Смерть 31-летнего консервативного лидера Чарли Кирка нельзя называть “сакральной жертвой” в прямом смысле этого слова. Но она, если использовать название движения, которое он возглавлял – Turning Point, – стала “поворотным моментом” в американском обществе, раскрутив правоконсервативное движение по всей стране и, как пишут местные обозреватели, “продвинув общество еще на один шаг” к гражданской войне.

Чарли Кирк. Фото: Zuma / TASS.
Кирк — комментатор подкастов и основатель Turning Point USA — скончался от огнестрельного ранения в шею во время мероприятия в Университете долины Юты 10 сентября. Выступление проходило в ходе поездки по студенческим кампусам под лозунгом “турне Возвращения Америки”. Дональд Трамп, объявивший об аресте подозреваемого в убийстве 22-летнего Тайлера Робинсона, сказал, что в случае установления его виновности, стрелок должен быть приговорен к смертной казни. В своей соцсети Truth Social президент назвал Кирка “великим” и “легендарным” и выразил соболезнования вдове Кирка Эрике и их семье (у пары двое детей). “Чарли, мы тебя любим!” – написал Трамп.

Ответственность “левых безумцев”
Сразу после убийства президент сказал, что “радикальные левые” несут ответственность за большую часть политического насилия в стране. Трамп объявил журналистам: “У нас есть радикально настроенные левые безумцы, и нам просто нужно избить их до полусмерти (to beat the hell out of them)”. Впрочем, слова президента можно понимать метафорически (он намекал на необходимость политической победы американских правых над американскими левыми), Трамп уточнил позже, что хотел бы, чтобы его сторонники ответили на убийство Кирка “ненасилием”.

В какой-то момент Эйнсли Эрхардт, один из консервативных ведущих программы Fox Friends, задал Трампу “неудобный” вопрос: “У нас есть радикалы и справа. Как нам исправить эту страну?” Президент, не дожидаясь, пока вопрос будет задан целиком, ответил. “Я скажу вам кое-что, что может создать мне проблемы, но мне все равно. ” Радикалы справа часто радикальны, потому что не хотят видеть преступления. Радикалы слева – это проблема, они жестоки, они ужасны и они политически подкованы (savvy)”.

Как видим, “политическую подкованность” президент рассматривает как “угрозу”. Трамп заявил, что в отношении 95-летнего филантропа Джорджа Сороса и его семьи следует начать расследование на предмет “левой агитации”. Сорос был крупным спонсором либеральных групп и давней мишенью для правых. Не обошлось и без бывшего президента Джозефа Байдена. Нынешний хозяин Белого дома заявил, что тот понятия не имел, что происходит, пока “радикально-левые” советники не взяли контроль над страной.

Трамп объявил, что наградит Кирка Президентской медалью Свободы посмертно. Джей Ди Вэнс отменил поездку в Нью-Йорк на мероприятие, связанное с 21-й годовщиной атаки террористов 11 сентября, чтобы на борту своего вице-президентского самолета (Air Force Two) сопроводить тело из Юты в Аризону, где 21 сентября пройдут похороны. Дальше – больше. Вэнс в качестве ведущего выступил в программе “Шоу Чарли Кирка” в “честь погибшего друга”. (Еще один большой друг покойного – Дональд Трамп-мл. назвал Кирка “рок-звездой Республиканской партии”). Вэнс рассказал о том, что именно Кирку он позвонил, когда рассматривал возможность баллотироваться в сенат в 2021 году, и позже тот поддерживал его кандидатуру на пост вице-президента “как публично, так и в частном порядке”. Среди гостей передачи были пресс-секретарь Белого дома Каролин Ливитт, бывший ведущий Fox News Такер Карлсон, министр здравоохранения и социальных служб Роберт Ф. Кеннеди-младший и глава аппарата Белого дома Сьюзи Уайлз.

Вэнс объявил, что в смерти виноваты левые, назвав “невероятно…

In Tuesday, Tyler Robinson, detained in a Utah state prison without bail, went from suspect to being charged with murder at the state level, a total of seven charges (federal charges will follow). He faces the death penalty (as Trump called for). According to Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Tyler Robinson lived in Washington County with his family, but was not a student at the University of Utah. The suspect is not affiliated with any party, and both his parents are registered Republicans. The father and mother turned him in themselves when they saw a photo in the media of the presumed killer. According to law enforcement officials, Robinson was inspired by left-wing ideology on radical darknet sites. As FBI Director Cash Patel reported, Robinson’s DNA analysis matches the traces from the crime scene – on a screwdriver, trigger hook, and a towel wrapped around the barrel from which Kirk was shot. The Washington Post, citing police agents, reported that shortly before the arrest, the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime (“Hi guys, I have some bad news for you. It was me yesterday at the University of Utah. Sorry for everything”) and wrote that he was going to surrender. The messages were deleted, as were purported social media posts by an unidentified author the day before the attack about Kirk “waiting for a terrible day” and “hoping someone evaporates him literally”. An important detail is that Robinson shared a residence with a certain Lance Twiggs – a person currently undergoing gender transition from male to female. Twiggs, who has not been accused of involvement in the crime, “did not suspect what was happening and is now working with investigators,” Utah Governor Cox told CNN. The point is that the deceased Kirk criticized liberal policies regarding transgender individuals: hormonal therapy for children and transgender participation in women’s sports competitions. “Catch, fascist” is one of several inscriptions on the casings of the shooter. The engraving of “Bella Ciao” is surprising – this is the name of a song by Italian anti-fascist partisans, performed by members of the Resistance movement in the Modena mountains during World War II. Many observers are now drawing analogies with attacks by far-right extremists, which did not trigger the current wave of calls for violence against opponents, their dismissals from work, or immediate deportation if they are immigrants. Among notable incidents that preceded Kirk’s death, who died from a wound in the hospital, was the murder of Melissa Hortman, a representative from Minnesota, and her husband. Another Democratic senator, John Hoffman, and his wife were seriously injured in another incident. According to authorities, the suspect in both incidents compiled a list of dozens of legislators, mainly Democrats, advocates of the right to abortion, as other potential targets.

Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump. Photo: AP / TASS.
Trump, who pardoned everyone convicted of federal crimes related to the Capitol riot, even those who committed violence against police officers, did not have a strong reaction when his political opponents were attacked. Neither Obama nor Biden called for “beating to semi-death” members of organizations like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other “nuclear Trumpists” marked by readiness to use violence. Presidents before Trump tried or at least spoke about the need to unite the nation. Trump bets only on his supporters, and the task of figures like Kirk was to expand his electoral base.

Turns of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk was 18 years old when Illinois businessman William Montgomery, hearing him enchant a youthful audience at a Catholic college, advised him to refrain from enrolling in college and engage in political agitation among young people. When Kirk and Montgomery (who passed away in 2020 due to COVID-2019) founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012, the “Tea Party” movement, whose activists advocated for limiting the role of government, was involved in the right wing of the Republican Party. Kirk reflected this position in the organization’s bold slogan: “Big government sucks”. In the 2016 campaign, Kirk initially supported Senators Cruz and Rubio before switching to Trump’s camp. Trump noticed the charismatic young ally, who during his first term participated in two events at the White House. According to tax reports, during Trump’s first term, the organization’s treasury surged from $4.3 million in the 2017 fiscal year to $55.2 million in the 2021 fiscal year.

Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump. Photo: Zuma / TASS.
Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump. Photo: Zuma / TASS.
Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump. Photo: Zuma / TASS.
Charlie Kirks political views changed from the “Tea Party”, which aligned with libertarian ideas, to Christian conservatism. Although as early as 2018 he stated that politics and religion should not mix. In April 2022, speaking at a church in St. Louis, he said he had studied the religious views of the founding fathers and regretted not involving the church in politics earlier. “I asked God for forgiveness,” he said in that speech. Kirk “expands”, creating a political organization – Turning Point Action, which raised $1 million in 2020 to support Trump and not a cent for Joe Biden, who won at that time. Many public organizations and private donors often split contributions between both parties. But not Kirk. A religious “branch” of the organization was created – Turning Point Faith. In his speech at the Republican convention last year, Kirk stated that statistics show that fewer and fewer young Americans own homes and start families. “What our parents enjoyed is becoming more and more out of reach for Generation Z and Millennials,” he said. “The American dream has become a luxury for the wealthy.” It is noteworthy that Trump’s nuclear electorate voted against social welfare programs and providing housing for young families contained in Kamala Harris’ package. Since 2016, Kirk’s organization has been blacklisting university professors accused of left-wing propaganda. In 2021, they launched the School Board Watchlist website, where names and photos of school board members who introduced mandatory mask-wearing or anti-racism programs are published. In the early days, a key role in Kirk’s development was played by Republican Party sponsor, Wyoming entrepreneur Foster Friess. He was on the organization’s advisory board alongside Ginny Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Barry Russell, president and CEO of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), is a key consultant to TPUSA. This year, Kirk’s annual salary exceeded $407,000. Until the end, he continued to travel to universities, advocating for Republicans and conservatism. “I’m doing the work for you,” quipped Kirk at the assembly, addressing the party bosses. Many now remember his words that the guaranteed Second Amendment right to personal firearms would inevitably lead to some casualties, but the idea is above “side effects”. They remember this because Kirk became a victim of someone who had access to a gun.

Fresh public opinion polls show Trump’s rating at 41%. This is worse than that of most of his predecessors, starting with Clinton. But Trump’s nuclear base of “Trumpism” – white men representing the working class, who fear that immigrants will take their jobs and oppose spending budget money on international support for Ukraine, social programs for African Americans, and other minorities (they should be received by “responsible white men going through temporary difficulties”, not “lazy black moms living off society”) – still stand solidly behind the president. They have been joined by “disenchanted young people,” thanks to figures like Kirk. A third layer – people over 64. A curious phenomenon noted by political analyst David Zanger. In Trump’s second term, there is a lack of marches by right-wing radicals. This, according to the leaders of their movement, is because the president has adopted their agenda. “What we were doing and talking about in 2017 was taboo. Now it’s not like that – now it’s mainstream,” said Enrique Tarrio, chair of the Proud Boys. “Honestly, what can we complain about these days?” Another incisive statement by columnist Chonsi De Vega: “While Republicans are ‘driven by the spirit of a small government’, as Trump expands his power and control over all spheres of American life, the same so-called principled conservatives who have been shouting about ‘state rights’ and the intolerably ‘big government’ for decades are now unanimously silent.” Right-wing radicalism becomes “mainstream”. And the rift in society widens. Trump has the majority in Congress, and with a conservative majority in the Supreme Court – that is, control over all three branches of government. Trump is filing lawsuits against his critics in the “fourth estate” – the media: defendants were television networks ABC and CBS, and he recently filed a $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times. Critics of the president in the media are accused of “slander” and declared “enemies of the people”. Trump’s opponents are being fired from government service, migrants after an interview and inspection of their personal iPhone at the airport may not be allowed back into the country. Kirk’s murder only adds fuel to this escalating fire.