Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday in front of a crowd of college students. The images and reports are shocking, and the gravity of the moment is impossible to overstate. A prominent American political figure was gunned down on stage, and the country is going to be worse off for it.

Let me be clear from the start: I am not celebrating what happened, nor am I excusing or condoning it. Political assassination is a tragedy, no matter who the target is. But refusing to look squarely at the meaning of this moment would be its own kind of dishonesty. My responsibility—as a veteran, as someone who has studied extremist movements for years, and as someone committed to defending democracy—is to help make sense of it.

This assassination is not an isolated event. It is part of a dangerous political trajectory that Kirk himself helped accelerate: the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories, the normalization of political violence, and the transformation of opponents into enemies. Donald Trump and the MAGA movement have built their power on these same foundations. Kirk was one of their most important propagandists, and his death will not end the movement’s violent trajectory. If anything, it will deepen and intensify it. Understanding that reality is the first step in preparing ourselves for what comes next.

On Offense with Kris Goldsmith is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Charlie Kirk’s Legacy of Political Violence

Charlie Kirk was not just a “conservative commentator” as many are saying today on television news. He was one of the most influential propagandists of the MAGA movement, and his work directly fueled political radicalization and violence in this country.

He wasn’t a passive participant in the rise of American extremism—he was an architect of it.

Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA, spent years mainstreaming hate, disinformation, and the demonization of political opponents. He played a central role in shifting American politics toward targeting vulnerable communities—particularly LGBTQ people, immigrants, and people of color—and in teaching a generation of young white men to see violence as acceptable, even patriotic. He gave them a worldview where political opponents were enemies, and enemies were disposable.

Kirk relentlessly promoted the conspiracy theories about the 2020 election that radicalized countless Americans and culminated in the January 6 insurrection, when MAGA supporters brutally assaulted police officers for hours in an attempt to overturn democracy. He bragged on social media about bussing hundreds—if not thousands—of insurrectionists to Washington that day, before cowardly deleting the evidence. He was never held accountable for this role in one of the darkest days in American history.

Kirk once publicly condemned the far-right leaders who pushed the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, and those who promoted it—like the proudly racist, anti-Jewish, and misogynistic Nick Fuentes—acknowledging its dangers. But when he realized its value as a political weapon, he embraced and amplified it. He mainstreamed a genocidal lie that has inspired mass shooters to kill Jews, immigrants, and people of color in cities across America.

And it is telling that Kirk’s final words were dedicated to spreading hate against trans people—a community already living under the constant threat of violence. Even in his last moments, he chose not to call for peace or unity, but to weaponize lies that put more lives at risk.

This is Charlie Kirk’s legacy: he created the conditions for political violence, profited from it, and normalized it.

His assassination does not erase that record—it cements it. History must remember him not as a victim, but as one of the chief authors of the violent era we now face.

The Cycle of Retaliation

Charlie Kirk’s assassination will not end the politics of hate that he fueled. It will accelerate them. Authoritarian movements thrive on martyrs, and Kirk will be transformed into one of their most powerful symbols.

Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are already seizing this moment to justify repression. Within hours, Trump blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s killing and vowed to “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity.” His allies in Congress and right-wing media are echoing the call, with some openly demanding executions and promising vengeance. This is the authoritarian playbook: take a figure who spent years stoking hatred and violence, and then, when they are struck down, recast them as a victim and a saint. That martyrdom becomes a recruiting tool, a justification for crackdowns, and a rallying cry for revenge.

I want to emphasize that this has not been confirmed by the FBI as of the time of this writing, but the Wall Street Journal wrote that the rifle casings recovered with the suspected murder weapon carried markings tied to “transgender and antifascist ideology.” Whether that detail is real or distorted, it will be weaponized by Trump and his propagandists. They will use it as supposed proof that trans people, antifascists, and anyone who stands against fascism are violent threats to the nation. That narrative will justify both state repression and vigilante violence aimed squarely at vulnerable communities—and at those of us who have made a public stand against fascism.

We should be clear-eyed about what comes next. Trump and his allies will frame Kirk’s assassination as proof that all of their enemies—liberals, progressives, antifascists, journalists, queer and trans people—are dangerous, violent, and illegitimate.

They will use this moment to call for new powers, new crackdowns, and new campaigns of intimidation. And they will do so with the full weight of the executive branch behind them.

This is not a passing crisis. It is the new normal. Authoritarian movements build power by escalating violence, then using the chaos as justification for more power. Kirk’s death will become another accelerant in this cycle of retaliation. The danger ahead is not hypothetical—it is imminent.

What This Means for Us

Trump and MAGA leaders are already promising vengeance, signaling they will use this moment to justify new crackdowns against their perceived enemies. That includes antifascists, LGBTQ communities, immigrants, journalists, and anyone who stands in their way.

It is natural to feel fear or despair in a moment like this. But those emotions are not weaknesses—they are proof that you still care, that you still have a heart. What matters is what we do with them. Authoritarianism thrives when people give up. It withers when people organize.

Those of us who carry privilege have a responsibility to use it. As a white, male Army veteran, I can safely engage with law enforcement in ways that others cannot. That privilege comes with an obligation: to defend communities that are more vulnerable, especially those who have been targeted again and again by the far right. Every person who has that kind of privilege must recognize their duty to act.

We’ve seen examples of effective resistance earlier this week. In Chicago, community members, local officials, and everyday citizens came together to block attempts to bring in outside troops. They didn’t need weapons or violence to do it—they needed solidarity and persistence. That model shows us the power of collective action, even in the face of overwhelming threats.

The choice before us is stark: sit back and allow repression to escalate, or organize locally to protect one another. Fear is not the end point—it is the starting point for courage. And courage is exactly what this moment demands.

The Path Forward: Organize Locally

If Kirk’s assassination signals anything, it’s that the United States is entering a period of even greater volatility and repression. The response from Trump and MAGA will be to weaponize fear and expand authoritarian power. Our response must be to strengthen communities, build resilience, and organize.

The most accessible entry point is to start locally. Antifascist Book Clubs are one of the simplest and most powerful ways to begin.

They bring people together to learn history, understand the authoritarian playbook, and build the trust that sustains real resistance. Veterans Fighting Fascism offers a free guide that walks you through how to start one in your neighborhood. These clubs are not just about reading—they are about forging the bonds that will carry us through hard times.

Beyond that, communities can and must develop practical tools of defense and solidarity: rapid response networks to counter fascist organizing, coalitions to pressure local officials, and systems of mutual aid to protect the most vulnerable. Every act of local resistance undermines the authoritarian strategy of fear.

Task Force Butler’s Community Response Guide and Street Teams Guide were designed to help people safely gather intelligence an