The killing of conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk has drawn reactions across the political spectrum, but Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s response is nothing short of an opportunistic, far-fetched display to divide the nation.
The ruling Republican Party has taken an extraordinary interest in Kirk’s murder, owing to his closeness with the party, but the tragedy has also been swiftly politicized by them. Though there was an outpouring of condolences even by those who opposed his ideology, some politicians have weaponised his death to inflame tensions.
In a recent post on X, far-right Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene seized on the moment to attack Democrats, portraying them as complicit in the activist’s murder. Pointing to what she called insensitive responses from the left, Greene wrote:
“There is nothing left to talk about with the left. They hate us. They assassinated our nice guy who actually talked to them peacefully, debating ideas. Then millions on the left celebrated and made clear they want all of us dead.”
“Peaceful national divorce” or call for hateful partisan divide? People see right through her words
What made Greene’s post especially alarming was her pivot from mourning to a renewed call for a “peaceful national divorce,” framing Kirk’s death as evidence that the United States is “too far gone and too far divided.” She added that “it’s no longer safe for any of us,” before offering a strikingly apocalyptic turn: a claim that Kirk’s killing would spark “a spiritual revival building the kingdom for Christ.” Good luck making sense of that.
From there, Greene’s commentary veered quickly into politics. She used the moment to attack the upcoming congressional vote on former President Biden’s budget, writing:
“This week, Congress will be voting on another CR – Biden’s budget that FUNDS TRANSGENDER POLICIES, NOT our own Trump policy budget that funds what you voted for. We had 9 months to get it done, but for reasons I don’t understand or agree with, it wasn’t the priority.”
Doubling down on her rhetoric, Greene urged her supporters to place their faith “in Almighty God and our Savior Jesus,” before closing with a sweeping dismissal of political opponents, saying, “I will pray for the left, but personally I want nothing to do with them.”
“Your hateful rhetoric only exacerbates the problem”: Users on X bashed Greene on her post
The response to Greene’s outrageous post was swift and sharp. Many users on X accused her of exploiting a tragedy to stoke division and demonize political opponents. One of them was swift to point out the targeted hate in her post. “Kirk was killed by one deranged man with easy access to guns. Blaming half the country for his murder is irrational on your part. Stop fanning the flames of violence,” one wrote. Another criticized her broad-brush vilification of Democrats, saying:
“The man who shot Charlie Kirk does not represent the left any more than the man who shot the Hortmans represents the right. Your hateful rhetoric only exacerbates the problem.”
While Greene’s attempt to turn Kirk’s death into a rallying cry for ideological division fell flat with much of the public, it showed how a moment of grief is being transformed into yet another flashpoint for partisan rhetoric and culture-war politics.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
