The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy. A young, white man inspired by a constant drumbeat of violent inspiration coming from the right carried out a political murder. But the Trump regime seized on this tragedy to inflame division and push an agenda that completely twists the meaning of free speech.
From the very beginning, Democratic leaders spoke with one voice: condemning political violence, calling for calm, and urging Americans not to meet hate with hate. That was the responsible response. At the same time, far-right voices accused Democrats of doing the opposite — spreading lies that they were “at war” with conservatives, fanning conspiracy theories, and urging escalation instead of restraint.
Now that the facts are known — that the shooter was a young white man raised in a right-wing household, not a Democrat — those lies have collapsed. But the Trump regime is pressing forward with its plan. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles spoke openly of using “law enforcement” to police what they call “civil speech.” The administration boasts of driving dissenting voices out of academia and the press. In fact, many have been fired due to right-wing harassment.
Officials frame America as a violent dystopia to justify expanding government control over who can speak, what can be said, and how.
That is not protecting free speech. It is censorship by the state — authoritarianism dressed up in patriotic language.
True free speech protects disagreement and dissent, even when it offends those in power. It is not a privilege reserved for one faction, nor a weapon to silence critics.
Congress must denounce political violence in all forms, but also resist the Trump regime’s dangerous attempt to weaponize murder as a pretext for crushing the First Amendment. Do not let tragedy become the excuse for authoritarianism. Protect democracy, protect free speech, and protect the truth.
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