Conservative podcaster and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accused the Trump administration of using Charlie Kirk’s death to trample on the First Amendment, a concern that has been raised by many on the left.
The outspoken right-wing voice said that Kirk was a “free speech champion” and he hoped that his murder wouldn’t be used as “leverage” to bring in hate speech laws in the U.S. following the administration’s threats to take action against critics of the Turning Point USA founder.
Kirk’s assassination has sparked a polarizing debate about free speech across the country.
“You hope that a year from now, the turmoil we're seeing in the aftermath of his murder won't be leveraged to bring hate speech laws to this country,” Carlson said Wednesday during a special edition of The Tucker Carlson Show in tribute to Kirk.
“And trust me, if it is, if that does happen, there is never a more justified moment for civil disobedience than that, ever. And there never will be,” the pundit added. “Because if they can tell you what to say, they're telling you what to think...There is nothing they can't do to you because they don't consider you human.”
The longtime former Fox News host did not target President Donald Trump personally in his opening monologue, but went after Attorney General Pam Bondi for comments she made Monday that sparked fierce backlash from both the right and the left.
Bondi said the Justice Department “will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”
Carlson said that Kirk would have “objected” to Bondi’s remarks, which she was forced to later walk back.
“This is the Attorney General of the United States, the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, telling you that there is this other category... called hate speech,” Carlson said. “And of course, the implication is that's a crime. There's no sentence that Charlie Kirk would have objected to more than that.”
In addition to Bondi’s comments, several members of Trump’s cabinet have pledged action against those who appear to celebrate or mock Kirk’s death.
Vice President J.D. Vance was among those urging his supporters to root out anyone celebrating Charlie’s murder and “call them out, and hell, call their employer.”
The State Department said it would be seeking to identify foreign nationals “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of Kirk’s death, and aides of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that anyone working for the military could face criminal charges if they made light of the right-wing activist's assassination.
Meanwhile, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is the latest to join the ever-growing list of people to face repercussions for comments they’ve made about Kirk’s death.
ABC announced Wednesday that it was suspending Kimmel’s late-night show “indefinitely” after the host’s comments earlier this week.
“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
Trump was quick to gloat about the news. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” the president posted on Truth Social.
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