When Political Violence Goes Viral: The Kirk Assassination and the Attention Economy
What we know about the suspect in the Kirk shooting. Plus: the next city to get Trump's military treatment, ICE kills a man, a new surprise from RFK's FDA and News That Doesn't Suck.
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Charlie Kirk's execution on an Utah college campus was the deliberate elimination of one of the most effective political organizers of his generation. Starting at age 18, Kirk built Turning Point USA into something that reshaped American politics — with 850+ campus chapters, a pipeline that helped drive young men to the Republican party, deliver Trump the presidency and even staff the White House.
Almost as disturbing as the killing itself is how quickly our leaders have weaponized their grief. Trump immediately blamed "leftist extremists," and today claimed that violence from the left “is the problem” because, “they’re vicious, they’re horrible and they're politically savvy.” His administration’s response — Air Force Two flying Kirk's body home accompanied by the Vice President, flags flown at half-staff — stands in stark contrast to the silence that greeted threats against CDC officials or the assassination of Minnesota lawmakers. Watching expressions of sorrow by these officials almost feels like a gaslight: evidence that our leaders do have compassion, but seemingly only for one of their own.
From the left, I've been on the receiving end of attacks by some who insist that this shooting is receiving outsized attention. They argue it shouldn’t get any more coverage than any school shooting. Others also tell me that every report about Kirk’s killing should blame him for a politics of tribalism that he helped create.
Here’s what that critique misses. This assassination was designed for our moment. He was shot on a college campus in front of hundreds of young people, many of them filming. The footage spread across every platform before parents could protect their children. Young people saw someone they watched daily – whom they considered a peer – executed in broad daylight, while engaged in political debate. This wasn't just political violence. It was political violence as content, distributed to millions, especially America’s youth.
We are watching the weaponization of our attention economy. The killer understood something profound about our moment: that viral violence achieves what private assassination never could. Maximum terror, maximum reach, and maximum impact on our collective psyche.
The coverage of his killing isn't about elevating Kirk’s death above others or choosing which victims deserve our compassion. It's about what happens when viral violence becomes part of our daily scroll, when someone whom many on the right saw as the face of “civil debate” is executed while engaged in that debate. It’s about noticing whether we are all starting to lose empathy for victims on “the other side.”
Comparing today’s political violence to the assassinations of the late 1960s, Utah Governor Spencer Cox called this a “watershed moment.” But he was not without hope for the next generation: “To my young friends out there: you are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option,” he said. “But through those words we have a reminder that we can choose a different path. Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now. Not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.”
Anything I might say here risks sounding like a platitude. But I agree with Governor Cox: this is a moment for each of us to notice where we turning away from empathy and consider what we can do to return to it. One way to do that is by having more hard conversations.
In today’s newsletter: the latest on the Kirk investigation; what we do and don’t know about a possible motive; and political extremism in America. Plus: Which city are Trump’s troops are headed to next? An ICE killing in Chicago, RFK Jr. moves against vaccines again, the latest on inflation, Trump’s dinner tonight and some News That Doesn’t Suck. Also, today’s news quiz.
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The Latest on the Kirk Shooting Investigation:
Suspect In Custody: Thirty three hours after Charlie Kirk’s shooting, the FBI and Utah authorities announced they had a suspect in custody: 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Washington, Utah, who lived with his parents about three and a half hours from Utah Valley University. His father recognized him in FBI photos and, according to authorities, urged him to surrender with the help of a youth pastor. He was taken into custody after 10pm Thursday night. Authorities say he acted alone, though his motive remains unclear. Robinson is being held without bail in Utah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. CNN reports that he is not currently talking to investigators. His first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. via virtual hearing.
No Party: While we don’t yet have a motive, we do know this: according to state records Robinson was a registered voter but had no political party affiliation. He didn’t vote in the last two elections. His parents are registered Republicans. A member of the family told authorities that he had “had become more political” lately and had shared critical views of Charlie Kirk in the recent past.
More on the Suspect: On Friday, the Utah Board of Higher Education confirmed that Robinson was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College.
Reading the Tea Leaves, or the Casings: While we don’t know the motive, investigators say that alongside the rifle they found unfired casings inscribed with messages. The messages have multiple meanings from video games and online culture. I’ll do my best to translate (this is new to me too!).
“Bella Ciao”: This was inscribed on one casing and it could be a reference to an anti-fascist song from WW2. But it could also be a reference to a first-person shooter game called Far Cry 6. It's also used in film and TV.
“Hey, fascist! Catch!”: This is something players in the video game “Helldivers 2” say before they drop a bomb. Some players call this game the “anti-fascist Call of Duty.”
“Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” This is convoluted but it seems to be an old-school meme used on 4Chan, the online forum known for birthing QAnon. It’s a way to troll someone online in the role play community.
“If you read this you are gay LMAO”: This is self explanatory. LMAO means laughing my ass off, i.e. you’ve been got. I’m told that online, this expression could be used in a teasing way among friends.
Of Note: Early reports from the Wall Street Journal said that the casings included transgender messaging. That report spawned dangerous conspiracy theories online. The information released by investigators does not support that reporting. On Friday afternoon — almost 24 hours after the first report — the Wall Street Journal posted this editor’s note stating that the ammunition “did not include transgender references.” It’s also worth noting that Kirk had critics on the right and the left. We don’t know if the suspect’s views come from either side or somewhere far beyond.
Security Concerns: The incident caused a ripple effect of violent threats and fear around the country. The FBI said it was aware of what it called “hoax threat calls” to many HBCUs — a number of those schools, including Hampton University and Southern University and A&M College, remained closed through Friday. AOC postponed her event in Raleigh, there was a bomb threat at DNC HQ, and even Rep. Nancy Mace said she’s cancelling all outdoor and public events for the immediate future.
America’s Political Violence: This wasn’t the only recent act of political violence. In June, Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were murdered in their home by a man impersonating a police officer. In recent memory we’ve seen the shooting of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside of the Jewish Museum, an attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house on Passover night, the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a nearly fatal shooting of GOP representative Steve Scalise, the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul, and the two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump.
The Stats: According to the Cato Institute since 1975 there were six times as many murders committed by so-called right-wing terrorists — defined as encompassing white supremacist, anti-abortion, and involuntary celibacy beliefs — compared to approximately 65 people murdered by those committing violence from the left.
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