Republicans grieving the conservative activist Charlie Kirk are demanding action against people who reacted to his killing by “praising, rationalising, or making light” of it or by “belittling” the victim’s memory.
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, was shot dead by a sniper during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. The gunman remains at large.
The murder has rocked American politics, but Kirk’s career as an outspoken MAGA influencer with a history of making contentious comments on his podcast, conservative news channels, and at public events meant he had acquired plenty of detractors, not all of whom reacted to his death with the solemnity expected, particularly on social media.
Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins wrote on X on Thursday that he planned “to use Congressional authority and every influence with big tech platforms to mandate immediate ban for life of every post or commenter that belittled the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“If they ran their mouth with their smart*** hatred celebrating the heinous murder of that beautiful young man who dedicated his whole life to delivering respectful conservative truth into the hearts of liberal enclave universities, armed only with a Bible and a microphone and a Constitution… those profiles must come down.”
Higgins added that, in addition to lobbying for the lifetime bans, “I’m also going after their business licenses and permitting, their businesses will be blacklisted aggressively, they should be kicked from every school, and their driver's licenses should be revoked. I’m basically going to cancel with extreme prejudice these evil, sick animals who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination.”
Similarly, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau has warned that foreigners “glorifying violence” in the wake of Kirk’s assassination while visiting the U.S. could be expelled.
“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau wrote on X.
“Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the State Department can protect the American people.”
Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn has meanwhile written to Secret Service Director Sean Curran demanding the resignation of Anthony Pough, an agent who reportedly wrote on Facebook: “If you are Mourning this guy... delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show.
“Especially when we should be mourning the innocent children killed in Colorado. At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt leave.”
In response, Blackburn told Curran, “Put simply, your employee celebrated and attempted to justify a political assassination. This conduct is inexcusable, and I urge you in the strongest possible terms to immediately terminate his employment.”
Far-right activist Laura Loomer has also threatened to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death. “I’m going to make you wish you never opened your mouth,” she posted on X.
MSNBC has already announced the firing of on-air analyst Matthew Dowd for suggesting Kirk was a “divisive” figure who had spread “hate speech” and may have brought his fate down upon himself: “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
The network’s president, Rebecca Kutler, said Dowd had apologized for the remarks, but she called them “inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable.”
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, no stranger to controversy in similar circumstances, has called for the best-selling horror novelist Stephen King to be sued for defamation over his reaction while DC Comics has cancelled its new Batman spinoff Red Hood after writer Gretchen Felker‑Martin made disparaging comments about Kirk on Bluesky.
Staff members from the University of Mississippi and Middle Tennessee State University have been fired over comments they made publicly about the death. At the same time, Florida’s Education Commissioner, Anastasios Kamoutsas, has warned school district superintendents that he had been made aware of “despicable” comments made by state teachers on social media and would investigate their “vile, sanctionable behavior.”
Other people who have been angrily rebuked for their reactions to Kirk’s assassination include the Michigan judge Jaimie Powell Horowitz and Cincinnati restaurant proprietor Aaron Sharpe, whose response prompted the city’s TQL Stadium to sever ties with his business.
On the other side of the aisle, Elon Musk has been condemned for reacting to the atrocity by stoking the heightened state of tension with the declaration, “The Left is the party of murder.”
He also replied to another X user: “If they won’t leave us in peace, then our choice is fight or die.”
No motive for the shooting has been established, a suspect has not been identified.
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