Former President Barack Obama delivered sharp criticism of President Donald Trump’s response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, speaking at a Jefferson Educational Society event in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, September 17, 2025. Without mentioning Trump by name, Obama condemned the current administration’s inflammatory rhetoric following the shooting.
Obama referenced Trump and his aides’ history of calling political opponents “vermin” and enemies who need to be “targeted,” describing this as part of a broader problem requiring national attention. The former president specifically criticized Trump’s stance on national unity following Kirk’s death, noting that the current president told Fox News last week that he “couldn’t care less” about bringing the nation together after the Utah shooting.
Kirk, one of the most influential figures in the MAGA movement, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Since the incident, Trump and other Republicans have attempted to attribute the killing to what they characterize as radical left-wing ideology fueling violence, despite what sources describe as a spate of violence targeting Democrats throughout the year.
Obama contrasted Trump’s approach with that of previous Republican leaders, indicating that former Presidents George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney would have sought to calm tensions following such an incident. He emphasized that unity during crisis moments represents an American value transcending party lines, noting that part of the president’s job involves pulling people together when tensions run high.
The former president cited his own response to the 2015 Charleston church shooting, where white supremacist Dylann Roof murdered nine people at a historic Black church in South Carolina. Obama indicated that as president, his response was not to identify who may have influenced the troubled individual or use the tragedy to target political opponents.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded by characterizing Obama as the “architect of modern political division” in America. Jackson accused Obama of demeaning millions of patriotic Americans who opposed his liberal agenda by describing them as bitter for clinging to guns or religion. She alleged that Obama used every opportunity to sow division and pit Americans against each other, claiming that following his presidency, more Americans felt he divided rather than united the country.
Jackson further stated that Obama’s divisive approach has inspired generations of Democrats to characterize their opponents as deplorables, fascists, or Nazis. She suggested that if Obama genuinely cares about unity, he should instruct his own party to cease what she termed destructive behavior.
On Tuesday, September 17, 2025, officials charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with multiple offenses, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s shooting. Authorities allege Robinson messaged his roommate, who they describe as transgender, stating he had enough of Kirk’s hatred while admitting responsibility for the killing.
The incident has occurred amid broader concerns about political violence in the United States. According to research by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, 81 people have been killed by political violence in the United States over the past five years. Right-wing terrorists account for over half of those murders at 54 percent, while Islamists account for 21 percent and left-wing perpetrators for 22 percent.
When examining data extending back to 1975, excluding the September 11 attacks, terrorists inspired by right-wing ideology are responsible for 63 percent of deaths from political violence during that period, compared to 10 percent for left-wing attacks. The study found 391 deaths caused by right-wing terror attacks and 65 deaths from left-wing terror attacks since 1975.
The tensions between Obama and Trump have escalated in recent months, with Trump accusing the former president of treason over the 2016 election investigation. Obama’s office has characterized these allegations as outrageous and bizarre. The current situation reflects the ongoing political polarization that experts note has contributed to rising political violence, even from historically low starting points.
Kirk was considered pivotal in improving the Republican Party’s appeal to young voters during Trump’s political career. His assassination has become another flashpoint in the ongoing debate over political rhetoric and its potential connection to violence, with both parties pointing to the other as contributing to the current divisive climate.
