Absolutely disgusting’: Trump’s ‘disgraceful’ Oval Office address sparks outrage online
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sat down for an interview at the White House in March 2018 with Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, during a youth-focused event called Generation Next. Years later, Kirk was killed, and Trump’s response to his death has caused a major backlash.
After the murder, Trump gave a speech from the Oval Office. In that address, he blamed Democrats for what happened, accusing them of treating “good people like Charlie” as if they were Nazis or some of the worst criminals in history. But while he condemned political violence, he left out any mention of recent attacks carried out by right-wing extremists against Democrats.
Trump also said that the current level of political anger and hate in America was fueling terrorism, and he insisted it needed to stop immediately.
The speech quickly drew reactions online. Many political observers criticized Trump for using the tragedy to push blame onto his opponents instead of calling for unity.
One Republican group opposing Trump wrote that his words were “absolutely disgusting” and showed he was incapable of bringing Americans together, even during moments of grief.
Analysts and commentators pointed out what Trump chose to highlight in his speech. He mentioned violence against conservatives, such as the attempt on his life, the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise, and attacks on immigration enforcement officers. But he did not acknowledge incidents linked to right-wing extremism, including the January 6th Capitol riot, the attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, the kidnapping plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the murders tied to far-right beliefs, or even the fire at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home.
Other experts argued that Trump was focusing on the wrong issue. They said the real problem in the U.S. isn’t only political violence, but gun violence in general. Unlike other countries with political divides, the United States experiences an unusually high number of deaths from firearms.
Some critics also accused Trump of twisting the facts. One analyst noted that Charlie Kirk himself had defended violent actions by groups such as Israel’s military and certain American far-right activists, which made his own death especially ironic. Others suggested Trump’s speech was misleading because he had no clear evidence that Democrats were to blame.
Another commentator compared Trump’s statements to the “Reichstag Fire,” a historic event in Germany that was used as political justification for seizing more power. They suggested Trump’s supporters might try to use Kirk’s death in a similar way.
