In my article dated Nov. 8, 2024, I wrote the following sentences about a possible assassination attempt on U.S. President Donald Trump: "Another attempt could happen during his presidency. The increase in violence and hateful acts could continue dangerously." In the current political climate in the U.S., it has almost become normal to expect such incidents. Yet, this assassination was shocking because we didn't know when or who would be targeted.

Right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was one of the most prominent voices of Trumpism in the Republican Party and has been credited with expanding youth involvement in voting and expanding conservatism. His influence and importance within the movement were evident in the tributes that followed his death. MAGA (Make America Great Again) lawmaker Anna Paulina Luna proposed that a statue of Charlie Kirk be placed in the United States Capitol. William Wolfe, a member of U.S. President Donald Trump's Faith Office that I have written about before, retweeted a tweet calling Kirk "the greatest Evangelist of our day.” There are numerous other examples.

Rage against Left

After the shooting, Trump blamed the "radical left" and asserted that the people who described Kirk as a Nazi are "directly responsible” for his death in his first address. Many of his supporters and conservatives followed him.

House Republican Rep. Bob Onder remarked on the House floor against leftists: "They hate the good, the truth and the beautiful and embrace the evil, the false and the ugly. And they, literally, will kill those with whom they disagree, just as their predecessor leftists Marx, Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot and Fidel Castro did.”

One of the most thought-provoking reactions came from another right-wing political activist, Laura Loomer, who has nearly 2 million followers on X: "The best way President Trump can reinforce Charlie’s legacy is by cracking down on the left with the full force of the government. Every single left-wing group that funds violent protests needs to be shut down and prosecuted. No mercy. Jail every single Leftist who makes a threat of political violence. We can’t allow these people to live among us in society. If you threaten people over their political views, you should be jailed for 25 years or more.” She is known as an ally of Trump and someone who works for Israel rather than the U.S. Her statements suggest the attack could be used to suppress Palestinian supporters in the U.S.

Indeed, conservative activist Christopher F. Rufo wrote on his X account, which has over 800,000 followers, "The last time the radical Left orchestrated a wave of violence and terror, J. Edgar Hoover shut it all down within a few years,” and called for the same as Loomer. Moreover, Steve Bannon, a prominent figure among Trumpists, said, "Charlie Kirk is a casualty of war ... We are at war in this country.” The pro-Trump Libs of TikTok account, which has 4.4 million followers, also tweeted, "This is war.” Jesse Watters, a renowned host from Fox News, said, "They are at war with us. And what are we going to do about it?”

The words of William Wolfe are also parallel to these: "The Democrats and the Left must be crushed. The goal for Republicans in the next 10 years shouldn’t just be to win elections, but to destroy the Democrat Party entirely and salt the earth underneath it.” The Federalist, a conservative online magazine, published an article claiming, "The Democrat Party is a domestic terrorist organization.” Another article called for "Charlie Kirk’s assassination should herald the end of the American Left.” Matt Forney, a white supremacist activist, called for "a complete crackdown on the left. Every Democratic politician must be arrested and the party banned,” in a post viewed nearly 3 million times.

During the news conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said one of the bullets found in the gun the assassin used to murder Charlie Kirk had the words "Hey fascist” and "O Bella ciao, Bella ciao” written on it. Although the information about the motivation of the apprehended suspect, Tyler Robinson, is still scarce, this empowered the Trumpists' conclusion and rage against the left. In short, from Ben Shapiro to Sara Gonzales, many prominent figures on the American right placed full blame on the left and called for severe action.

Footsteps of civil war

Indeed, some Democrats have also taken actions that have fueled public anger. MSNBC even speculated that the shooting could have been "a supporter firing their gun in celebration." Worse still, many individuals celebrated the incident, as evidenced by videos and comments circulating on social media.

Democrats counter these accusations by pointing out that earlier this year, Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered in their home by a Trump supporter, and that many Republicans who reacted to Kirk's death remained silent. For example, Trump-supporting Rep. Nancy Mace declared, "Democrats own this," referring to the Kirk assassination. An NBC reporter immediately asked, "By that logic, do Republicans own the shooting of the two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota?" Mace was outraged by the question, and her angry reaction led many Democrat-leaning outlets to accuse her of hypocrisy.

