Charlie Kirk did political discourse the right way.
This is not to say that Kirk was perfect. Especially in his earlier years, Kirk was torched for debating uninformed college students. Critics argued that Kirk engaged in rage-bait—that he profited off clips of ill-spoken, emotional 20-year-olds. Even South Park harped on this critique, getting the fictional character Eric Cartman to parody Kirk debating college girls.
All of this may have been true. But Kirk was willing to reach out to established figures on the left, people who had spent decades in front of a camera arguing their positions.
One of these figures was political commentator Cenk Uygur, whom Kirk first debated last year at the RNC. After Kirk’s horrific assassination, Uygur remarked on Tucker Carlson’s show that the debate “surprised” him. Not because the two agreed on every issue. He and Kirk differed on “this, that, and the other.” Uygur was surprised because Kirk was the one that reached out.
Kirk’s choice to initiate a conversation with Uygur was amazing. And from it, I see a man who was unafraid to defend his viewpoints against a seasoned debater, against someone who founded one of the largest networks of the progressive left. I see a man who valued a strong opponent, who valued the opportunity of a serious struggle of ideas.
President Donald Trump’s actions in the past few weeks have shown him to be the exact opposite of Kirk.
When Trump tried to silence Stephen Colbert by leveraging a merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, Trump showed that he not only couldn’t take a joke, but that he was scared—scared of what Colbert had to say, and how many might be listening.
Trump’s hatred of Colbert contrasts Kirk’s lighthearted approach towards similar comedic jabs. In fact, Kirk asked his audience to take that satirical South Park episode in good fun. In his words, “we need to have a good spirit about being made fun of.”
Erika Kirk tearfully forgave her husband’s murderer at a memorial service for Kirk. President Trump spoke right after Erika and tore her sentiment of unity and mercy apart, firmly declaring, “I hate my opponent.”
You may hate your opponent, Mr. President. But you must preserve his First Amendment right to free speech, a right Charlie observed, believed, and cherished to his last breath.
