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In a post to X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he was personally “disgusted” by some reaction on social media, leading to his warning.
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The U.S. State Department is warning foreign visa applicants and immigrants against praising, rationalizing, or making light of conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Kirk was shot and killed while at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, prompting widespread reaction on social media from all sides of the political spectrum.
In a post to X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he was personally “disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”
Landau has been at the forefront of publicizing the revocations and denials of U.S. visas, having announced earlier this year that he had revoked visas for performer Bob Vylan and his crew after the British punk-rap duo led crowds in chanting “death” to the Israeli military.
“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,” Landau said.
He also asked social media users to copy him on any posts they might see that could be relevant and noted he would direct “consular officials to monitor the comments to this post.”
Who is Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was a right-wing activist and media personality best known for founding Turning Point USA, a group aimed at promoting conservative political positions on school campuses.
Turning Point USA, and a number of its sister organizations under the Turning Point Brand, are nonprofit groups that work to elect young Republican candidates to office and encourage conservative values in high schools, colleges and in churches.
Kirk became the face of a young Republican movement, supporting grassroots efforts to bring new blood into the party.
The 31-year-old began his political rise in 2012 at age 18 when he was scouted by Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery while speaking at Benedictine University’s Youth Government Day as a high school student. Montgomery convinced Kirk to put off college and pursue activism full time, with the pair launching Turning Point USA shortly after.
Kirk’s outspoken support of President Trump’s policies made him a hero to some young Republicans, and has drawn the ire of Democrats who say he is arguing in bad faith.
He has publicly promoted conspiracies, including falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and boosting unsubstantiated rumors.
A rash of political violence in the US
The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum.
The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April.
The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.
Trump survived two assassination attempts in 2024, including one where a bullet whizzed by the then-candidate’s ear at a rally in Pennsylvania. That shooter was killed by a Secret Service sniper as Trump was moved to cover.
Another accused would-be-assassin was arrested by Secret Service agents near where Trump was golfing in Florida shortly after, before any shots were fired.
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