The maelstroms after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk have created convergences and inflection points for social media, free speech and civil discourse across the U.S.
Insensitive and offensive social media posts cheering Kirk’s killing by a sniper during a rally at Utah Valley University Sept. 10 have resulted in some posters getting fired from their jobs. It has also prompted the Trump administration to talk about prosecuting and punishing “hate speech.”
People bring flowers and write messages in chalk at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Jesse Bedayn)
Jesse Bedayn
The social media cheers of Kirk’s murder also challenge longstanding societal norms “not to speak ill of the dead.”
Jared Meade, founder and principal of Rayne Strategy Group (a public relations firm with offices in Ohio and North Carolina), sees a conspiracy of contemporary uncivil discourse, social media echo chambers and people saying things online they might not utter in real-life settings.
“People are so quick to ‘speak ill’ of someone who has just died because the rhetoric and vitriol, particularly on both sides of the political spectrum, have become increasingly extreme and reckless,” he said.
“When individuals like Charlie Kirk are labeled as Nazis, fascists, or similar dehumanizing terms, it has serious consequences. These labels strip these individuals of their humanity, creating a mindset where they are viewed as less than human. This makes it easier for society to dismiss and mistreat them or, as in the case of Charlie Kirk, incites violence,” Meade said.
Kirk was CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative group focused on college campuses. He was a top ally of President Donald Trump.
A new poll by research YouGov shows 25% of Americans who are “very liberal” say political violence can be justified. Among self-identified “liberals”, 17% say political violence can be justified. Overall, 26% of liberals under the age of 44 are okay with political violence in some instances.
That compares to 6% of conservatives and 3% of those who are very conservative, according to the YouGov poll.
Those types of numbers and social media videos celebrating Kirk’s death have prompted Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and other conservatives to focus on violence from the political left.
A makeshift memorial grows in size at the Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college last Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of the organization, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Ross D. Franklin
Social media reactions hailing Kirk’s killing display the current discord online and within American politics, according to Amore Philip, a PR strategist and founder of New York-based Apples & Oranges Public Relations.
“Cheering someone’s death isn’t politics; it’s the loss of our humanity. Social media has turned ideology into a sport, and Charlie Kirk’s killing is exposing just how dangerous that can be,” Philip said.
She sees the Kirk killing and fallout as part of a bigger societal challenge.
“The bigger picture is this: Social media has created echo chambers where people defend their ‘sides’ rather than viewing issues empathetically. It rewards outrage, piling on, and polarization, as evident in this instance,” Phillip said.
“The question isn’t just about Kirk; it’s about where we stand as a society when free speech becomes weaponized and death becomes mere content. At its core, this moment should remind us that political disagreement should never overshadow our ability to value human life or engage in meaningful dialogue,” she continued.
Rania Sedhom, managing partner of New York-based Sedhom Law Group, also sees wider ramifications from Kirk’s assassination.
“He was silenced by a 22-year old who disagreed with him. The repercussions of this form of expression permeates through our everyday lives,” Sedhom said.
“Who is up for debate? How are people communicating? The workplace is fundamentally changed. Water cooler talk? Too risky. Discussions about anything of relevance? Too risky. Stating your opinion? Too risky,” she said.
Still, Meade sees some benefits brought by our social media-dominated discourse. “Social media is a double-edged sword. It offers a platform for those who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice. It provides opportunities for connection, information sharing and community building on a global scale,” he said.
President Donald Trump gestures next to Britain’s King Charles III before leaving Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Evan Vucci
‘FREEDOM TO WOUND’
Some of the social media reactions cheering Kirk’s murder are viewed as poor form, according to etiquette experts.
“Good behavior is more than table manners — it’s the daily practice of respect, restraint, and compassion. After 25 years as an etiquette expert, I see how often we confuse freedom of speech with freedom to wound,” said Lisa Mirza Grotts, a California-based etiquette expert, “The Charlie Kirk murder was a bridge too far.”
She says America has lost its behavioral compass.
“I’m struck by how far we’ve drifted from simple decency. We shout instead of listen, demand agreement instead of understanding,” Mizra Grotts said.
