The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: ‘Anti-Fascist’ Violence Just Claimed Charlie Kirk. Where Does America Go From Here?

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

Charlie Kirk shaped modern conservatism and reached youth in ways no one else could—and that’s precisely what made him so dangerous to the Left.   The trailblazing 31-year-old activist and commentator who founded Turning Point USA was regularly smeared as a “fascist,” a “Nazi,” and a “threat to democracy” by the Left. It was only a matter of time until a crazed person put those words into action. On today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Hanson pays tribute to Kirk and explains how his death is more than just a personal loss; it signals a dangerous new era where political violence is becoming normalized. “ He connected with people. He had a podcast. He was an extemporaneous speaker. He could ad lib. He wrote columns. He was fearless. He was—he registered voters. He might have been more responsible for winning key states than any other political activists in the 2024 election. I don't think anybody in our generation—I'm speaking my generation—could have done what he did. “ We are legitimizing political violence. If you call someone day after day after day, "white, white, white, white"; "racist, racist, racist"; "fascist, fascist, fascist"; "Nazi, Nazi, Nazi"—we hear that from Joy Reid. We see it on "The View." We see it on MSNBC. Even just seconds after Charlie died, we had Matthew Dowd go on and basically said that he got what he deserved because he was an extremist, etc., and he and you "live by the sword, die by the sword" sort of argument he used.” 👉Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest videos by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1    👉If you can’t get enough of Victor Davis Hanson from The Daily Signal, subscribe to his official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273    👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com  (0:00) The Assassination of Charlie Kirk (0:46) Remembering Charlie Kirk's Impact (2:13) The Rise of Political Violence (3:35) The Left's Reaction to Political Violence (5:01) The Dangerous Normalization of Violence (7:59) Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We'd love to talk. Business. Charlie Kirk, a friend of all of ours, was shot and killed in Utah. This is a turning point. In the United States, we don't kill media people. It's not occurring in a vacuum. I know that both sides have extremists, but when you look at the Steve Scalese shooting, and then you look at two near-successes' attempts on Donald Trump, and then you have these spinoff things, Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Health.

He's, what, gunned down and assassinated by Luigi. Mangione? Was there outrage from the left? No. We are legitimizing political violence. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hansen for the Daily Signal. Tragically, Charlie Kirk, a friend of all of ours, was shot and killed in Utah. This is one of the great losses to the American political and media scene, not just conservatism, I don't think that he will be replaced because I can't think of a figure left or right under the age of 35 who combined such talent. What I mean by that is he was an administrator that from scratch created an enormous nationwide organization, Turning Point USA. He was not a college graduate. He dropped out after a year. He came from a very different background

without an elite education. And in some ways, that was a great advantage. He connected with people. He had a podcast. He was an ex-temporaneous speaker. He could ad lib. He wrote columns. He was fearless.

He registered voters. He might have been more responsible for winning key states and any other political activists in the 2024 election. I don't think anybody in our generation, I'm speaking. my generation could have done what he did. Nobody in his generation could have done what he did. So what's tragic is he's lost at such an early age. He had two small children, a wife. And this is a turning point. In the United States, we don't kill media people. They do it in Europe. They do it in Mexico. They do it in Latin America. They don't take out political activists. This is something new where somebody targets one of the most influential Americans.

and wants to eliminate them and with them, that elimination, remove a force for good in which they would say bad. So it's very scary, and it's not occurring in a vacuum. I know that both sides have extremists, but when you look at the Steve Scalise shooting, where a former Bernie Sanders organizer helped in the campaign tried to take out, deliberately try to take out the Republican leadership in the House as a political act. And then you look at two near-success assassination attempts on Donald Trump. And then you have these spin-off things. Brian Thompson, a man of the middle class who worked up the chain of command to be the CEO of United Health,

which offered health insurance that was needed by millions of people. He's, what, gunned down and assassinated by Luigi Mangione? What I'm getting at is the reaction as well. What was the reaction to Steve Scalise and the Republicans? Was there outrage from the left? No. What was the reaction to the near assassination attempts of Donald Trump? Yes, there were principled people on the left that deplored that.

But a couple of polling companies took surveys, and a third of Democrats wished that these assassination attempts had been successful. What was the reaction to the murder of Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione? He was the object of a puff piece by Taylor Lorenz, a former Washington Post reporter. He's got an opera named after him. He is a folk hero among the left. It reminds me of the Sarnoff brother, who was a mass murder, the Boston bombings. Rolling Stone put a photogenic picture on it on their cover.

So what I'm getting at is when you kill somebody who's involved in politics, and now we've gone to the next level, politics and as a media influencer and as a journalist and as an opinion writer, and there is not widespread condemnation of that. And there was booing even in the House of Representatives just for a simple call for an amended of prayer on behalf of Charlie. Then something is wrong. And what is that wrong? We are legitimizing political violence. If you call someone day after day after day, white, white, racist, racist, racist, fascist, fascist, fascist, Nazi, Nazi. We hear that from Joy Reid. We see it on the view. We see it on MSNBC. Even just seconds after Charles, Charlie died, we had Matthew Dowd go on and basically said that he got what he deserved because he was an extremist, et cetera. And he and you live by this or die by that a sort of argument he used. So what we're doing is we're legitimizing violence and we're contextualizing it.

And when you use hyperbole and you call someone a fascist or a abject racist, what that sends a message to are people in the woodwork of America feel two things. They don't see people getting punished for violent crimes and I can direct you to the violent killer, murderer, executioner of our Ukrainian immigrant on a light rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was let out 14 times. A murder of a young, retired, in my view, she's young,

retired 57-year-old Auburn professor of veterinary medicine, killed. The person who killed her ex-felon out. And so when you combine this idea that if you commit a murder, if you commit a murder, you commit violence, there might not be swift and immediate and extreme punishment with the idea that many people have celebrated killers in the past, like Mangione, or the people who tried to kill Donald Trump, then out in the woodwork of America creep out people who say, I can get away with it, or I can at least not face the death penalty. I won't face severe penalties. But more importantly, I will be enshrined in the people.

pantheon of liberal heroes, because I took out a fascist, I took out a modern-day Hitler, I took out a trans folk, all of that. And so when you look at what's going on in America day on the left, whether it's the racial left, whether it is the extremist ideological left, whether it's a trans left, what we're seeing is that there is a contextualization, a normalization, and institutionalization. An excuse, an apology for the use of violence as a political means. Doesn't mean that they are doing it themselves, but when they see it happen,

they will find ways not to condemn it, and they will create an atmosphere of hatred in which some people will be encouraged by it. And mark my words, I haven't looked at social media as I'm speaking today, but within 48 hours there will be people throughout the left-wing, Logosphere who will be praising this horrific death of a great American and a great person, Charlie Kirk. Thank you very much. This is Victor Davis Hansen for The Daily Signal. Thank you for watching today's podcast. And for more news like that, subscribe to the Daily Signal.

Maybe you can check out my own website at victorhansson.com for podcast, lectures, Alta series behind a paywall, but more importantly, just daily columns that are accessible and free to everyone. you very much.