WATCH: Barack Obama blames Trump team rhetoric for political vitriol
In an interview Wednesday, former President Barack Obama discussed the assassination of Charlie Kirk, pointing to the rhetoric of President Donald Trump and some of his administration for contributing to and normalizing political vitriol in America.
Speaking at the Jefferson Educational Society in Erie, Pennsylvania, Obama said Trump and his allies calling their opponents “vermin” and “enemies … speaks to a broader problem.”
Obama condemned some in “authority” for trying “to silence discussion” in the nation after Kirk’s murder.
“I didn’t know Charlie Kirk, Obama said. “I was generally aware of some of his ideas. I think those ideas were wrong – but that doesn’t negate that what happened was a tragedy, and I mourn for his family.”
In response, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement: “Obama used every opportunity to sow division and pit Americans against each other, and following his presidency more Americans felt Obama divided the country than felt he united it.”
WATCH:
Barack Obama breaks his silence on Charlie Kirk’s assassination by blaming President Trump for fueling political violence and by declaring Charlie’s ideas “wrong”:
“I will say that those extreme views were not in my White House. I wasn’t embracing them. I wasn’t empowering them.… pic.twitter.com/kxfzFEZFVw
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 17, 2025