A sea change — or business as usual?

The recent murder of Charlie Kirk, the “highest profile American political figure to be assassinated in nearly six decades,”^[i] has been called “the death of free speech,”^[ii] a “tipping point,”^[iii] a “watershed moment,”^[iv]and “one of the worst moments in recent American history.”^[v] How did we get to this point, what happened, and what happens next? 

First, for over a decade,^[vi] America has experienced a campaign of increasingly extremist political rhetoric,^[vii] although there are varied opinions.^[viii] Some elected leaders have opted for demonization over debate^[ix] and overtly encouraged violence^[x] against political opponents and their supporters. Officials and candidates at every level have promulgated “eliminationist rhetoric.”^[xi]

Second, in an eye-opening poll^[xiii] published by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) in April 2025, a sizeable portion rated the prospective murder of Elon Musk (31%) or President Trump (38%) as somewhat justified. For respondents who self-identified left of center, the percentage rose to 50% (Musk) and 56% (Trump). Of those, 11% (Musk) and 14% (Trump) believed such murders would be “Completely Justified.” If at all reflective of reality, the poll suggests that a majority of a political constituency in America considers murdering the sitting President of the United States a justifiable act.   

Third, on September 10, 2025, known for promoting the “venerable tradition”^[xv] of open debate and civil dialogue modeled by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle was assassinated while discussing gun violence with a college student. One person,^[xvi] and possible co-conspirators, appear to have acted as judge, jury, and executioner to brazenly murder an unarmed civilian in a crowded public venue.

Fourth, news about the event ignited a chain reaction celebrating Kirk’s violent death. Many were startled because millions of Americans hold similar beliefs about God, family, and country, including the First Amendment^[xvii] rights to free speech and peaceably assemble. The obvious comfort level exhibited by people euphorically applauding the homicide of a defenseless citizen holding a microphone,^[xviii] further shocked many. Celebrants not only felt comfortable publicly posting sentiments, many seemed surprised to receive negative feedback, much less lose contracts for projects,^[xix]their jobs,^[xx] sales outlets,^[xxi] TV shows,^[xxii] and more. The high degree of comfort—the ambient environment, assumed culture, perceived shared value system—wherein some felt so free, justified, and righteous is deeply revealing.

Others sought to blame the victim or excuse celebrants by referencing Kirk’s words or beliefs, although some quickly discovered their assertions were slanderous and untrue.^[xxiii] Such diversionary comments indicate tacit consensus for carrying out the death penalty^[xxiv] against people who say things others don’t like. Yet, most of the 41 capital offenses punishable by death in the U.S.^[xxv] derive from murder, not talking. Such comments also further suggest implicit support for violating the 14^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution^[xxvi] and a key biblical principle of justice—due process.^[xxvii] Due process and death penalty laws are very strict. Many celebrants probably oppose capital punishment. But, in Kirk’s case, since he said things they didn’t like, they championed it or offered excuses for others who did. 

But there’s more. Not content with one merciless injustice, a slew of hashtags, public lists, and even betting sites launched campaigns for next preferred victims. A high school teacher in Los Angeles, California posted this open call for more violence, “Far right assholes have a target on their backs, and deserve to die. One down, millions to go.” Alarmed, Elon Musk reacted,^[xxviii] “We must fight back or be murdered.”

What happens next remains to be seen. The mindsets of many, good and bad across a wide spectrum, have been exposed. The soul of a nation is on display with the whole world watching. The question is not whether Kirk’s assassination and massive reactions to it mark a seminal moment in American history — they do. The question is whether America will wake up, see more clearly, and experience a metamorphosis — a radically positive transformation that alters the actions, attitudes, goals, and rhetoric of millions of people.

^[i] “Charlie Kirk Assassination Stirs Fears of Rising Political Violence,” Janice Hisle, Savannah Hulsey Pointer, 9/12/2025, The Epoch Times.

^[ii] “Jay Leno Jay Leno calls Charlie Kirk assassination the ‘death of free speech’,” Hanna Panreck, 9/14/2025, Fox News.

^[iii] “Charlie Kirk assassination marks bad tipping point for US,” Stephen A. Smith with Chris Cuomo, 9/12/2025, NewsNation.

^[iv] “Utah governor calls Charlie Kirk killing a ‘watershed moment’ for America,” Anderson Cooper 360, 9/12/2025, CNN.

^[v] “Political Violence Could Devour Us All,” Graeme Wood, 9/11/2025, The Atlantic.

^[vi] “Nolte — Open Season On Us Began in 2015: 639 Acts of Violence/Harassment Over 3 Years,” John Nolte, 9/15/2025, Breitbart.

^[vii] “Addressing political violence to protect American democracy,” Jonathan Katz, Renee Rippberger, and Eric Urby; 8/21/2025, The Brookings Institution.

^[viii] “10 Political Violence Experts on What Comes Next for America,” 9/12/2025, Politico Magazine.

^[ix] “The Charlie Kirk assassination is a warning we cannot ignore – opinion,” Gabriel Rosenburg, 9/15/2025, The Jerusalem Post.

^[x] “H.Res.327 – Expel Maxine Waters Resolution for Incitement of Violence and Rioting against the United States,” 4/19/2021, Congress.gov.

^[xi] “Stephen Miller: We Are Going To Do What It Takes To Dismantle Radical Left Organizations That Foment Riots And Inspire Terrorism,” Ian Schwartz, 9/13/2025, RealClearPolitics.

^[xiii] “Assassination Culture: How Burning Teslas and Killing Billionaires Became a Meme Aesthetic for Political Violence,” NCRI Assassination Culture Brief, 4/7/2025, Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University Social Perception Lab.

^[xiv] “Director Patel’s Remarks at the September 12, 2025, Press Conference on the Utah Valley University Shooting,” Kash Patel, 9/12/2025, FBI.

^[xv] “He Died with a Microphone in His Hand,” Robert Barron, 9/15/2025, First Things.

^[xvi] “The manhunt in Charlie Kirk’s killing ended with the suspect’s parents walking him up to their local sheriff’s office,” Lauren Mascarenhas, 9/19/2025, CNN.

^[xvii] “Constitution of the United States: First Amendment,” Congress.gov.

^[xviii] “He Died with a Microphone in His Hand,” Robert Barron, 9/15/2025, First Things.

^[xix] “DC Cancels ‘Red Hood’ Comic Book Series After Writer Shares Inflammatory Post Following Charlie Kirk Shooting,” Aaron Couch, 9/11/2025, The Hollywood Reporter.

^[xx] “Multiple people lose jobs after posts, comments about Charlie Kirk assassination,” Julia Gomez, Melina Khan, and Phaedra Trethan; 9/13/2025, USA TODAY.

^[xxi] “Irish bookstore bans all Stephen King books after ‘abhorrent’ Charlie Kirk comments,” Alex West, 9/14/2025, Irish Star.

^[xxii] “ABC preempts ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!,’ network says,” 9/17/2025, ABC News.

^[xxiii] “Author Stephen King issues rare apology after Charlie Kirk comments,” NBC New York Staff, 9/15/2025, NBC New York.

^[xxiv] “The Death Penalty,” Prison Fellowship.

^[xxv] “Death Penalty,” The Editors of ProCon, 8/20/2025, Britannica.

^[xxvi] “Constitution of the United States: Fourteenth Amendment,” Congress.gov.

^[xxvii] “The Importance of Due Process,” BibleHub.

^[xxviii] @Elon Musk, 9/14/2025, X.com.

Original version published at American Thinker, “A sea change — or business as usual?” 9/20/2025