Source: Direct News
Kirk Memorial held on the 21st, the U.S. security department as an enemy
On the afternoon of 21st local time, a public memorial service for Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old leader of American young conservatives who was assassinated, will be held in a stadium in Arizona. This is the first large-scale public commemoration after the incident. It is expected to attract about 100,000 participants, including conservative supporters, politicians and members of Turning Point USA, founded by Kirk. In fact, this gathering initiated by Kirk's widow erica kirk and "American Turning Point" is not simply to mourn Kirk, but more importantly, to review his life and political legacy. Fox News will be broadcast live throughout the process and is expected to reach millions of viewers.
The security measures of the event were raised to the "highest national importance" level (Level 1) as defined by the Ministry of Homeland Security, with the FBI and local law enforcement agencies deploying more than 500 agents, including snipers, drone surveillance and patrol dogs, to prevent potential threats.
In addition, the organizers are also working with major social platforms to monitor potential threats online. Earlier, US President Trump had publicly stated that he planned to attend Kirk's funeral, while Vice President Vance and several Republican lawmakers had confirmed their attendance.
Such a grand commemorative activity, on the one hand, strengthened Kirk's "idol" status as a rising conservative star; on the other hand, it undoubtedly amplified the discussion of political violence in the United States and exposed the deep cracks in American society. Some scholars have pointed out that the United States is entering the "era of violent populism", and political conflicts are increasingly inclined to resort to violence rather than institutional dialogue or electoral competition.
Especially after the shooting incident, conservatives quickly blamed the gunman's motive on the hate speech of the "radical left" and the "echo chamber" effect of social media; Liberals, on the other hand, expressed their vigilance against the right wing's "taking the opportunity to create a martyr narrative." This bipolar reaction further tore the consensus of American society.
However, when most Democratic officials and Republicans condemned this violent incident together, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, who bitterly called on Americans to unite, US President Trump still couldn't suppress his anger, declaring that he would "teach" those "radical left lunatics" a hard lesson, although he also specifically emphasized "non-violence".
During last year’s campaign, Trump did not use the usual phrases of “national unity” like other previous candidates, but instead claimed that America’s biggest threat came from “internal enemies”. After taking office, Trump also often said that “unity” was not the mission of his presidential term.
Political polarization and political violence in the United States
In fact, during the first eight months of Trump’s second term, he has been practicing the “fighting” philosophy, targeting Democrats, uncertain Republicans, remote allies, universities, the media, and all the individuals he considers disloyal or too liberal.
On August 11, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was deploying the National Guard to help restore legal order and public security in Washington, D.C., the capital.
Political polarization, that is, the increasing polarization of social and political groups in ideology, policy preferences, and values, will ultimately lead to a lack of consensus among parties, accompanied by strong hostility. In the United States, political polarization is mainly reflected between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party and their supporters. Their positions on issues such as immigration, gun control, and climate change are increasingly antagonistic, resulting in cross-party cooperation and consensus among the people. It is increasingly difficult to reach. When an extreme ideology is constantly amplified, it gives birth to political violence with assassinations, attacks and riots as its main manifestations.
From the 1970s, with the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and the Reagan era of conservationism, American political polarization began to deepen. From Lincoln’s assassination to Martin Luther King’s assassination, to the anti-war protests and racial riots of the 1960s and 1970s, these events were often accompanied by political polarization during the American social transformation period. After entering the cyber age, social media further strengthened the “reactor room” effect, where people were exposed only to identical information, unconsciously narrowed their eyes and understanding, and went to self-confiscation and even polarization.
There is a close causal relationship between political polarization and political violence. By demonizing and dehumanizing opponents, polarization reduces the ethical threshold for violence and makes extreme behavior acceptable. Research shows that when party disagreements evolve into emotional hostility, people are more likely to support or participate in violence against "enemies". In contrast, political violence intensifies polarization, forming a vicious cycle: violent events are often used by one party to blame the other, deepen disagreements, and provoke imitation.
Last year, Congressional police recorded a surge in threats against congressmen, with more than 9,000 incidents. Threats against judges also increased. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts mentioned in his 2024 end-of-year report that over the past five years, more than 1,000 serious threats against federal judges have been recorded. The New York Times said in a recent report, “In this era of severe division in American society, he (Trump) rarely talks about bridging differences. Other presidents will usually try to reduce the heat in times of national crisis, while Trump poured oil onto the fire.
Two kinds of people in Trump's eyes
After the Charlie Kirk shooting, Trump was asked on a TV show, "There are radicals on the right, just as there are radicals on the left, how do we get back together?", and Trump said that the anger of right-wing radicals stems from dissatisfaction with the crime problem and is legitimate, and that "left-wing radicals are the problem, they are vicious and horrible". In Trump's eyes, the United States has split into two ideological and political camps: one for him and the other against him.
In April 2025, a wave of anti-Trump demonstrations with the slogan "Hands Off!" Swept across dozens of cities in 50 states, opposing government policies such as spending cuts, cracking down on immigration and tariffs.
Faced with the voices of criticism, and the growing mutual accusations between the American people with different positions, Trump is still my way, focusing on meeting his core supporters, practicing “separated politics”. Ali Fletcher, who served as a consultant and spokesman for the US former President Bush administration, said in a recent interview, “The left has too deep resentment for President Trump, no matter whether he said a tone, a word, a word or a phrase, can not calm their anger.
Theft of votes?
The Kirk incident, for Trump, is not an opportunity to heal the social division, but an excellent opportunity for him to further suppress the groups that oppose him. Recently, the Trump administration has frequently announced that it is considering taking administrative measures against left-wing organizations. The measures being discussed by the White House include re-examining the tax exemption eligibility of left-wing non-profit organizations and taking targeted actions against these organizations according to anti-corruption laws. It is said that Trump may introduce relevant measures as soon as this week, in order to take advantage of Kirk's influence among young voters to seize the opportunity for the Republican Party before the mid-term elections.
In addition, officials from all departments of the Trump administration are investigating alleged groups targeting conservatives or supporting conservatives, officials said, which could involve the attacks on the Tesla Store earlier this year, as well as those involved in retaliating against law enforcement agencies that enforced Trump’s immigration expulsion order, who could be classified as “domestic terrorists.”
Observation pointed out that by creating conflict and establishing enemies to consolidate supporters' loyalty, strengthen the strong image of themselves as "fighters", has also become a victory treasure for Trump to get votes.
The author is forever.