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Trump’s MAGA McCarthyism

Charlie Kirk’s death is being weaponized to silence dissent.

Dan Pfeiffer

Sep 16

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The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy. It’s a tragedy despite his odious, views toward so many Americans. It’s a tragedy despite the role he played in fomenting a toxic political environment where too many see violence as a viable solution.

It’s a tragedy because he left behind a wife and two young kids. And it’s a tragedy because of how Donald Trump and his allies are weaponizing his death.

The fact that Kirk was so well known — particularly among younger Americans who get their news from social media — and that his killing was captured in a horrifying video that spread rapidly online has made his death a national event.

Trump and the right are going out of their way to turn Charlie Kirk into a martyr for the MAGA movement. Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff — an unprecedented move for a civilian outside elected office. Kirk’s casket was flown home to Arizona on Air Force Two. The Vice President canceled an appearance at a 9/11 memorial ceremony to meet with Kirk’s family in Utah. Trump will attend Kirk’s funeral. The Vice President even hosted Kirk’s podcast yesterday. Nearly every NFL game this past weekend held a moment of silence for Kirk.

In all of these moments, Kirk is being lionized by his supporters and much of the traditional media as a “champion of free speech.” I disagree. In my view, Kirk was a champion of a certain kind of speech. But even if you accept the Right’s characterization, they are now doing the exact opposite of what they claim Kirk stood for.

The primary response from the Trump Administration and the MAGA movement has been to use Kirk’s death to justify a massive crackdown on free speech.

This is dangerously ironic on multiple levels. What the Right is pushing goes far beyond the “cancel culture” they once decried and borders on modern-day MAGA McCarthyism.

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A Government Crackdown

Within hours of Kirk’s assassination, the MAGA Right began claiming that “the Left” was celebrating his death. Their evidence? A handful of random Bluesky posts from people with no role in the Democratic Party or progressive infrastructure. To my knowledge, every elected Democrat and progressive leader who has spoken publicly about Kirk has condemned his killing and called for an end to political violence.

The calls for censorship and punishment aren’t coming from random posters online; they are coming from the top ranks of the Republican Party. Congressman Randy Fine declared:

Elon Musk amplified Fine’s post, saying, “100%.”

At the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth took things even further. According to NBC News:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told his staff to identify any members of the military who mocked or condoned the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk so that they can be punished, two defense officials told NBC News.
Several service members have been relieved of duty because of such posts, the officials said, adding that Hegseth’s directive also applies to others associated with the Defense Department. Hegseth and other senior Pentagon leaders posted messages on X this week calling on the public to report any posts that could be interpreted as negative about Kirk or unsympathetic to his murder.

Think about that: the Secretary of Defense is asking the public to report U.S. troops for exercising the same freedom of speech we ask them to defend with their lives. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell responded to criticism of this policy with an unhinged post on X, suggesting that expressing an opinion is a “violation of the oath.” What the hell is he talking about?

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon spokesperson, responded to criticism of this policy with this unhinged post on X

Expressing an opinion, no matter how odious, is a violation of the oath? What the hell is he talking about? Look, celebrating anyone’s death is gross, but it’s really not “dangerously incompatible with military service.”

And it won’t stop with speech.

When Vance hosted Kirk’s podcast yesterday, Stephen Miller echoed Trump’s promise to crack down on “far left” political organizations — despite zero evidence that Kirk’s assassination was anything other than the act of a lone individual:

“With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, eliminate, and destroy this network and make America safe again for the American people.”

It’s tempting to dismiss this as bluster from a narcissistic megalomaniac like Miller. But this Administration has aggressively weaponized governmental and law enforcement power to target anyone who opposes Trump. I take this threat very seriously.

Fomenting a Culture of Fear

The goal isn’t just to punish those who criticized Kirk. It’s to create a culture of fear — one that forces people to think twice before using their voice or platform to speak out against Trump and MAGA.

And it’s working.

The effort to make examples of Kirk’s critics began with pro-MAGA personalities like LibsofTikTok scouring the internet for anything that could be spun as celebratory and turning those posts over to employers. Several people reportedly lost their jobs. The speed with which employers acted shows the fear of crossing the Trump Administration and the MAGA movement in this hothouse moment.

Many of those fired worked at universities, which should be bastions of free speech. Yet so many institutions of higher learning are now so worried about being targeted by Trump that they are willing to sacrifice employees for expressing personal opinions in their private capacity.

Media organizations are also caving. MSNBC immediately fired commentator Matthew Dowd for comments suggesting Kirk bore some responsibility for his own actions. According to Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, she was fired over her social media posts about Kirk. Reading her posts, it’s hard to see what merited firing. But then again, Jeff Bezos has made it clear that his primary goal as owner of the Post is protecting his business interests under the Trump Administration.

After years of whining in bad faith about “cancel culture” and accusing Democrats of opposing free speech, the Right’s effort to silence dissent is the height of hypocrisy.

The Bottom Line

These are scary times. We are on the precipice of something very dangerous in this country. But Trump can only succeed if we choose silence. More Democratic leaders must speak up and call out what the Right is doing. Trump and his lackeys want obedience. We don’t have to give it to them.

Through nonviolent protest and legitimate political action, we can push back. It won’t be easy — but it’s the only option.

The corporate media like CBS, and the Washington Post are giving into Trump’s demands for obediance. I hope you will consider supporting independent media like this newsletter. Sign up today for a free month.

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