Hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead during a rally in Utah, the killing has ignited a fierce ideological blame game. From Elon Musk, JD Vance and Maga voice to President Donald Trump many right wing voices have unequivocally blamed the left for the killing, sparking a fact-checking rebuttal from journalist Mehdi Hasan.
President Trump called the assassination “a dark moment for America, accusing the “radical left” of creating a climate of hatred that, he argued, directly contributed to Kirk’s death.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
Tesla founder Elon Musk also pinned responsibility for the attack on Democrats. “The Left is the party of murder,” he wrote, amplifying a post that claimed, “The Left lectured us for the last decade about the dangers of violence from the Right. From the assassination attempts of President Trump to United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson being murdered, and now to Charlie Kirk. The danger was actually on the Left.”
Musk also shared a post from a cultural commentator who calls himself The Critical Drinker, “Whether you agreed with him or not, Charlie Kirk is dead purely because some people didn’t like what he had to say. That should outrage every single one of us.”
US vice president JD Vance responded to a comment stating, “Charlie Kirk—more than anyone else in America on the right or the left—built his platform making a good faith effort to model civil political discourse and debate in the public square. His entire project was built on reaching across the divide and using speech, not violence, to address and resolve the issues.”
Vance said on X, “This is such a good point. If you actually watch Charlie’s events—as opposed to the fake summaries—they are one of the few places with open and honest dialogue between left and right. He would answer any question and talk to everyone.
Who Was Charlie Kirk?
Charlie Kirk, just 30, had built an outsized role in American conservatism. As the founder of Turning Point USA, a campus-based conservative youth network with more than 850 chapters, he became a central figure in Trump politics despite never holding public office.
Kirk’s daily podcast and heavy social media presence amplified his voice among the party’s grassroots. His closeness to the Trump family, especially Donald Trump Jr., made him one of the most visible faces of the MAGA movement. He was also an early champion of JD Vance, who would later become Trump’s running mate.
Mehdi Hasan Pushes Back
But not everyone agreed with Musk and Trump’s framing. Journalist Mehdi Hasan posted a long rebuttal, arguing that much of America’s recent political violence has, in fact, come from the right.
“So much disinformation on this site tonight in the wake of the horrific Kirk murder, with conservatives cynically suggesting that all of the political violence in this country comes from the left. In fact, it’s the opposite,” Hasan wrote.
He then listed eight high-profile cases where Trump supporters were convicted or implicated in violent attacks, including:
The killing of Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman.
The attempted kidnapping of Democratic governors Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer.
The January 6 mob that threatened to hang Vice President Mike Pence.
The assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
Pipe bombs sent to the homes of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
The murder of the son of federal judge Esther Salas.
“There is no equivalent or even similar list of Obama or Biden supporters who have carried out similar murders, attempted murders, or violent attacks,” Hasan stated.
As tributes pour in for Charlie Kirk, hailed even by critics as someone who tried to model civil political discourse on college campuses, the rhetoric around his death underscores how polarised America has become.
For supporters, Kirk’s assassination represents an attack on free speech itself. For critics, the attempt to blame only one side ignores a broader problem of political extremism.