Kevin Angelo Brown, a criminologist and criminal justice professor at Arkansas State University, said the saying and norm of ‘not speaking ill of the dead’ dates back to the 6th Century BC and ancient Greece and Sparta and carried into Roman and other Western cultures with the Latin phrase ‘de mortuis nil nisi bonum,’ meaning ‘of the dead, say nothing but good.’
Bill Villanova, president of Frank E. Campbell: The Funeral Chapel in New York, said holding your tongue regarding the recently passed has been a “longstanding tradition”, but the spontaneity and perceived anonymity of social media has changed that.
Still, Villanova, whose funeral home has organized services for notable persons such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Joan Rivers, John Lennon and Heath Ledger, said social media can also produce well wishers sharing stories about a departed person’s positive impacts.
People hold candles and sing during a memorial and prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Rod Lamkey
‘RISING CONTRADICTIONS’
Kirk’s assassination and the ugly aftermath online are also magnifying workplace, social media and political intersections with free speech rights.
Employees have been learning their social media posts regarding Kirk can have repercussions, including losing their jobs.
“The current dynamic highlights the rising contradiction between professional accountability in private employment and free expression in the public domain,” said Edward Hones, owner of Seattle-based Hones Law, of workers and executives losing their jobs for their posts, mostly under at-will employment arrangements.
On Thursday, the Walt Disney Co. said it was indefinitely pulling ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air after he made comments Monday that Kirk’s alleged assassin was “anything but one of them”, referring to Trump’s Make America Great Again “MAGA gang.”
Utah prosecutors said in charging documents on Tuesday that Robinson told his parents that he killed the conservative Kirk because “there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate.”
Disney ABC yanked Kimmel off the air after Nexstar Broadcasting and later Sinclair Broadcasting said they would stop airing the late-night show on their local stations after the Kirk comments.
Trump welcomed Kimmel’s indefinitely shelving as “great news for America” and said the ABC host was shelved for poor ratings.
Free speech advocates and Democrats decried the move, pointing to Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr’s criticisms of the ABC host. They say the Trump administration pressured Disney/ABC to nix Kimmel’s show.
“This marks a dark new level of capitulation and censorship of speech more redolent of autocracies than democracies. The Trump administration’s regulatory crusade against free speech has crossed an historic line with the indefinite removal of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ — an act of government-instigated censorship against satire and comedy,” said Summer Lopez, interim co-CEO of Pen America. The group advocates for writers, literature and free speech.
The Trump administration — including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Vance — have talked about going after “hate speech”, stemming from the Kirk fallout and their contentions that liberal and far-left groups rhetoric demonize Trump and his supporters.
“Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is not protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime. For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over,” Bondi said in a statement.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also ordered the U.S. military to identify and sanction personnel who have celebrated Kirk’s assassination online.
Jimmy Kimmel with Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Game Show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” during night two of the Television Academy’s 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services
‘ABSOLUTELY CHILLING’
Trump said Thursday he was designating the anti-fascist, left-wing ANTIFA activist movement as terrorists. ANTIFA is a collection of smaller left-wing activist groups, opposed to Trump and right-wingers.
Conservatives point to instances of violence and vandalism perpetrated by self-proclaimed ANTIFA protesters and activists, including in the Pacific Northwest.
“President Trump is right. ANTIFA is a dangerous, radical group that thrives on chaos and violence. Rightfully declaring them a terrorist organization will help protect our communities,” said U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a conservative Republican representing Maryland’s Eastern Shore. “It’s time to investigate those who fund them and stop the lawlessness once and for all.”
Students look at the site where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Orem, Utah, on their first day back to school since the assassination. (AP Photo/Jesse Bedayn)
Jesse Bedayn
There is pushback from the left over whether Trump has the power to designate domestic advocates as terrorists and how the government and police will treat left-wing opponents.
Free speech advocates also note that controversial or unpopular speech is protected under the First Amendment as long as it does not incite violence or make violent threats.
“This is absolutely chilling. It’s why carving out a ‘hate speech’ exception to the First Amendment is so dangerous. It grants the government the power not only to decide what constitutes hateful speech, but to punish it,” said the Foundation for Individual Rights and Equality (FIRE), a free speech group, in a statement.
