Lawmakers and public officials on both sides of the political aisle called for unity and an easing of rhetoric following the killing of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk as the most recent act in a trend of political violence.
The big picture: Kirk's fatal shooting was widely condemned by a bipartisan chorus, including every living U.S. president. But while some on the Hill encouraged civility, Kirk's killing poured fuel on an already hostile political divide for others.
- But Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican who has become a measured voice of the investigation into Kirk's killing, has urged Americans to resist "rage" in the wake of the shooting.
Driving the news: Cox said on CNN's "State of the Union" that the country does not need to "sing Kumbaya and hold hands" — but rather, people must continue to engage with those with whom they disagree.
- He urged accountability for social media platforms stoking outrage and for Americans to claim their "agency."
- "If we're waiting for a president or a governor to get us ... out of this dark chapter, then it will never happen," he said, adding, "every one of us has to look in the mirror and decide, are we going to try to make it better, or are we going to make it worse?"
The intrigue: Several lawmakers, like Cox, called for action to curb the acceleration of extremism in online spaces.
- "It's driving us apart left and right," said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on CBS News' "Face the Nation," saying Republican leaders "have an obligation and an opportunity to join with leaders from my party in urging folks to set aside any thought of political violence and to respect each other even as we keep advancing our political differences through discourse."
On Capitol Hill, there has been soul-searching underway on both sides of the aisle, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on "Fox News Sunday."
- "Members of Congress and all public officials have an obligation to speak clearly into this and calm the waters," he said.
Zoom in: Several legislators have echoed that call for de-escalation. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), appearing on CNN Sunday, said it should be a "basic principle" that "when there is a fire, you pour water on it, not gasoline."
- Responding to top Trump aide Stephen Miller calling the Democratic party a "domestic extremist organization" last month, Lankford said that "just believing differently than some other American is not illegal."
- He continued, "That's America. We don't all agree as next-door neighbors on different things, but it is very different to try to plan, strategize, to be able to carry out an act of violence."
- Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) emphasized on ABC's "This Week" that radical ideology on either end of the political spectrum is "not healthy," saying, "To me, this is not right. This is not left. We're talking about radicals. That's where we need to put our attention."
Yes, but: Sunday's bipartisan messaging stands in contrast with President Trump's words following Kirk's killing.
- On Wednesday, he accused the "radical left" of airing rhetoric "directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today" — before law enforcement had named a suspect or established a motive.
- In a statement Sunday, the White House backed Trump's words, saying the president is "right – for years, radical leftists have slandered their political opponents as Nazis and Fascists, inspiring left-wing violence against conservatives."
- "It's shameful that Democrats are pretending to care about 'unity' while, in the same breath, attacking the president for speaking the truth about this rather than calling [on] their own colleagues and supporters to tone down their rhetoric," the statement continued.
Zoom out: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) — the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot at a constituent event in 2011 — urged public officials so be "very careful" about their words.
- "This isn't like one party committing all the violence against the other. I mean, this is clearly a pervasive issue in our country." He said.
- And "if we don't collectively try to come together to fix it," Kelly said, "I think it can get worse."
Go deeper: Chaos erupts on House floor over Charlie Kirk shooting
