Afterthe assassination of American political activist and commentatorCharlie Kirk in September 2025, there followed widespread disciplinary and retaliatory actions against people seen as celebrating, justifying, or trivializing Kirk's death, encouraging furtherpolitical violence, denigrating Kirk, or tarnishing his legacy. These efforts were promoted and directly engaged in by theU.S. federal government, with PresidentDonald Trump explicitly condemning "the left" for the violence in his address to the nation in its immediate aftermath, and pledging to target left-wing groups and causes, monitorpolitical speech, revokevisas, and designateAntifa and groups that might support it asdomestic terrorists in response to the attack.
On the night of Kirk's killing, theDepartment of State announced it would penalize foreigners considered to be "praising, rationalizing, or making light of Kirk's death".[1] Secretary of DefensePete Hegseth announced an investigation into the reactions of members of theU.S. Armed Forces, as well as subsequent firings and dismissals of those found to have made obscene orblasphemous comments about Kirk. Commentary cited as reasons for firings and other reprisals included comments which openly celebrated Kirk's demise, spoke critically of his politics or political influence, or which appeared to justify Kirk's assassination through citing his own views on the constant ofgun violence or otherwise reposting Kirk's words in ways intended to dishonor his memory. In some cases, criticizing theRepublican Party's response to his killing—regarded by some as seeking to opportunistically capitalize on Kirk's death to target political enemies and engage in a broad crackdown on dissent against theTrump administration—resulted in termination of employment or other disciplinary actions.
Following Kirk's death, a number of prominentconservatives called for retaliation against or punishment of private citizens and government or military employees whose comments about Kirk were, in their view, likely to encourage additionalpolitical violence, or which were deemed insufficiently respectful towards Kirk and his legacy. They also called for investigations into left-wing groups, universities, and the military for putative anti-Kirk speech. OnThe Charlie Kirk Show following his death, Vice PresidentJD Vance called for people heard to make remarks deemed uncivil to Kirk to be reported to their employers for termination. Trump later announced that any network that criticized him too harshly could be subject to a revocation of their broadcast license. Multiple analysts have regarded these efforts by the political right as a significant crackdown on political speech and dissent in the United States, and an effort to silence criticism of Kirk and thepolitical ideology he promoted. The response was criticized as a form ofcancel culture, governmentcensorship, and of bearing similarities toMcCarthyism.[2][3]
Charlie Kirk was an Americanright-wing influencer who foundedTurning Point USA and hostedThe Charlie Kirk Show. He was known for his debates on college campuses where he attempted to promote hisconservative views to young audiences. His statements about topics such asLGBTQ+ individuals, the role of women in marriage, andrace in the United States were controversial.[4][5][6] At a campaign event in Kentucky withNate Morris in June 2025, Kirk himself spoke about the potential for violence. He told the crowd: "We're on the front lines where it's not always safe."[7]
On September 10, 2025, Kirk was engaged in one of his regular debates as part of hisAmerican Comeback Tour with college students atUtah Valley University—debatingmass shootings in the United States committed bytransgender individuals—when a gunman on a nearby rooftop shot and killed him.[8] Reactions on social media varied. The vast majority of people on both sides of the political aisle condemned the murder; some who opposed Kirk's views celebrated, justified, or mocked his death. After the shooting, some users onBluesky made posts glorifying or celebrating Kirk's killing—which in extreme casesincited further violence against other right-wing figures, several posting or reposting ameme that said "do Trump next" or "Elon next please". This prompted the platform to issue a statement denouncing such posts. Other social media platforms includingMeta,YouTube, andReddit issued similar warnings to their users.[9]
Speaking to the nation during the aftermath of Kirk's death, PresidentDonald Trump, while calling fornonviolence and lamenting "thedemonization of those with whom we disagree", blamed "a radical left group of lunatics" for the killing; Trump said that leftist political rhetoric and activism was terrorism and hate speech responsible for Kirk's death, and stated that he would "get that problem solved".[12][13][14] He subsequently announced that people and groups "on the left" would be investigated for alleged responsibility for political violence and would face retaliatory action.[15] Critics said that Trump was exaggerating the prevalence of left-wing political violence and downplaying a rise in violence on the right,[16] citing statistics showing that cumulatively over decades most extremist killings in the U.S. have been caused by right-wing perpetrators.[10] From 2022 through 2024, all 61 political killings were committed by right-wing extremists.[17]
