Charlie Kirk’s assassination galvanizes Republican Party in two key ways : NPR
President Trump speaks during the commemorative service for the political activist Charlie Kirk at the State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images from North America
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Joe Raedle / Getty Images from North America
For the eminent Republicans, the two main reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk were a determination to continue his work of conservative political organization and, for some, to blame – in the words of President Trump – “radical lunatic”.
The contrasting opinions were notably exposed at the end of the commemorative service of Kirk in a stadium filled with full quality in Arizona on Sunday, where the widow of Kirk, Erika, gave an emotional memory anchored in the faith of her husband who “wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life”.
“On the cross, our Savior said:” Father, forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing “,” said Kirk. “This man – this young man – I forgive him. I forgive him because that’s what Christ did. And that’s what Charlie would do.”
Kirk continued by saying that “the answer to hatred is not hatred. The answer – we know of the Gospel – is love.”
During most of the memorial, friends, allies and supporters of Kirk spoke of the growth of its conservative operation of an idea in 2012 to one of the most influential organizations of modern politics, emphasizing its personal character and a rooted vision in their common faith to continue its work.
While President Trump described Kirk a “missionary with a noble spirit”, he said he disagreed with his opinions on those who have different opinions.
“He didn’t hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them,” said Trump. “This is where I disagree with Charlie. I hate my opponent. I don’t want the best for them.”
In the days who followed Kirk who was shot dead on the campus of the University of Utah Valley, Kirk inheritance as a young people And the evangelization of conservative policy and conservative Christianity has taken up a new life, with tens of thousands of new requests to create chapters of its group of turning on high school and college campuses, according to the organization.
Erika Kirk takes over as Turning Point chief, and eminent republican personalities such as vice-president Vance and Tucker Carlson diffuser intervened to welcome The Charlie Kirk ShowRemembering their friend and promising to advance his causes.
Some see the death of Kirk as the fault of the Democrats
The murder of Kirk has also led to an escalation of rhetoric and the action of the Trump administration and the republican legislators who painted their ideological opponents as radical forces of evil who harmed the country.
On the Kirk podcast last week, Vance said that political violence was “not a problem with both parties” and blamed the “incredibly destructive movement of left extremism” for the attack preceding a lonely shooter.
Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller suggested that the federal government “would identify, disturb, dismantle and destroy” the left networks that he blamed without evidence for violence, and Trump swore to label the Nebulous “antifa” ideological movement A “great terrorist organization”.
On Sunday evening, President Trump praised Kirk as a “martyr”, that others like the advisor of Trump Oneime, Steve Bannon, echoes. Pro-Trump influencer Chaya Raichick, who manages the social media account “Libs of Tiktok” wrote “This is war”. And legislators like the representative of the Wisconsin Gop Derrick Van Orden compared the murder of Kirk as a catalyst similar to September 11 and that he “would not allow these left scumbags to take my country”.
Prominent online voice On the right, people have made publications on social networks criticizing Kirk or making fun of his death to lose their jobs or face surveys, including the vice-president saying to people to “call them and, devil, call their employer”.
The president and his federal communications president, Brendan Carr, are faced with questions on the freedom to protect speech after Carr threatened ABC for the remarks made by the end of the evening Jimmy Kimmel on the murder of Kirk in a monologue last week. ABC withdrawn Kimmel’s show in the waves in a legal movement Experts say it is an illegal “jaw” ,,,, When government representatives put pressure on private companies to remove speech.
Beyond the specific feelings of spiritual resolution or political remuneration, the Republicans began to turn into the future of America.
A new survey From the Associated Press-Noc Center for Public Affairs Research led from September 11 to 15 finds a sharp drop in republican optimism in the country’s sense, especially among women and young conservatives.
On the whole, only half of the GOP people say that the country is heading in the right direction, a seismic passage eight months on the return of Trump, as concerns about political violence, immigration and the economy, weighs on the Washington controlled by the Republican.