Katie Miller, a well-known Trump supporter, tweeted a message that has received over 10 million views: "You have blood on your hands," addressing those who call people like her and Kirk "Hitler," "Nazis," and "racists." However, in response to a question under the tweet, the AI assistant Grok wrote that it could find no evidence that Miller condemned Hortman’s murder, which also received significant attention.

They also remind others that the attacker who killed the son of Obama-appointed District Judge Esther Salas and injured her husband, as well as the man who assaulted Democratic politician Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer in their home, were both Trump supporters. And, of course, they point to the attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s subsequent pardoning of some of the rioters as further evidence of the violence associated with his movement.

Republicans, however, have other examples besides Kirk – the assassination of Trump, for one. When Rep. Pat Harrigan was a candidate, his home was shot at. In the riots that followed, provocative words were also among the issues they reminded them of. Obviously, both sides have many more examples.

As for those who expressed satisfaction over Charlie Kirk’s death, many cited his outspoken support for the genocide in Gaza, as well as his defense of the Israeli government and those who celebrate the deaths of thousands of children in Palestine. When Bernie Sanders stated, "We must condemn this horrifying attack,” many of his followers criticized him by bringing up his perceived silence on Palestinian suffering. Perhaps due to the intense backlash, several prominent Democratic senators, including Sens. Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, chose not to publicly comment on Kirk’s death on X. Some critics also pointed to Kirk’s past remarks about the war in Ukraine, arguing that he showed little respect for the Ukrainian victims. Their broader claim is that Kirk supported or excused large-scale violence and held fascist views similar to those responsible for such atrocities; therefore, in their eyes, his death was justified.

They also found his shooting death ironic, as Kirk was a vocal advocate for the right to bear arms. They suggested that if he survived, he might be like politician and journalist James Brady, who survived being shot during the assassination attempt of the former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and later changed his views, calling for restrictions on arms. These statements also angered Republicans because they were understood as justifying his killing and sending an ideological message.

All these events and writings are like the footsteps of a civil war. This doesn't have to be a pitched battle, as it was in the past. It's particularly striking to recall Hoover, who served as FBI director for 48 years and was involved in all manner of shady things. The desire on both sides to get rid of the other at all costs grows stronger every day. Many more violent incidents are likely to follow.

Another suspect: Israel?

In a tweet on Aug. 13, host Harrison Smith wrote, "I was told by someone close to Charlie Kirk that Charlie thinks Israel will kill him if he turns against them." This striking tweet became one of the most shared since the assassination. Smith released a new video defending his report and stating that he had little to add.

Kirk, known primarily for his staunch defense of Israel, has recently begun making remarks that, interestingly, would not sit well with Zionist circles. He suggested that Israel may have deliberately turned a blind eye to the Oct. 7 attacks. He also advocated for criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He opposed the bill that would punish Americans for boycotting Israel, which was pulled from Congress last May. He was with commentator Tucker Carlson at the event, where he criticized the U.S. for acting like a slave to Israel, although he did not say the same words. And finally, he took action on the Epstein affair, insisting that all files be released, questioning Epstein's connection to Mossad. Many Americans, reading these developments together with the information provided by Smith, voiced the opinion that Israel had killed Kirk.

After suspicion arose, a Newsmax host asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel is behind the killing of Charlie Kirk. He said, "It's so absurd.” But those who have learned a great deal since the Kennedy assassination are not satisfied with his statement.

The government also took a step to reinforce its conviction: Immediately after the assassination, the House passed a bill punishing "politically motivated” boycotts of Israel. According to the news, "the bill would effectively ban contractors boycotting Israel from tapping most federal contract dollars.” This gave rise to the idea that they were using Kirk's death for Israel.

However, many uncertainties remain, and we need to learn more before we can make a definitive judgment.

But it’s safe to say I agree with this Wall Street Journal comment: "This is a now dangerous moment for the country, which could descend into a cycle of political violence that would be hard to arrest.”