Charlie Kirk’s Death Spurs Newfound Unity Among Republicans

Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10, and America has been totally normal about it. While Charlie Kirk’s death has spurred a wide spectrum of reactions, it has awakened a newfound unity in the Republican Party. 

According to the Washington Post, Charlie Kirk’s death has galvanized not only those who supported the influencer in life, but even some of his biggest conservative critics. Kirk was a divisive figure, even among conservatives. Some conservatives didn’t like his willingness to target other conservatives, such as his work ousting Ronna McDaniel as the chair of the Republican National Committee. Those feelings have quickly changed as both the House and Senate passed a resolution marking Oct. 14 as a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.

Unfortunately, that’s right after Battlefield 6 comes out, so I’ll be preoccupied. Y’all have fun remembering him, though. 

From the Washington Post:

Trump commands a uniquely strong hold on his party, but conservatives remain divided on a host of issues. There are factions for and against the war in Ukraine; those uncomfortable with cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid and those who argue such cuts are necessary; some lawmakers who have expressed concern about the effects of Trump’s tariff policy, and those who embrace it wholeheartedly.

Kirk’s death is putting a lot of those divisions on the back burner, according to the more than a dozen Republicans who spoke with The Post — a consolidation that in many ways mirrors Trump’s effect on the GOP. Even when embattled, the president has had an uncanny ability to bend its ideology to his will and turn his opponents into loyalists.

“Right now, we just need to rally around each other,” said Keith Schipper, a former RNC communications director who is from Arizona. “For the MAGA movement, to see once again a leader get shot, and this time, the killer succeeded in their mission, I think it kind of shows at this point where we can have our disagreements, but now is a time that we just need to be united.”

This newfound unity has also seen the “Free Speech Party” unify behind efforts to get people fired for posting anything remotely critical of Charlie Kirk. Instead of advocating for stronger gun laws or toning down their rhetoric, the very same folks who spoke so loudly against cancel culture have decided that doxing private citizens is the move. The GOP might be feeling a sense of unity among themselves, but it doesn’t extend to their political opponents. Vice President JD Vance guest-hosted Charlie Kirk’s podcast last week and outright said, ​​“There is no unity with the people who celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

“There is no unity with the people who fund these articles, who pay the salaries of these terrorist sympathizers, who argue that Charlie Kirk — a loving husband and father — deserved a shot to the neck because he spoke words with which they disagreed,” he added. 

While I’m not going to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s death, I also don’t believe in changing how I feel about a person simply because they died. Cam’ron best describes my feelings on Charlie Kirk’s death and the MAGA reaction in the 2002 classic Paid in Full: “People get shot every day, b. You’ll be aiight.” 

Charlie Kirk was a community college dropout who spent his life making mediocre white people feel confident in their own mediocrity. He was neither a good debater nor a particularly smart man. He was simply willing to say the most inflammatory rhetoric because he knew that would get the most engagement on social media. So I can’t tell you how weird it felt driving into Phoenix on Tuesday for a Nine Inch Nails concert and seeing Charlie “Black women don’t have brain processing power” Kirk’s face plastered on almost every electronic billboard down the I-10. 

Charlie Kirk’s funeral took place Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, and it was advertised relentlessly. This newfound unity was on display at Kirk’s funeral, where several GOP politicians were in attendance, including President Donald Trump, who spoke and called Charlie Kirk a “martyr,” Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

Listen, I know it may feel like we are in a hopeless moment. Seeing the worst people imaginable exploit this tragedy for political gain sucks. Seeing one of the most incendiary men on the internet being eulogized across the political spectrum in such a completely uncritical way feels terrible. Seeing people cheer as the government blatantly attacks First Amendment rights feels scary. 

None of us is alone in this, though. While the Right has galvanized, so too have many on the left. The killing of Charlie Kirk has laid bare the inherent hypocrisy of the Republican Party that only the willfully ignorant can look past. 

SEE ALSO:

Charlie Kirk Shot And Killed Answering Gun Violence Question

House GOP Pressures Dems On Vote To Honor Charlie Kirk

Candance Owens Has Gone Conspiracy Crazy Over Charlie Kirk’s Death