In an interview on September 13, Trump reiterated his intent to crack down on speech and activism by left-wing andprogressive groups, calling for prominentDemocratic Party donorGeorge Soros to be jailed, accusing Soros as well as other left-wing political figures and organizations of effectively funding Kirk's murder via support for "violent protest".[12] The groups Trump had explicitly accused of funding and fomenting violence, such as theOpen Society Foundation andIndivisible, condemned the killing prior to Trump's remarks and denied ever supporting or funding violent protest.[12][18] AfterJimmy Kimmel's show was indefinitely suspended a few days later when Kimmel opined on air that "theMAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it", Trump stated that broadcasters who criticized him too strongly could risk being subject to loss of licensure.[19][20][21]
Hosting Kirk's podcast after his death,JD Vance called for the dismantling of progressive political organizations, including Soros's, and told Americans to report "uncivil" speech about Kirk to employers and relevant authorities, demanding that individuals who engaged in inappropriate speech about Kirk be terminated.[22][23] Thousands were flagged by vigilante online conservative groups for allegedly celebrating Kirk's death, often incorrectly and without evidence.[24] Secretary of StateMarco Rubio announced that any non-citizens who celebrated Kirk's death would be immediately deported,[25][26] and Secretary of DefensePete Hegseth instructed staff to identify and purge any members of the military service or his department who condoned or mocked Kirk's death.[27]
Deputy Chief of StaffStephen Miller immediately blamed the left for Kirk's murder, writing that left-wing ideology was a "twisted, depraved ... ideology at war with family and nature ... that leads, always, inevitably and willfully, to violence",[28][29][30] and accused the left of "celebrating".[31] Miller later claimed on Kirk's podcast with Vance that, on the day before his death, "the last message that Charlie sent me ... was that we needed to have an organized strategy to go after the left-leaning organizations that are promoting violence in this country."[31] Miller alleged that "a vast terrorist network" on the left was responsible for the murder, and declared that the administration would "destroy" progressive political organizations in response, in Kirk's name.[32] Miller said the federal government would devote every resource at its disposal to vengeance against left-wing non-profit and politicalnon-governmental organizations and networks and would "identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks".[33] Attorney GeneralPam Bondi indicated onKatie Miller's podcast and in subsequent Department of Justice announcements that she intended to "target" speech against Kirk following his death ashate speech, which led to a backlash within a section of the right.[34][35]
On September 22, Trump signed anexecutive order intended to designateantifa as adomestic terrorist organization, and to "investigate, disrupt, and dismantle" individuals and groups associated with, or providing material support, to antifa, raising concerns that it could be used as a pretext to target political opponents.[36][37] As with his previous attempt in 2020, legal experts said that there is no precedent for labeling a domestic group as a terrorist organization under U.S. law.[38][39]
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Far-right activists such asLaura Loomer sought to identify social media users who were posting offensive or celebratory content about Kirk's death.[40]Reuters reported that some right-wing influencers who encouraged reporting social media posts had previously mocked political violence; Reuters cited comments from a number of right-wing activists, including Kirk, about past events including theattack on Paul Pelosi.[41] On September 11, in response to the previous day's "horrific assassination", Deputy Secretary of StateChristopher Landau invited his social-media followers to report any foreign-born U.S. residents who "glorify violence and hatred" to the Department of State in order to protect the American people.[42][43] On September 15, Vance guest hosted Kirk's podcast and told listeners that if they saw anyone who was reportedly celebrating Kirk's death to "call them out" and continued stating: "Hell, call their employer. We don't believe inpolitical violence, but we do believe incivility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination."[44]
Personal information was gathered on a website called Charlie's Murderers, which was registered shortly after his death. The site listed names, employment details, locations, social media accounts, and email addresses of the targeted individuals, while the administrators of the site have remainedanonymous. The site received thousands of submitted names to be added to the list.[45] The website was later rebranded as the Charlie Kirk Data Foundation, before it was taken down on September 16.[44] Vance and Republican members of Congress have called for the government to start investigating progressive organizations following Kirk's assassination, and those targeted have compared the firings to those ofMcCarthyism in the 1950s, when suspectedcommunists were targeted and ostracized from American society.[2]
Due to many unverified accusations, uninvolved individuals with similar names were publicly identified and harassed: a man with the same name of an online poster received threatening messages and phone calls, was suspended from his job, and his family left their home out of safety concerns. In another case, theStudents for Trump national chairRyan Fournier had to retract an accusation against a teacher in Wisconsin, although Fournier asked for doxing and accusations to continue with more evidence.[46]
