear about what happened last night, George.”
Stephanopoulos: “It’s a factual statement.”
— Co-host George Stephanopoulos to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on ABC’s Good Morning America, October 1.
Kamala Harris Gets Hard-Hitting Questions on Her Book Tour
“You’ve become the patron saint of ‘I told you so,’ in terms of people understanding the sort of warnings and predictions that you made about what Trump would be like.”
— Host Rachel Maddow to former Vice President Kamala Harris on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, September 22.
“Madam Vice President, since Trump has taken office, everything that you warned about has happened. Do you sometimes just want to scream, ‘I told y’all so!?’ — and feel free to do it right now.”
— Co-host Sunny Hostin to former Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC’s The View, September 23.
Trump Has Declared War Against People in His Own Country
“Didn’t he [Donald Trump] run on being an anti-war candidate? The MAGA people who voted for him, one of the reasons they liked him is because he was against war. He took on Bush. I guess that didn’t include war against your own people in your own country.”
— Co-host Joy Behar during a discussion about Trump’s crime crackdown in cities, as aired on ABC’s The View, September 8.
Joy Behar: I’m “Skeptical” That America Will “Survive” Trump
“If you guys think that we can survive another three-and-a-half years of this, I think you’re delusional….Every day, this guy is undoing something in this country that we value. Every day! It’s every day is a shock and awe here. And I, for one, am skeptical that we will survive this.”
— Co-host Joy Behar on ABC’s The View, September 30.
Jimmy Kimmel: MAGA “Desperately Trying” To Portray Kirk’s Killer As Not “One of Them”
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
— Host Jimmy Kimmel on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, September 15.
Punk Rock Singer Bobby Vylan Calls Charlie Kirk a “Piece of S***”
“I wanna dedicate this next one to an absolute piece of shit of a human being. The pronouns: was/were. ‘Cause if you talk shit, you will get banged! Rest in piss, Charlie Kirk! You piece of shit!”
— Punk rock singer Bobby Vylan on the stage of Amsterdam’s Club Paradiso, September 13.
Trump Is “Amassing Power In A Way That Will Destroy Our Democracy”
“No president has ever sent troops into the Democratic cities across the country, saying ‘full force.’ No president, as far as I know, has tried to control the Federal Reserve, the central bank. He is amassing power in a way that will destroy our democracy.”
— Actress/activist Jane Fonda on CNN’s Inside Politics with Dana Bash, October 1.
Rosie O’Donnell’s Crazy Ear Conspiracy Theory
“His [Donald Trump] assassination attempt, a man died during that assassination attempt. A man died. And it wasn’t him. And his ear miraculously healed. Ladies and gentlemen, will anyone in the news ever say that without couching it? His ear miraculously regenerated. People, what else do you need?”
— Comedian/former ABC’s The View co-host Rosie O’Donnell on The Jim Acosta Show podcast, September 5.