Former President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the United States is at “an inflection point” following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, arguing that President Donald Trump has further divided the nation instead of uniting it.
“There are no ifs, ands or buts about it: The central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree and have sometimes really contentious debates without resorting to violence,” Obama said during an event hosted by the Jefferson Education Society in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to a transcript obtained read.
“And when it happens to some, but even if you think they're, quote, unquote, on the other side of the argument, that's a threat to all of us. And we have to be clear and forthright in condemning them,” he added.
Obama has largely maintained a low profile since leaving office, but on Tuesday he fielded questions from a moderator about Trump’s rhetoric following Kirk’s assassination and other recent administrative actions.
The Democrat reflected on his own leadership after the 2015 massacre of nine Black parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, and cited former Republican President George W. Bush’s example after the 11 September terrorist attacks. He said a president’s role in times of crisis is “to constantly remind us of the ties that bind us together.”
The tone from Trump and his aides after Kirk’s killing — including branding opponents as “vermin” and “enemies” — points to a deeper problem, Obama argued.
Kirk, a prominent conservative figure, founded Turning Point USA, an Arizona-based organisation that became one of the largest political groups in the United States. He later became a close confidant of Trump. Since Kirk’s assassination, Trump has escalated threats against what he calls the “radical left,” prompting fears that his Republican administration is channelling outrage over the killing to suppress opposition.
The White House pushed back on Wednesday, blaming Obama for divisions in the country. “Obama used every opportunity to sow division and pit Americans against each other, and following his presidency more Americans felt Obama divided the country than felt he united it,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement, calling him “the architect of modern political division in America.”
Also Read : Charlie Kirk shot dead in Utah
Obama also criticised Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington and the use of ID checks by federal agents in Los Angeles, warning that the president’s reliance on executive power has eroded long-standing norms.
“What you're seeing, I think, is the sense that through executive power, many of the guardrails and norms that I thought I had to abide by as president of the United States, that George Bush thought he had to abide by as president of the United States, that suddenly those no longer apply,” Obama said. “And that makes this a dangerous moment.”
Following Kirk’s death, Obama wrote on X that he and his wife, Michelle, were praying for the activist’s family, saying: “This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.”
While noting his disagreements with many of Kirk’s political stances, Obama said that “doesn't negate the fact that what happened was a tragedy and that I mourn for him and his family.”
Obama also pointed to the June shooting deaths of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and applauded Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s calls for civility in the wake of Kirk’s killing. “While we disagree on a whole bunch of stuff,” Obama said of Cox, his response demonstrated “that it is possible for us to disagree while abiding by a basic code of how we should engage in public debate.”
Earlier Tuesday, Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect charged with capital murder in Kirk’s killing, made his first court appearance. Court filings show Robinson admitted in a text to his partner that he was the shooter at Utah Valley University last week. A judge said he would appoint Robinson an attorney.
His family has declined to comment on the issue.
Follow us