In the days after the shooting, various people—including teachers, firefighters, and members of the military andU.S. Secret Service were fired from their jobs for social media posts that celebrated Kirk's assassination or were seen as disparaging of his legacy.[47] Vice President JD Vance called for a crackdown onliberal political groups and an investigation into "uncivil" speech critical of Kirk or disrespectful of his memory or legacy.[48][49] These calls to use Kirk's death to "justify measures to silence opponents" and crack down on political speech have been echoed by President Trump and other leading Republican officials.[50][51] Secretary of DefensePete Hegseth also called for a purge of the military and broad investigation into members found to be critical of Kirk in the wake of his death.[52]
According to a November 2025Reuters investigation, over 600 Americans were fired from their jobs over comments made about the assassination. The number was likely an undercount, since many terminations would not have been publicly disclosed.[53]
According to a list compiled byThe Chronicle of Higher Education, at least 40 higher education faculty, staff, and students have been terminated, suspended, or expelled for commentary alleged as insufficiently respectful towards Kirk following his death.[54][55] Several faced consequences for suggesting Kirk's death was ironic, due to their interpretation of his views ongun violence in the United States: a faculty member atAustin Peay University was terminated for sharing a screenshot onFacebook of aNewsweek headline in which Kirk said deaths from guns were "unfortunately" worth it to preserve theSecond Amendment.[54][55] The university's statement claimed the post merited termination because reposting Kirk's own prior remarks justifying gun violence implicitly justified his death.[56] In January 2026, the faculty member was reinstated[57] and awarded $500,000 as part of asettlement.[58] Another staff member at theUniversity of Louisville was placed under investigation for re-posting Kirk's remarks on gun deaths being the price of the 2nd amendment "without comment".[54] A South Dakota faculty member has been suspended for posting "I don't give a flying f—k about this Kirk person. Apparently he was a hate-spreading Nazi. ... I'm sorry for his family ... But geez, where was all this concern whenthe politicians in Minnesota were shot? And theschool shootings? AndCapital Police?"[54]
An instructor atEnterprise State Community College, Alabama, was terminated for calling attention to theEvergreen High School shooting that happened on the day of Kirk's killing, posting onTikTok, "Let us not forget some other children were shot in another f—king shooting today."[54] Some faculty were terminated for making jokes about the incident, such as an instructor from Guilford Technical Community College who was videotaped by a student while joking that "I'll praise the shooter; he had good aim". Many more educators across the U.S. have been placed on indefiniteleave due to negative or unsympathetic comments made about Kirk online.[59][60][61]
Middle Tennessee State University fired Assistant Dean of Students Laura Sosh-Lightsy for "inappropriate and callous" social media remarks about Kirk's murder.[62][63] TheUniversity of Mississippi fired Lauren Stokes, an executive assistant to a vice chancellor, after she shared a post critical of Kirk following his assassination.[64][65]Clemson University terminated an employee and later dismissed two faculty members for "inappropriate" social media posts about Kirk's assassination (initially removing the professors from teaching before firing them).[66][67][68] In Chula Vista, a teacher was placed on leave after showing the video to students.[69]Ohio State University professors described a "sense of unease" following firings, expressing concerns over speculation about being recorded by students seeking to catch them expressing negative views about Kirk.[70]
Two school districts in Texas have fired two teachers and placed a third on administrative leave for making comments online about Kirk's death. Both districts said the comments of the fired employees did not reflect the values of their schools.[71] According to Texas governorGreg Abbott, nearly 300 teachers in the state are under investigation for speech criticizing Kirk.[72] A student atTexas Tech University was recorded arguing with another student holding a "RIP Charlie Kirk" sign stating at one point "Yeah, fuck your homie dead" and appearing to touch theMAGA hat the student was wearing. She was later expelled from the university and arrested on misdemeanor assault with Governor Abbott and the Texas Tech Board of Regents Chairman condemning her behavior.[73] A student atTexas State University was expelled for mocking Kirk's death, with a video showing him saying, "Charlie Kirk got hit in the neck, bitch", and mimicking Kirk's death by slapping himself in the neck.[74]
