Charlie Kirk Assassination Raises Fear Of Surging Political Violence

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 3:17 AM

charlie kirk assassination raises fear of surging political violence

Arie Perliger, The Conversation Arie Perliger, The Conversation Alfonso Serrano, The Conversation Alfonso Serrano, The Conversation The fatal shooting of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, has brought renewed attention to the climate of political violence in America. Kirk’s death reflects a sizable increase in threats against officeholders and politicians at the local and federal level. Alfonso Serrano, a politics editor at The Conversation, spoke with University of Massachusetts Lowell scholar Arie Perliger after Kirk’s shooting.

Perliger studies political violence and assassinations and spoke bluntly about political polarization in the United States. ALFONSO SERRANO: What were your initial thoughts after Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting? The Republican governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, articulated the feeling of many Americans when he said on CNN a few days after the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, “If your view of... The country has indeed been shaken—not only by last week’s assassination but also this year by the shootings of two state legislators (one of them fatal) in Minnesota, the attempt to burn down the... Trump as he campaigned for president last year. The country should also be shaken by the prospect that these acts of violence, even if irrational and committed by individuals with no coherent political philosophies, could accelerate a slide into authoritarianism and the...

Mr. Cox was justified in asking, at the announcement that the suspected assassin of Mr. Kirk had been apprehended, “Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history, or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?” “We can return violence with violence, we can return hate with hate, and that’s the problem with political violence—it metastasizes,” Mr. Cox also said at that press conference. “Because we can always point the finger at the other side.

And at some point, we have to find an off-ramp, or it’s going to get much, much worse.” We cannot assume that everyone is looking for that off-ramp. In an interview with Fox News two days after the assassination, President Trump explicitly rejected the idea that extremists on both the left and the right were responsible for encouraging violence, instead insisting, “The... The deadly shooting of right-wing activist and Chicago-area native Charlie Kirk marks a pivotal moment amid a rising threat of political violence in America, experts say. NBC Chicago’s JC Navarrete has the latest. The deadly shooting of right-wing activist and Chicago-area native Charlie Kirk marks a pivotal moment amid a rising threat of political violence in America, experts say.

Kirk died at 31-years-old after he was shot while presenting at Utah Valley University Wednesday, officials said. Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. A suburban Chicago native and supporter of President Donald Trump, Kirk is the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, a right-wing political organization that focuses on motivating young people to be politically... <iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/onpoint/2025/09/15/charlie-kirk-assassination-political-violence"></iframe> Charlie Kirk helped shape conservative politics over the last decade. His assassination raises a question for all Americans: Can anything turn back the rising tide of political violence in America?

Emily Anderson Stern, a Salt Lake Tribune Statewatch reporter. She was at Charlie Kirk’s speaking event at Utah Valley University, and has been reporting on the assassination. Kyle Spencer, journalist and former New York Times contributor. Author of "Raising Them Right: The untold story of America’s ultraconservative youth movement – and its plot for power." Andrew Egger, White House correspondent at The Bulwark. Arie Perliger responds after the fatal shooting brought renewed attention to the climate of political violence in America

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We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. The fatal shooting of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, has brought renewed attention to the climate of political violence in America. Kirk’s death reflects a sizable increase in threats against officeholders and politicians at the local and federal levels. Wide-open gun culture and hyper-polarization are bringing the “years of lead” to the USA. Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept.

10, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old right-wing activist who led Turning Point USA, in Utah on Wednesday was horrifying and upsetting. Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University. His death was confirmed hours later by President Donald Trump and others. He was the father of two young children. Yet, as shocking as Kirk’s killing was, the fact that there was this kind of assassination is sadly not that unexpected.

After all, America is awash in violence, political or otherwise, every day of the year. Responding to the initial reports of the shooting, Representative Jaime Raskin wrote: “Condemning another absolutely disgraceful act of gun violence.” The word “another” captures the disturbing truth of the news: Gun violence, whether in... This violence is a product of a political system that refuses to implement gun control even as the social fabric frays. The assassination of the influential conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University Wednesday afternoon has ignited alarm nationwide, joining a string of recent high-profile acts of horrific public violence that... Kirk, 31, the charismatic founder of the right-leaning youth organization Turning Point USA and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, was delivering a speech under a campus tent in Orem, Utah, when a... He collapsed, was rushed to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

As of Wednesday night, a manhunt remained in effect for the shooter after two prior persons of interest were briefly detained for questioning. FBI Director Kash Patel had earlier called one of those people "the subject" in the shooting, but the person was later released without charges. Kirk, who had become nearly as influential in the president's orbit as he had been with young conservatives on campus, warned earlier this year about what he called an emerging "assassination culture" on the... In April, he cited polling by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) showing that a significant percentage of self-identified liberals viewed violence against public figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk as at least... "The political left is normalizing violence — and even political assassination — as a legitimate means of achieving its goals," Kirk posted on X. He accused Democratic leaders of remaining silent while inflammatory rhetoric escalated on social media and college campuses, where he often came to debate ideas and policies with other young people of all political stripes.

The killing of Charlie Kirk and the political violence haunting America, the deadly ‘kissing bug’ disease spreading across the U.S., and more Charlie Kirk was doing what he so often did—working a college crowd, prodding and provoking students in debate. The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA was at Utah Valley University near Salt Lake City on Sept. 10, surrounded by thousands of students gathered in an outdoor courtyard. It was the first stop of Kirk’s fall campus tour, and he was seated beneath a tent emblazoned with the words “The American Comeback.” Kirk became a star in these settings. Since founding his right-wing advocacy organization at 18, he proved peerless at channeling youthful discontent into political energy, shaping a movement with national reach.

As Kirk fielded questions from the audience, a shot rang out, striking him in the neck. Panicked students scattered. Kirk was rushed to the hospital. Grisly footage of the shooting rocketed across social media. Inside the West Wing, staff sat in shocked silence, scrolling to see the latest updates of news on their phones and messages on their computer screens. At 4:40 p.m., Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social.

“No one,” the President wrote, “understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.” He leaves behind a wife and two young children. Click here to buy your copy of this issue In recent years, the prospect of a political assassination such as this, carried out before a stunned crowd in broad daylight, has hung over a nation riven by factional fury. Elected officials whispered about it in green rooms and on campaign buses. When the moment arrived, it unfolded with chilling precision: a campus stage, a microphone, a single burst of gunfire. Where it will lead now is an ominous question with no obvious answers.

Charlie Kirk Assassination Raises Fear Of Surging Political Violence

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