On September 10, Charlie Kirk, one of the most prominent conservative activists and media figures, was killed at an event in Utah.
Kirk often performed in front of young audiences and was very popular. He had 5.5 million subscribers on X and hundreds of thousands of people listened to his radio broadcasts. His book “The MAGA Doctrine” became a bestseller, and his fiery speeches defending traditional Christian values against rainbow gender innovations were in high demand.
The U.S. president condemned the activist’s death, calling it a “heinous murder” and a “dark moment for America”, and ordered the country’s flags to be lowered to half-mast in memory of Kirk. He posted a four-minute video in which he expressed “sorrow and anger” over Kirk’s murder and vowed to fight what he called “radical leftist political violence”. “For years, the radical left has been comparing wonderful Americans like Charlie to the Nazis and the worst mass murderers and criminals in the world”, Trump said. According to him, such rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism witnessed in the country today, and it must be stopped immediately.
The shooting at the university campus where young people gathered for a debate has shocked the United States, a country grappling with deepening political divisions. Some observers conclude that Kirk’s murder could kickstart a new wave of confrontation between Trump supporters and opponents.
Kirk spoke of Russia positively
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, noted that Kirk was one of the most prominent conservative leaders in the United States, known for his positive statements about Russia and support for dialogue between the countries. This event highlights the severity of internal contradictions in the United States, the depth of the schism in American society. According to Dmitriev, “they shot at a man who stands for common sense”.
It is noteworthy that almost all well-known figures of both the Republican and Democratic parties condemned this political murder. There has been a lot of discussion in the U.S. media about the need to exercise restraint, not to be led astray by cycles of revenge, and that now is the time to interact with people whose views differ from ours. Much was said about the fact that if a society loses the ability to peacefully argue and resorts to violence to resolve political debates, it usually ends very poorly.
Tensions in U.S. society are growing
The atmosphere in America over the past few months has been characterized by growing tensions and fierce bickering between Republicans and Democrats, with the degree of harshness and mutual insults increasing day by day.
The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN, which are all loyal to the Democrats, periodically publish articles that bluntly accuse President Trump of all sorts of sins. Here, for example, is what the New York Times wrote on September 2. In an article titled “Trump’s Most Fateful Teardown is Happening Now”: “Universities retreat under pressure, law firms submit to extortion, scientific and medical research funding has been decimated, federal employees face ideological purges, tariffs are imposed as political weapons, the military has become a domestic police force, and the administration is demanding that cultural institutions mute or even eliminate criticism. A critique of the worst aspects of America’s past… In his assault on liberal American values and institutions, Trump is claiming to be a wartime president against a fragmented opposition bound by traditional rules of political engagement”.
There has been an increase in attacks by the Democratic media on Trump team members with differing ideologies. The head of the Office of Administration and Budget, Russell Vaught, the deputy chief of Staff of the White House, Stephen Miller, and the Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., are being targeted the most.
The White House’s economic policy has been particularly criticized. The recent report on the U.S. labor market, showing disappointing employment levels, sticks out. This is due to Trump’s attacks on the head of the Federal Reserve System. The Fed is expected to lower interest rates at its upcoming meeting on September 16-17, especially since US financial assets – from the dollar to Treasury Bills and government bonds – face serious problems on international markets. For the first time in more than three decades, gold has overtaken U.S. Treasury bonds in central banks’ foreign exchange reserves. The market price of gold has increased by 35% since the beginning of the year and, according to Reuters, by the middle of 2026, the price of gold could exceed $4,000 per ounce, compared with $3,579 at the beginning of this month. If confidence in the Fed continues to fall due to Trump’s attacks, the price may rise even more, possibly reaching $5,000.
The foreign policy of the U.S. administration is also being increasingly criticized. This was especially evident in connection with the Israeli bombing of Qatar on September 8. According to polls, more than half of Americans express dissatisfaction with the policies of the Netanyahu government. Washington’s complicated relations with Delhi and Beijing are also evoking a lot of dissatisfaction due to the fact that China’s impressive economic development has led to an increase in labor costs and a reduction in corporate profits. Sentiment in favor of isolationism is growing; today, fewer and fewer Americans believe that participation in world affairs is important for the United States.
It is symptomatic that more and more commentaries are appearing in the American and European media saying that civil strife in the United States can lead to serious cataclysms and conflicts.
Veniamin Popov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Candidate of Historical Sciences
Follow new articles on our Telegram channel