On October 2, 2025, theRutgers University chapter of Turning Point USA launched a petition against Rutgers professorMark Bray, calling for the university to fire him. The petition referred to him as "Dr. Antifa" and called him an "outspoken, well-known antifa member". Members of the chapter also called him "a financier of Antifa". Bray responded saying: "I've never been part of an antifa group, and I'm not currently. There's an effort underway to paint me as someone who is doing the things that I've researched, but that couldn't be further from the truth." The petition was posted after the assassination, whenJack Posobiec referred to him as a "domestic terrorist professor" on X. AfterFox News publicized the petition, Bray received death threats and his home address was made public, and he and his wife, who also teaches at Rutgers, decided to flee with their two young children to Spain where Rutgers had said they could continue to teach remotely. Their first attempt to fly to Spain was blocked after they went through security at the airport because someone cancelled their reservation, but they succeeded the next day. The Rutgers chapter denied supporting doxxing or harassment.[75][76][77]
DC Comics cancelledGretchen Felker-Martin'sRed Hood book series one day after its debut, after the writer commented about Kirk's death onBluesky, saying "Hope the bullet's OK after hitting Kirk", later deleting the post and "Thoughts and prayers youNazi bitch".[78][79][80] In an interview withThe Comics Journal, Felker-Martin stated that when DC called to inform her that this was "something that DC andWarner Brothers couldn't stand behind or defend", she stood by her comments, stating, "I said that I've listened to Charlie Kirk being an overt Nazi for years of my life, and I had no regrets for what I said about him."[81]
PHNX Sports parted ways withPhoenix Suns beat writer Gerald Bourguet over his social media posts about Kirk's death.[82][83] TheCarolina Panthers fired football communications coordinator Charlie Rock after an Instagram story that referenced Kirk's death; the team said it "does not condone violence of any kind".[84][85] Drew Harrison, aSucker Punch Productions developer who worked onGhost of Yōtei and worked for ten years onPlayStation Studios, was fired after sharing on social media that "I hope the shooter's name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back" — referencing theMario franchise while associating Kirk's then unidentified killer withLuigi Mangione. In response,Sony Interactive Entertainment stated that Harrison was "no longer an employee of Sucker Punch Productions".[86]
ABC suspended production ofJimmy Kimmel Live! following remarks made during hostJimmy Kimmel's September 15 broadcast, in which Kimmel said, "TheMAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."[87] The suspension followed a suggestion by Trump-appointedFederal Communications Commission (FCC) ChairBrendan Carr that the FCC may revoke ABC affiliates' broadcasting licenses as punishment for Kimmel's remarks and came shortly afterNexstar Media Group andSinclair Broadcast Group announced that they would pull the show from its ABC-affiliated stations.[87] Kimmel intended to address his comments on the show prior to the suspension.[88]
Jonathan Yerushalmy and Edward Helmore forThe Guardian reported that "politicians, media figures and free speech organizations continued to express anger and alarm at the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show", highlighting shared concerns that "critics of Donald Trump were being systematically silenced".[89] Trump afterwards suggested that the FCC could revoke licenses if they aired overwhelmingly negative coverage of him.[90]
Celebrities who refused to work with Disney over the firing includedTatiana Maslany,Damon Lindelof andFrances Fisher.[91] Calls to boycott Hulu and Disney+ circulated across social media.[92] TheAmerican Civil Liberties Union called the move "beyondMcCarthyism", and theWriters Guild of America andSAG-AFTRA called it an infringement of constitutional rights.[93] FCC CommissionerAnna M. Gomez, the lone Democrat on the board, said in a statement, "This FCC does not have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional right to police content or punish broadcasters for speech the government dislikes."[94][95]
The suspension was lifted and Kimmel returned to the show on September 23, where he thanked people who supported him and said, "[I]t was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don't think there's anything funny about it."[96]
Media analystMatthew Dowd was fired byMSNBC after he appraised Kirk as "one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort ofhate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions."[97][98] A reporter in Florida was suspended for texting Congressional RepresentativeRandy Fine immediately after the shooting to ask if it would prompt him to rethink his opposition togun control.[99]
Karen Attiah was fired fromThe Washington Post in the aftermath of the shooting. Attiah criticized what she saw as a double standard in the way Kirk's killing was being treated in the media compared to the assassination of Minnesota lawmakers earlier in the year. Attiah was, in turn, the subject of online criticism for misquoting Kirk's comments from July 13, 2023, when she wrote that he had said: "Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person's slot." Kirk had actually said in the video:
If we would have said three weeks ago [...] thatJoy Reid andMichelle Obama andSheila Jackson Lee andKetanji Brown Jackson were affirmative-action picks, we would have been called racist. But now they're comin' out and they're saying it for us! They're comin' out and they're saying, "I'm only here because of affirmative action."
Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.[100][101][102][103][104]
The New York Times noted that "Her post incorrectly said that Mr. Kirk had referred to all Black women."[101] She corrected herself in a Bluesky post days later.[101] Attiah called her firing "part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media", saying also: "As a columnist, I used my voice to defend freedom and democracy, challenge power and reflect on culture and politics with honesty and conviction. Now, I am the one being silenced – for doing my job."[102]
Private companies such asFreddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers have terminated employees for posts deemed inappropriate, and major U.S. airlinesAmerican Airlines,Delta Air Lines, andUnited Airlines have all suspended employees for similar reasons.[105][106]Nasdaq terminated a juniorsustainability strategist for social media posts about Kirk.[107][108] ATexas Roadhouse employee was fired over his wife's social media comments calling Kirk a "Nazi" and expressing outrage at a perceived undue level of sympathy toward him compared to the victims of school shootings.[109] A Las Vegas radio producer was fired for his posts taking issue with condolences expressed toward Kirk and his family.[110]
Law firmPerkins Coie fired a lawyer "effective immediately" over a post criticizing Kirk after his killing, saying the conduct fell "far short" of firm expectations.[111][112] TheBroad Institute said an employee who posted a "deeply offensive" message about Kirk's assassination "is no longer employed" at the institute.[113] REMSA Health, anEMS provider, fired an employee over a social media post about Kirk that said did not reflect its mission.[114]Office Depot dismissed an employee after a viral video showed staff refusing to print a poster for a Kirk vigil, calling it "propaganda",[115][116] and Attorney GeneralPam Bondi threatened to prosecute the fired employee.[117]
ASouth Australian police sergeant is being investigated by the organization's disciplinary unit under the "Police Complaints and Discipline Act 2016" for posts made on social media about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. South Australian CommissionerGrant Stevens confirmed the probe into the Facebook post and stated that the police officer was under investigation, but not suspended.[118][119]
Vogue Brasil stylistZazá Pecego was fired on September 13 after sharing the phrase "I love when fascists die in agony" on her social media. She later said the phrase was meant to refer to former Brazilian presidentJair Bolsonaro being convicted in the criminal caseAP 2668 for the2022 Brazilian coup plot, rather than refer to Kirk.[120] On the same day, physicianRicardo Barbosa was fired from a clinic inRecife after praising Kirk's shooter's "impeccable aim".[121] JournalistEduardo Bueno had speeches, participation in events, and a podcast cancelled after praising that Kirk's children would "grow up without the presence of a disgusting, scoundrel, racist, homophobic person, linked to pedophile Donald Trump".[122]Bueno later apologized for the statement, claiming to be the target of an "orchestrated movement by far-right lawmakers"; he nevertheless once again reinforced his disdain for conservative leaders such as Trump,Marco Rubio, and Kirk himself, arguing the world without Kirk's presence "is a place that becomes better".[123] On September 20, São Paulo mayorRicardo Nunes of theBrazilian Democratic Movement announced that he had initiated the termination process for Sustenidos, the social organization responsible for managing the Municipal Theater Complex since 2021. The termination of the contract came after an employee made a social media post criticizing Kirk.[124]
A religious studies and political science professor from theUniversity of Toronto was placed on leave after she made a comment on Twitter: "shooting is honestly too good for so many of you fascist cunts". The university sent an email stating: "The faculty member is now on leave and not on campus. The matter is being looked into and the university will not be commenting further."[125] AToronto District School Board teacher was also temporarily suspended after showing a video of Kirk's assassination to grade 5 and 6 students.[126]
Salvador Ramírez, acongressional staffer from Mexico's rulingNational Regeneration Movement (Morena), resigned after comments he made about Kirk having been given "a taste of his own medicine" (Spanish:una cucharada de su propio chocolate) on aMilenio Televisión discussion panel were brought to the attention of U.S. Deputy Secretary of StateChristopher Landau. Landau, who served as theU.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021, responded on X (formerlyTwitter) with a reminder of theState Department's authority to revoke visas; he also rebuked the broadcaster, which subsequently issued an apology.[127][128]
