A Critical Juncture for the US
Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 11 September 2025
by Manuela Honsig-Erlenburg (link to
original)
The exploitation of Charlie Kirk’s assassination for political gain began immediately. We can hope this will go no further than verbal outbursts.
The political exploitation began immediately. Shortly after the fatal attack on the far-right U.S. podcaster and MAGA star Charlie Kirk, accusations flew — long before the authorities had charged anyone or revealed a motive.
Party representatives couldn't even make it through the moment of silence in the House of Representatives without insulting each other and calling for war and revenge. Visibly shocked by the chaos in his “House,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson appealed to all political figures — “everyone who has a platform” — “to say this loudly and clearly. We can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be called out, and it has to stop.”
True and important words, rooted in the understanding that political violence, regardless of its motive, can incite further violence. The way in which political leaders present and interpret events plays a central role here. The focus should be on easing tensions.
War Rhetoric
It is well known that President Donald Trump sees things differently. In a video address from the Oval Office, he — not for the first time — blamed the media and the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the events and was not above sharing a video recording of the attack. His entire attitude screams retaliation.
His followers, of course, shout alongside him. Far-right circles are now openly calling for action against the “radical left” they say is behind this violence. Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, posted on his X account a message from a Jan. 6 co-defendant that called for “war,” among other things.
Of course, it is just as wrong to suggest that Kirk's death had anything to do with his views — and to therefore make the victim partly responsible for his murder. Those on the liberal side are relishing the opportunity to highlight Kirk's political agenda on social media, which, among other things, defended the right to carry firearms and even conceded that this would sometimes result in the death of innocent people. How cynical that given such a violent death.
Risk of a Wildfire
In any case, the U.S. is at a very critical juncture. Kirk was a hugely influential voice in the ultra-conservative world. The already tense political atmosphere is now dramatically heating up yet again. We seem to have nearly reached the point at which the heat ignites a wildfire.
This may suit Trump just fine. After all, one of his strategies is to incite conflict in order to position himself as the one who can resolve it. One could cynically assume that the National Guard he sent to Washington, D.C., and LA might finally get something to do.
But we can hope that this will go no further than verbal outbursts on both sides. After all, once the cycle of retaliatory violence has started, it's difficult to stop. One sad realization, however, is, once again, that there seems to be no one in the U.S. who can stop the degradation of political culture.
The political exploitation began immediately. Shortly after the fatal attack on the far-right U.S. podcaster and MAGA star Charlie Kirk, accusations flew — long before the authorities had charged anyone or revealed a motive.
Party representatives couldn't even make it through the moment of silence in the House of Representatives without insulting each other and calling for war and revenge. Visibly shocked by the chaos in his “House,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson appealed to all political figures — “everyone who has a platform” — “to say this loudly and clearly. We can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be called out, and it has to stop.”
True and important words, rooted in the understanding that political violence, regardless of its motive, can incite further violence. The way in which political leaders present and interpret events plays a central role here. The focus should be on easing tensions.
War Rhetoric
It is well known that President Donald Trump sees things differently. In a video address from the Oval Office, he — not for the first time — blamed the media and the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the events and was not above sharing a video recording of the attack. His entire attitude screams retaliation.
His followers, of course, shout alongside him. Far-right circles are now openly calling for action against the “radical left” they say is behind this violence. Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, posted on his X account a message from a Jan. 6 co-defendant that called for “war,” among other things.
Of course, it is just as wrong to suggest that Kirk's death had anything to do with his views — and to therefore make the victim partly responsible for his murder. Those on the liberal side are relishing the opportunity to highlight Kirk's political agenda on social media, which, among other things, defended the right to carry firearms and even conceded that this would sometimes result in the death of innocent people. How cynical that given such a violent death.
Risk of a Wildfire
In any case, the U.S. is at a very critical juncture. Kirk was a hugely influential voice in the ultra-conservative world. The already tense political atmosphere is now dramatically heating up yet again. We seem to have nearly reached the point at which the heat ignites a wildfire.
This may suit Trump just fine. After all, one of his strategies is to incite conflict in order to position himself as the one who can resolve it. One could cynically assume that the National Guard he sent to Washington, D.C., and LA might finally get something to do.
But we can hope that this will go no further than verbal outbursts on both sides. After all, once the cycle of retaliatory violence has started, it's difficult to stop. One sad realization, however, is, once again, that there seems to be no one in the U.S. who can stop the degradation of political culture.
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