Image via BBC News
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In the weeks following the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, the Trump administration and the Republican Party have mandated a national reckoning of the quasi-political figure and co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA. From the presidential memorandum, “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence,” to the designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorism organization, the Trump administration has exploited the assassination of Kirk as a reason for U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s retribution campaign against his perceived enemies.
Leaning into Kirk’s death, the Trump administration has asserted that Democrats or “the radical left” are to blame for nearly all acts of political violence. Speaking to reporters about political violence, President Trump claimed, “If you look at the problem, the problem is on the left. It’s not on the right.”
While the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a study concluding that left-wing terrorism in the United States has risen in the last 10 years, historic levels of violence are perpetrated mainly by right-wing attackers. Historian of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder asserts that roughly 70% of politically motivated acts of violence come from the far-right. It is noteworthy that the Department of Justice recently removed a government-sponsored study showing that far more domestic terrorism is committed by far-right extremists.
The Trump administration’s thorough emphasis on left-wing acts of political violence is not only poorly contextualized and politically motivated, but also cruelly partisan through its dismissiveness towards recent acts of violence on the other side of the political spectrum. In a democracy, it is the norm that elected officials reject the use of violence on their political opponents, as first and foremost, they are all human beings worthy of life.
However, during the grandiose memorial service for Charlie Kirk, Trump told the crowd and, effectively, America, “I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry.” This anti-American, divisive statement appears true when considering Trump’s remarks on the assassination of Democratic Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman.
On June 14, 2025, Vance Boelter killed the Hortmans, but first he attacked Democratic Minnesota State Senator John A. Hoffman, shooting and injuring Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, Trump refused to call Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the running-mate of Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Trump argued that Governor Walz is both “slick” and “whacked out,” concluding that, “I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”
Responding to recent criticism as to why he did not order flags to be flown at half-staff after the fatal shooting of Melissa Hortman and her husband, Trump first commented that he was not familiar with the assassination. Upon being reminded, Trump claimed that, “If the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done it,” completely disregarding his prior refusal to simply call Governor Walz and neglecting this tragic loss of life.
Even Charlie Kirk, America’s recent victim of political violence, has dismissed the sanctity of human life through his extreme commentary on gun deaths and political violence. Highlighting the value of owning a gun over the price of lost American lives, Kirk stated: “It’s worth [it] to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.” On political violence, Kirk’s statement on the alleged attacker of Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is equally telling.
On October 28, 2022, David DePape entered the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi, intending to kidnap and injure her. Unable to attack his desired target, who was not home at the time of the break-in, DePape attacked Mr. Pelosi with a hammer, causing a skull fracture and serious injuries to his arms and hands.
On Kirk’s Podcast, the Charlie Kirk Show, the right-wing activist urged a “patriot” from San Francisco or the Bay Area to “bail him out and then go ask him some questions.” DePape was set to be charged with attempted homicide, yet Kirk pressed for a “patriot” to be a midterm hero and bail the attacker from jail.
Regardless of Charlie Kirk’s inhumane statements on death and violence, he did not deserve to die for his speech, no matter how obscene or hateful his words may have been. All human life should be perceived as precious and sacred, no matter how the individual chooses to conduct themselves personally and professionally.
During prior presidential administrations, such a statement would have been regarded as a key democratic principle; however, the Trump administration only denounces political violence when it is advantageous to their political agenda. By not condemning acts of violence against individuals of both political parties, the Trump administration blatantly favors the sanctity of Republican life, diminishing the value of other American lives.
There is a fine line between disliking your political opponents and wishing ill intent upon them. The Trump administration is purposely crossing the line through both extreme apathy and active persecution of Trump’s political opponents, the “radical-left Democrats,” to deplete their worth as Americans.
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This article was edited by Griffin Strauss and Jorja Mulvihill.
Lauren Gracia 
Cooper Toland 
Anita Boniface