Mark Halperin Discusses Implications of Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
On Monday, journalist Mark Halperin shared his thoughts with SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly regarding the potential repercussions of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk for Democrats in future elections. Kirk was murdered on Wednesday, and while some Democrats celebrated his death, others criticized former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric. During “The Megyn Kelly Show,” Halperin expressed concern over this reaction, noting that Kirk has continued to be demonized even posthumously due to his ties to Trump.
Kelly raised a question about the perceived threat posed by Kirk: “Is that Mark? Is that? That’s a legitimate question. I don’t know the answer. Or do you think he’s a huge threat all of a sudden?” Halperin replied, “They don’t know what kind of threat he is. They don’t know much about him. I think this could change the whole medium period.” He also mentioned that this could disrupt various strategies moving forward.
In a post on X, Tom Elliott, who founded Grabien News, shared an edited video depicting responses from the left and liberals regarding Kirk’s murder.
Turning Point USA founders frequently engage with university students about their political views, and they held a recent event in Utah. Tragically, about 20 minutes after engaging with attendees, Kirk was attacked.
Halperin remarked on how mainstream media has underreported the widespread reactions to Kirk’s death, especially the vigils and donations that appeared globally. “This weekend you saw the donations. You saw the demands for chapters formed. You saw the vigils around the country and around the world. They were barely covered,” he noted, suggesting that such a story would have received extensive coverage if the roles were reversed, with a Democrat in Kirk’s position.
He added that many in the media do not truly understand who Kirk was, and he suggested that the political climate might shift dramatically due to these developments. Halperin also pointed out that this situation highlights a pattern of underestimating the MAGA movement.
Following Kirk’s assassination, some educators and media figures faced termination for their responses to the incident and for spreading inaccuracies about his beliefs. For example, Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah was dismissed after misquoting Kirk and making derogatory remarks about certain demographics. Similarly, MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd was let go after linking Kirk’s “hate speech” to his being targeted in the attack, labeling him a divisive figure.
Despite mixed reactions from Democrats, TPUSA appears to be experiencing growth both online and on campuses. Andrew Klovet, an executive producer for Kirk, reported that the organization received over 32,000 inquiries in just 48 hours following the incident. In comparison, TPUSA currently manages approximately 900 official college branches and 1,200 high schools, totaling a presence of around 3,500.
