Charlie Kirk’s killing threatens to further divide us. We can’t let it | Opinion

The killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is a dark and disturbing moment in American politics. It’s an act of political violence that undermines democracy and threatens to further divide an already fractured society.

We cannot let it do that.

Kirk said and believed many things we disagree with in the strongest possible terms. But he also exhibited something that’s become increasingly rare: a willingness to engage in conversations and spirited debate with those he disagreed with, and who disagreed with him, even forcefully. That eagerness to reach across political divides and have those conversations is something we must all embrace now. Those conversations do not always have to change minds. They don’t have to lead to common ground. But we have to be able to speak a language of tolerance, not one of hatred.

It’s also a disturbing reminder that political violence is becoming more common across the ideological spectrum. Public officials, including lawmakers and judges, have found themselves increasingly under threat. The plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Attacking Nancy Pelosi’s husband in their home with a hammer. The attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The assassination of the United Healthcare CEO. Shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses in their sleep.

We cannot resign ourselves to living in a country where things like that happen at all, let alone with such startling frequency. But simply condemning political violence when it occurs will not be enough to stop it from happening again. We must acknowledge that the way we talk to — and about — each other is broken. It fosters a climate of tribalism and division, painting our political opponents as enemies rather than actual people. Of course, the person most responsible for Kirk’s death is the shooter themselves. But when we ignite divisions and fan their flames, that fire can quickly grow out of control, and we cannot be so naive to think that those consequences will be limited to just one side of the political spectrum.

We can already see those mistakes being repeated in the wake of Kirk’s death. The shooter, and their motive, remain unknown, but that hasn’t stopped people from pointing fingers. While most Democrats have condemned the incident, some on the left have celebrated or downplayed it. That includes MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd, who was fired from the network for comments that suggested Kirk himself was to blame for the incident. President Donald Trump has already blamed “the radical left” for the violence and vowed to crack down on “organizations that fund it and support it.” Right-wing figures, from Fox News’ Jesse Watters to the X account Libs of TikTok, have vowed to “avenge” Kirk’s death and called it “war.” U.S. Sen. Ted Budd condemned “the ugly face of the Left’s moral collapse.”

That kind of rhetoric is so irresponsible right now. This is a fragile, scary moment for our country, and we cannot climb our way out of it with the same incendiary rhetoric that got us here in the first place. That will create a worse world — not a better one.

This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Charlie Kirk’s killing threatens to further divide us. We can’t let it | Opinion."