Jimmy Kimmel Criticizes Trump’s Response to Charlie Kirk’s Death

Jimmy Kimmel used his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to respond to the death of Charlie Kirk and to discuss why Donald Trump‘s reaction has been so problematic.

Kimmel described Kirk’s shooting death earlier this week as “a senseless murder.” “His death has amplified our anger, our differences,” Kimmel said. “And I’ve seen a lot of extraordinarily vile responses to this from both sides of the political spectrum. Some people are cheering this, which is something I won’t ever understand. We had another school shooting yesterday in Colorado, the hundredth one of the year.”

He continued, “With all of these terrible things happening, you would think that our president would at least make an attempt to bring us together. But he didn’t.”

Kimmel shared a series of X posts from past presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush. “President Obama did,” Kimmel said. “President Biden did. Presidents Bush and Clinton did. President Trump did not. Instead, he blamed Democrats for their rhetoric. The man who told a crowd of supporters that maybe the Second Amendment people should do something about Hillary Clinton. The man who said he wouldn’t mind if someone shot through the fake news media. The man who unleashed a mob on the Capitol, and said Liz Cheney should face nine barrels shooting at her for supporting his opponent, blames the radical left for their rhetoric.”

Kirk was shot dead Wednesday while speaking to students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The right-wing political influencer and activist, who co-founded Turning Point USA to foster a culture of conservatism on school campuses around the nation, was 31. News of Kirk’s death generated shock throughout the U.S. political ecosystem. 

Following his death, Kimmel posted on Instagram, encouraging people to respond thoughtfully. “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” Kimmel wrote. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents, and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”

Stephen Colbert also addressed the incident on The Late Show earlier this week, noting, “I am old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences. Political violence only leads to more political violence. And I pray with all my heart that this is the aberrant action of a madman and not a sign of things to come.”

Last night, Colbert added a “message of unity” to his monologue. “However you feel about his politics he was a young father of two small children and an American who has the constitutional right to express his opinion in safety,” Colbert said. “It should go without saying that violence is never the answer to political disagreement.”