At a performance inAmsterdam on September 13, the front man of English punk duoBob Vylan said: "Cause if you chat shit you will get banged. Rest in peace Charlie Kirk, you piece of shit."[129] Their subsequent performance inTilburg on September 16 was cancelled by the promoter.[129]
TheOxford Union, a debating society, forwarded evidence for disciplinary proceedings against itspresident-elect George Abaraonye, who had debated Kirk earlier in the year, after he posted comments appearing to celebrate Kirk's assassination.[130] The Oxford Union condemned both Abaraonye's remarks, and the subsequent racist harassment and threats he received when they were made public. University College, Oxford ultimately determined that the remarks "do not contravene the college’s policies on free speech, or any other relevant policy" and declined to discipline Abaraonye.[131] Fiona Wild, an independent member ofBurnley Borough Council, resigned on September 11 following a post in which she said "good riddance" and that Kirk had "brought this on himself".[132][133]
On September 21, aLexington, Tennessee retired police officer was arrested and charged with making threats of mass violence after he posted a meme in a Facebook group planning to hold a vigil for Kirk. The meme consisted of an image of President Trump saying "We have to get over it", attributed to "Donald Trump on the Perry High School mass shooting one day after." The meme referenced ashooting that occurred at Perry High School inPerry, Iowa in 2024, and a quote Trump had said shortly after. The meme was captioned with "This seems relevant today", andThe Tennessean found it had been posted multiple times by social media users since 2024. Sheriff Nick Weems justified the man's arrest, saying the meme "led teachers, parents and students to conclude he was talking about a hypothetical shooting at our school," referring toPerry County High School in nearbyPerry County. Weems later acknowledged that he knew the reference to Perry High School in the meme referred to the mass shooting in Iowa,[134] andThe Intercept found no sign that teachers and parents reacted the way Weems described.[135] The man's bond was set at $2 million. A hearing on the motion to reduce the bail was reset at prosecutors' request.[136][135] Charges were dropped against the man in late October.[137] In December 2025, the man sued his county and sheriff, alleging violation of his First andFourth Amendment rights.[138]
The Trump administrationrevoked the visas of six people who made derisive comments about Kirk.[139]
TheAssociated Press described the campaign as having "broadened to include even those whose statements were critical of Kirk without celebrating his assassination". Adam Goldstein of theFoundation for Individual Rights and Expression described the shift as a form ofright-wing cancel culture, noting that people were being targeted for simply quoting Kirk or failing to mourn his passing adequately. Goldstein said that "government involvement in this does inch this closer to looking likeMcCarthyism".[2]
InThe New York Times, Adam B. Kushner reported the firings as part of a crackdown onfree speech in the United States and investigative journalistKenneth P. Vogel discussed "the emerging White House plan to use the federal government to crack down on the left-wing groups that it believes inspire political violence".[140][141]The New York Times also described the campaign as morphing into "a conservative version of the cancel culture that only a few years ago was wielded by the American left",[142] and evidence of the rise of a "woke right".[143]Axios described the firings as companies "reacting to pressure from Republican officials and right-wing activists and quickly firing anyone who attempts to justify or minimize the assassination of Charlie Kirk — or even criticize the slain conservative activist."[144]Axios said these firings "demonstrate fast-changing norms around free speech that many find troubling", indicating that employers are more closely monitoring their employees' social media posts.[144]
Telegraph Online echoed these criticisms, saying that while criticism of Kirk is not formally illegal, "what has emerged is a de facto enforcement system, carried out through corporate policies, viral tip-offs, and political pressure", also citing thechilling effect.[145] It suggested that this was less about stopping violence than about policing speech and added: "If meaningful free expression is to endure, society must scrutinize these cases, question who is punished and why, and revisit what protections workers really have. Otherwise, public discourse around volatile figures will become a minefield, where even legitimate criticism carries the risk of career destruction."[145] During Trump'sstate visit to the United Kingdom on September 16–18, 2025,The Independent accused Trump and his administration of hypocrisy, alleging they pushed for and celebrated the firing and targeting of those that they felt were celebrating Kirk's death, while Trump spoke about the virtues of free speech during his speech atWindsor Castle during astate dinner.[146]
