Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma corrected [1] CNN host Kasie Hunt during Thursday’s broadcast of “The Arena” after she aired selectively edited clips of Republicans declaring “We are at war” in response to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Since Kirk’s killing Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University, Republicans have condemned Democrats online for appearing to celebrate or mock the death of the 31-year-old conservative activist.
Hunt’s program included remarks from Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, and Fox News host Jesse Watters before she asked Lankford if he believed the incident represented “part of a war.”
“So I would say a couple things. One is, one of those particular clips, I actually saw the full statement on it, and it said, ‘We are at war,’ and then ended with ‘We need to be able to fight this the same way Charlie Kirk did. Charlie Kirk did it with words and spoke out against issues and challenges, not with violence,’” Lankford said.
“So some of those clips aren’t actually consistent with the whole context of the clips, but we are as a nation struggling with each other, no doubt.”
Lankford also drew historical parallels.
“This feels like 1968 in some ways with the violence on campuses, with assassinations and things that happened during that time period. We as a nation turned around and looked at each other and said, ‘How does this actually get better?’ That’s what we’ve got to be able to do is to be able to do that, but we should have strong opinions,” he said.
Kirk was hosting one of his well-known student debates at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was struck by a fatal gunshot about 20 minutes into the event.
Security rushed him to the hospital, but the conservative leader ultimately died from his injuries.
In the aftermath, some Democrats suggested Kirk’s politics played a role in his death, while others pointed to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric as fueling political violence.
Lankford described Kirk as someone who sought dialogue across the political spectrum.
“Charlie Kirk was outspoken and bombastic with conservatives, but when he spoke to liberals and progressives, he was humble, he was listening, he was intellectually engaging, he wanted them to be able to share his ideas and say, ‘Let me share my ideas with you,’” Lankford said.
“He literally was going to people and saying, ‘We should as a nation talk about hard issues back and forth,’ and he did that. But many of the clips that are shown are his clips talking to other conservatives, being able to push them to say, ‘Let’s live what we believe,’” he added.
Lankford urged Americans to follow Kirk’s example by promoting debate rather than division.
“But with liberals and progressives, he was often very humble, very engaging, shared his faith freely and said, ‘Let’s talk about these issues.’ That’s really what we need to get back to. People that want to be able to honor Charlie Kirk, honor it by actually engaging with people you disagree with and to be able to actually have real dialogue with him. That’s what he did,” he said.
The conversation comes amid rising concerns about political violence in the United States.
On July 13, 2024, a gunman opened fire at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the President’s ear and killing volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore.
The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Secret Service agents.
Just two months later, on Sept. 15, 2024, authorities thwarted another assassination attempt when they discovered Ryan Routh hiding in bushes outside Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, armed with an AK-47-style rifle.
Other incidents of political violence have drawn attention as well.
In June, Democratic Minnesota state Sen. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot at their home.
More recently, a self-identified socialist and Black Lives Matter supporter set fire to the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
With Kirk’s death now added to a growing list of politically motivated attacks, lawmakers and commentators have continued to debate both the causes of the violence and the nation’s path forward.
Lankford emphasized that Americans should confront their differences with open dialogue rather than violence, pointing to Kirk’s approach as a model.