“They” killed Charlie: The right’s rush to assign blame for Kirk’s killing
On Friday, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, was arrested and charged with the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The announcement of Robinson’s arrest, made earlier in the day by President Donald Trump on Fox & Friends, came after days of speculation and political exploitation surrounding Kirk’s death.
Kirk, 31, had become one of the most influential figures in right-wing politics. As founder of Turning Point USA, he was widely credited with energizing young conservatives, often appearing on college campuses to debate students in public spaces rather than classrooms. It was on such a campus — Utah Valley University — where Kirk was gunned down on Wednesday while speaking on the first stop of his “American Comeback” tour.
Almost immediately after the shooting, Kirk’s death was reframed by political allies and right-wing media figures. His sometimes divisive rhetoric was set aside as Republicans in Congress proposed a statue in his honor and pushed for him to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Some lawmakers even drew comparisons between Kirk and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., despite Kirk’s own disparaging remarks about King during his lifetime. Meanwhile, tributes poured in nationwide: sports teams including the New York Yankees and Green Bay Packers held moments of silence, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led a public prayer for Kirk before U.S. troops. Flags across the country were lowered by presidential order.
Yet the reverence was accompanied by a political offensive. Prominent Republicans accused the left of fostering violence, despite repeated condemnations of the shooting from Democratic leaders. Eric Trump demanded accountability from media outlets, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Muslims were to blame. Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina accused liberals of seeking to “kill” their opponents. Representative Mike Collins of Georgia called for a congressional investigation into “left-wing violence.” Meanwhile, the Defense Department and State Department announced reviews of both military personnel and immigrants who praised or mocked Kirk’s death online.
Complicating matters further, early reporting stoked misinformation. On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published an article citing unnamed sources who claimed that ammunition used in the shooting was engraved with pro-transgender and antifascist slogans. The story, quickly echoed by outlets such as the New York Post and Jerusalem Post, fueled a narrative of a politically motivated attack from the left. Later in the day, however, The New York Times cited law enforcement officials cautioning that the information may have been misinterpreted. The Journal updated its headline, but the claims had already spread widely.
Influencers such as Laura Loomer seized on the moment to pressure the administration. Loomer argued online that Trump should use Kirk’s death to justify a crackdown on left-leaning groups and nonprofits, while Elon Musk declared on X that “the Left is the party of murder.” By Friday, Trump appeared to echo those themes, telling Fox News: “The radicals on the left are the problem.”
Administration officials reinforced the message. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller claimed Kirk’s “last message” to him was a call to dismantle left-wing organizations allegedly promoting violence. Miller later posted online about what he described as “a vast, organized ecosystem of indoctrination” permeating U.S. institutions, including federal agencies.
On Saturday, new rumors emerged as right-wing media outlets reported that Robinson’s roommate was transgender. Loomer escalated her rhetoric, calling for the administration to defund LGBTQ advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Campaign, saying it was time to “rid America of the trans movement.”
Trump, speaking to NBC News the same day, said he wanted national healing but again blamed liberals: “We’re dealing with a radical left group of lunatics, and they don’t play fair and they never did.”
The president’s rush to assign blame, combined with misinformation shared by FBI Director Kash Patel during the manhunt and the amplification of unverified leaks, has raised concerns that Kirk’s killing is being used not only as a moment of mourning, but also as a political weapon. Critics warn that the administration is leveraging the tragedy to justify broader crackdowns on opponents across the political spectrum.