A boiling pot won’t stop until you turn off the flame. Whether it be the violent storming of the Capitol after the 2020 election, the attack on Paul Pelosi, the murder of Brian Thompson, the assassination attempts on President Trump, or the murder and shooting of two lawmakers in Minnesota, acts of politically motivated violence are becoming a normal occurrence in American society. On Sept. 10th, another instance of political violence occurred when Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus. 

Kirk was one of the largest right-wing political influencers. He cofounded Turning Point USA, a conservative group whose goal is to popularize and spread right-wing ideas amongst college students.

 Turning Point USA obtains millions of listens and views through their podcast, social media, and college events, which would amount to thousands of students listening to open debates and conversations. That is where Kirk was assassinated: on a college campus, having a debate and supporting free speech. 

As a college student, I know how popular and influential Kirk was amongst other students. His controversial views gained support amongst young republicans, and great disapproval from young democrats, which resulted in many instances of heated protests during his events on college campuses. His death has left college students across the country confused, disturbed, and unsure of what to do next. 

But let me be clear. Kirk should never have died. Speech, ideas, and values are never a reason to be violent towards or kill someone, especially in a country whose foundation is built on the freedom of speech. Kirk has a wife and two young children who now have to live a life without their father because of senseless violence. 

Politicians, both democrat and republican, have made public statements disavowing violence, sending thoughts and prayers, and remembering the impact Kirk has had on our country. But at what point is disavowing violence not enough to stop this recurring issue?

The average American condemns political violence and considers it a major problem. The concern, then, is not that people think violence is okay. The underlying issue is that harmful and violent rhetoric has become normalized, leading to tragedies such as this. 

Speech does not warrant violence, but it is ignorant to think that speech cannot incite or inspire it, and right now in the United States, there is a culture of divisive, harmful, and violent rhetoric that starts with our leaders and has worked its way down into colleges and social media. 

Hours after Kirk’s death, President Donald Trump released a video addressing the nation and the assassination. Rather than using his words to unite the clearly divided country or comfort college students who might be mourning this traumatic event, President Trump instead used this tragedy to pass the blame on to “those on the radical left.” 

Not only is it irresponsible for the President of the United States to politicize such a recent tragedy, but at the time of the recording, the shooter had yet to be arrested, meaning we were unsure of his motives or which political party he associated with.  

Compare this with former President Joe Biden’s response to the assassination attempt on President Trump. The former president responsibly mentioned how, at the time, they did not know the motive of the shooter, but also how all Americans need to turn down the political temperature and not use violence as a means to an end. 

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, should be the leading example of how we as Americans should behave and treat others, yet he has been turning the temperature up like no other president in American history. Rhetoric and actions such as pardoning all of the January 6 violent insurrectionists, saying that all illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” calling the democrat lawmakers, “the enemy within,” and telling the state of Chicago they would find out why he now calls the Department of Defense, the Department of War have all contributed to the current political climate, normalizing political violence in the country. 

These are not isolated instances. Daily, the president posts on his Truth Social page divisive speech, unlike anything we’ve seen from a president. These posts and actions are no longer just politics or a joke; these posts and words have real-world impacts. We need to call this rhetoric out, vote accordingly, and not accept it as a new norm. 

Harmful rhetoric from our leaders does not stop there. Vice President JD Vance responded to a democrat influencer’s claim that the recent attack on a Venezuelan drug boat was a “war crime” by saying, “I don’t give a shit what you call it.” 

The blame is not solely on politicians, however. While that is where Americans should first lay blame, influencers and news reporters with large followings are also at fault. After the shooting, Fox News Host Jesse Watters declared that, “they [the left] are at war with us [the right].”

Laura Loomer, an extreme right-wing voice with nearly 2 million followers on X, calls the left a “national security threat.” Matt Walsh, commentator for The Daily Wire, claims it is “too late to turn the temperature down.” 

This rhetoric does not solve the problem; rather, it furthers the divide and makes the situation seem more dire, as if it requires violent action.  

The left also plays into this. Popular online leftist Hasan Piker has used harmful rhetoric multiple times through remarks such as, “America deserved 9/11,” and saying he doesn’t have an issue with the terrorist organization Hezbollah. 

Reporters such as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour have compared President Trump’s rhetoric and actions to those of Hitler’s, which can strike fear and lead to violent actions. It is important to note, however, that making comparisons between rhetoric does not mean journalists are calling Trump “Hitler.” 

Vice President Vance, in 2016, also questioned if President Trump could be “America’s Hitler,” a much more direct comparison.

Voices in the news and influencers online are how many Americans obtain information and form opinions. Influencers and news anchors have jobs in part because of viewers. If the rhetoric they use is harmful, we, as the viewers, need to call it out, whether it be through comments or not watching the content at all. 

Now, harmful rhetoric has worked its way through the President, politicians, influencers, and to us, the average citizen. Kirk’s death has already spawned a group of people who have used this tragedy to further the political divide. 

Rhetoric is not a justification for violence, but it can be its cause. If our leaders are speaking in ways that divide us, creating enemies of political opponents, and calling small issues crises, people will, unfortunately, and wrongly, take senseless actions against the side they fear or hate. But at the end of the day, the only one responsible for committing a violent act is the one who did it. 

People online have pointed out ironic quotes from Kirk, such as “I think it’s worth having a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment,” and show a lack of empathy, while other people post conspiracy theories involving Israeli involvement or cry for a war against the left.

Still, we are experiencing a prisoner’s dilemma. Democrat lawmakers are forced to take responsibility for and disavow violence such as Kirk’s shooting, while the President of the United States and many republican lawmakers are not held to the same standard. The country cannot work like this. Both sides must agree to condemn violence and violent rhetoric. 

The water cannot stop boiling without turning down the flame. To do so, we need to peacefully protest our President’s rhetoric, vote for leaders who will unite us, support influencers who are responsible with their rhetoric, and not spread hate online or amongst each other.

Random people online should not be held to a higher standard than the president. We all need to respect our country’s values, ensure everyone responsibly exercises the freedom of speech, and learn to live peacefully amongst those with opposing views.

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