The September 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old far-right firebrand behind Turning Point USA, at Utah Valley University stands as a grim marker of America’s descent into political violence.

Gunned down by a sniper while speaking at a public event, Kirk’s killing – branded a “political assassination” by Utah governor Spencer Cox – marks a chilling turn in a nation already fractured by elite-driven polarisation and the far-right’s toxic rhetoric. The MAGA movement now has an iconic martyr around whom to rally its base and intensify its war on democratic rights, minorities and workers.

Kirk, a purveyor of fascistic politics laced with open white supremacist rhetoric, was a key player in the relentless polarisation of American politics. The shrill vilification of “woke” liberals, immigrants and minorities has fuelled a culture of hate that is now consuming its own architects. Recall the assassination attempt on Trump’s life during the election campaign of 2024. Kirk’s murder is the clearest warning yet that America’s polity is teetering on the brink of the civil conflict many have long cautioned about.

Kirk’s shooting is highly significant, not merely for its brutality but for what it reveals about a nation unravelling. US political elites – both liberals and right-wingers – have stoked division to entrench their own power, fostering a climate where dissent turns deadly. Ironically, Kirk was a linchpin in this machine, transforming Turning Point USA into a well-oiled juggernaut backed by billionaire donors like the Koch network. His organisation radicalised young conservatives with a toxic brew of evangelical zeal, MAGA bravado, and white ‘grievance’, framing “Marxist” elites and minorities as existential threats. Kirk’s rhetoric – calling for “taking back” America from “globalist” enemies – echoed the far-right’s playbook, emboldening militias, Proud Boys, and January 6 insurrectionists. His shocking assassination is a perverse consequence of the Frankensteinian monster turning on its creator.

It underscores the lethal stakes of a culture where political foes are no longer opponents but targets.

The predictable president

President Trump’s reaction is as predictable as it is dangerous. Declaring Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” on Truth Social, he has wasted no time weaponising the tragedy, blaming “radical leftists” and the “deep state” for orchestrating the attack.

Kirk mobilised millions of young conservatives behind Trump’s 2024 election campaign, was given primetime speaker slot at the Republican convention, became an advisor to the administration and even vetted cabinet appointees for their ideological alignment with Trump’s MAGA base. Hence Trump’s call for flags to be flown half-mast for several days – despite Kirk’s having no record of public service.

The memorialising of Kirk extends to the Democrats and its liberal media organ – the New York Times. The latter editorialised on Kirk’s killing under the headline “America Mourns Charlie Kirk”. The Times also claimed that “Such violence is antithetical to America.”

Even as many on both sides of the right-left divide state the obvious – that “political violence has no place in this country” – what is forgotten is that it is Trump who has normalised political violence. He is the president who pardoned all those convicted of violent offences during the attempted coup and insurrection of January 6, 2021. By that single act, Trump signalled that right wing political violence is endorsed by the federal government and the Republican party – which is itself a far right organisation in the grip of Trumpism.

The record shows that Democrats cannot be relied upon to protect Americans against the rise of right wing violence and murder in states they control.

Trump, meanwhile, continues to use the same authoritarian playbook he’s used before: amplifying and exploiting fear to consolidate power. His base—evangelicals, MAGA diehards, and campus conservatives—is erupting in grief and fury, flooding social media with conspiracies, alleging FBI complicity or antifa plots. Vigils in Phoenix, Dallas, and Washington, D.C., are morphing into protest marches. Hashtags like #JusticeForCharlie and #KirkWasRight trend alongside images of Kirk as a saintly figure, a modern-day martyr akin to a right-wing Martin Luther King Jr.

Trump, ever the opportunist, will likely escalate this into a broader crusade, framing Kirk’s killing as proof of a leftist war on “patriots.” Expect fiery Oval Office addresses, calls for sweeping crackdowns, and policies targeting dissenters under the guise of national security—moves that risk further eroding democratic norms.

The repercussions are profound and multifaceted. Domestically, Kirk’s assassination will intensify the far-right’s siege mentality, which has long identified the ‘Left’ as America’s gravest threat. Turning Point has already announced armed escorts for its speakers, signalling a militarisation of its events. Posts on X suggest growing chatter among far-right groups, with some calling for “retribution” against perceived leftist enemies. This threatens a spiral of retaliatory violence, as militias and vigilantes—already armed and radicalised—see Kirk’s death as a green light.

Internationally, the assassination reverberates as a stain on America’s democratic credentials. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, busily appeasing Reform UK’s racist platform, has decried it as an assault on free speech, but those words ring hollow against the backdrop of America’s unravelling social fabric.

Allies and adversaries alike – from Brussels to Beijing – will see Kirk’s killing as evidence of a superpower in decline, unable to contain its internal demons. Domestically, the fallout could reshape the political landscape. Turning Point, already a powerhouse, may gain martyr-driven momentum, recruiting thousands to its cause. Yet, this comes at a cost: the normalisation of violence as a political tool, a trend long feared to push America toward civil war.

Kirk’s assassination lays bare the rot at the heart of the American political system and constitutional norms. His fascist-leaning politics and white supremacist ideology sowed division, but his death only deepens the abyss. As militias arm, conspiracies fester, and trust in institutions crumbles, the nation appears to be at the precipice of civil conflict.

Kirk’s blood is on the hands of a broken system – one he helped break, but that now threatens to unravel beyond recognition.

Inderjeet Parmar is a professor of international politics and associate dean of research in the School of Policy and Global Affairs at City St George’s, University of London, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a columnist at The Wire. He is an International Fellow at the ROADS Initiative think tank, Islamabad, and author of several books including Foundations of the American Century. He is currently writing a book on the history, politics and crises of the US foreign policy establishment.

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