Trump doubles down on blaming 'radical left' after vow to go after political violence
President Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on blaming what he called the "radical left" for political violence in the United States after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During an appearance on "Fox & Friends," Trump was asked about the presence of radical individuals on both sides of the aisle and how it can be fixed to bring the country together.
"Because we have radicals on the right as well. We have radicals on the left. People have gotten are watching all of these videos and cheering. Some people are cheering that Charlie was, was killed. How do we fix this country? How do we come back together?" co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked the president.
"I'll tell you something that's going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don't want to see crime. They don't want to see crime. Worried about the border. They're saying, We don't want these people coming in. We don't want you burning our shopping centers. We don't want you shooting our people in the middle of the street," Trump said.
"The radicals on the left are the problem," Trump continued, "and they're vicious and they're horrible and they're politically savvy, although they want men and women sports, they want transgender for everyone, they want open borders."
The comments come after Trump on Wednesday, just hours after Kirk's killing and before details about the suspect or motivations were known, blamed the "radical left" and vowed to take action against those he claims contribute to political violence.
"My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country," Trump said in a video message Wednesday night recorded in the Oval Office.
In the video, Trump listed attacks in recent years against himself and other conservative figures but made no mention of violence that affected Democratic individuals , including the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband this past June.
"We have a radical left group of lunatics out there, just absolute lunatics, and we're going to get that problem solved," Trump said again on Thursday.
The FBI on Friday named Tyler Robinson as the suspect in Kirk's killing. Robinson's motive wasn't clear, though Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said he allegedly had writings on shell casings and expressed dislike for Kirk and his viewpoints during dinner with a family member days before the shooting. More about his background was not immediately known.
The administration's yet to detail how exactly it plans to follow through on Trump's pledge to take on political violence.
One step appeared to be taken by the State Department on Thursday as it instructed consular officers to "undertake appropriate action" against foreigners seen as "praising, rationalizing, or making light of" the murder of Kirk.
"In light of yesterday's horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was asked by conservative commentator Scott Jennings on his radio show Thursday what the White House's plan was to go after "left-wing extremism."
She signaled the public would hear more from President Trump on this matter soon.
"We were actually already working, spurred as much by the Ukrainian woman who was killed on the train as by Charlie's tragic passing, a more comprehensive plan on violence in America, the importance of free speech and civil speech, the ways that you can address these, these -- they can only be called hate groups that that may breed this kind of behavior," Wiles said.
"So, in the coming days, the president will be telling the American people about what we plan to do. It will not be easy," Wiles continued. "There's layer upon layer upon layer, and some of this hate-filled rhetoric is multi-generational, but you've got to start somewhere, and the president is committed to doing that."
Several prominent figures in the MAGA movement have called for a crackdown of those on the left, with some going so far as to say Kirk's death means "war."
President Trump, however, has urged his supporters to respond with "nonviolence."
"He was an advocate of nonviolence," Trump said of Kirk. "That's the way I'd like to see people respond."
On Friday, Trump rallied for supporters of Kirk to take action by going to the polls.
"You want revenge at the voter box," Trump said on "Fox & Friends."