In December 2025, Trump was further accused of hypocrisy after mocking thekilling of Rob and Michele Reiner, suggesting thatRob Reiner's death was caused by anger toward his "Trump derangement syndrome",[147] whereas Reiner had condemned Kirk's assassination.[148]
Some right-wing media figures and former members of the administration, such asAlex Jones,Jesse Waters,Elon Musk, andSteve Bannon,[149][150] stated that Kirk's killing meant that Americans were "in awar" between right and left.[151][152] Some others on the right, including conservatives who had derided the practice as cancel culture,[153] demanded "retribution" and "vengeance" against the left for speech claimed to have contributed to and celebrated Kirk's death, endorsing speech crackdowns, and retaliation.[154][155][156] Musk claimed that "the left is the party of murder" and repeatedly exhorted his followers to "fight"; Musk also sought personally to have individuals deplatformed, imprisoned, or retaliated against for negative commentary about Kirk despite his claim to be a "free speech absolutist" who acquired Twitter to oppose efforts to deplatform individuals in retaliation for unpopular speech,[153] attempting to publicly exert pressure via the social network onMicrosoft CEOSatya Nadella to retaliate against employees of its affiliateBlizzard whom Musk alleged had made inappropriate comments about Kirk,[157][158] and similarly seeking to influenceAmazon CEOJeff Bezos to retaliate against leftistTwitch streamerHasan Piker for making comments about the shooting with which Musk apparently disagreed.[153] The allegations that Piker or Blizzard employees had celebrated Kirk's death have not been subsequently verified.[159]
Some right-wing officials and members of the media, such as FCC chairmanBrendan Carr and conservative podcaster and formerFox News hostTucker Carlson, opposed some of the efforts to limit free speech or criticism in the wake of Kirk's death, particularly efforts to classify speech as hate speech which celebrates Kirk's death or punish free expression online, viewing these as unconstitutional and potentially dangerous crackdown on civil liberties or basic freedoms.[160][161] Carlson spoke out against the firings onThe Tucker Carlson Show, stating that the Trump administration was using Kirk's death to trample on the First Amendment. He warned that if Kirk's death is used as leverage to bring hate speech laws into the United States, it would cause havoc and be a justified moment for civil disobedience.[162]
Under case law in the United States, such asPickering v. Board of Education (1968), it was established that public employees including teachers have the right to free speech on matters of public concern without termination, excluding any statements that are "knowingly" or "recklessly false". Other cases such asGarcetti v. Ceballos (2006) affirm thatFirst Amendment protections are not given for any public employee comments made as representatives for their agencies, andTinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) restricts the protections if the actions or speech would interfere or disrupt the school's operation or infringe on others rights.[163]
In the United States, several of educators and faculty members were fired over comments made about Kirk and his death. Many have filed federal lawsuits indicating that their terminations were unconstitutional and violations of the First Amendment.[164] In South Carolina, a teachers aide filed a federal lawsuit after being allegedly fired over a Facebook post using Kirk's own words and her reaction to it while off-duty. The aide alleged in the suit that the termination violated U.S. andSouth Carolina's constitutions as did the social media guidelines of her district.[165] A professor atBall State University who was fired over a private Facebook post filed a lawsuit via the ACLU of Indiana, indicating that her opinion is fully protected under the First Amendment.[166] On September 25, it was reported that a professor at theUniversity of South Dakota was reinstated after being fired for a private Facebook post where he called Kirk "a hate spreadingNazi".[167]
Historians Wendy Goldman andTimothy Snyder compared the events to theGreat Purge in the Soviet Union of the 1930s, when an assassination promptedJoseph Stalin to proclaim vast non-existent conspiracies; to redefine dissent as terrorism and treason; to encourage people to inform on dissenters; and to engage in a campaign of prosecution, imprisonment, and extrajudicial execution of hundreds of thousands of political opponents.[168]
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