Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Trending
  • Reader Wire
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / White House / Trump Invokes Kirk’s Killing to Silence Opponents

Trump Invokes Kirk’s Killing to Silence Opponents

September 16, 2025 at 10:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has begun a major escalation in his long-running efforts to stifle political opposition in the United States, using the assassination of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk to make the baseless argument that Democratic organizations and protesters are part of a violent conspiracy against conservative values and the American way of life,” the New York Times reports.

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: White House

Recent Posts

From Free Speech to Score-Settling

March 30, 2026 at 11:45 am EDTMarch 30, 2026 at 10:41 am EDT

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the quiet part loud. Speaking at Conservative Political Action Conference last week, Carr argued that Donald Trump is “winning” his long-running fight with the media…

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

March 30, 2026 at 11:31 am EDT

“We have a thing called a war, or as they would rather say, a military operation. It’s for legal reasons. Because as a military operation, I don’t need any approvals….

Texas Speaker Studies Annexing Parts of New Mexico

March 30, 2026 at 11:28 am EDT

Texas Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) says he is entertaining the idea of expanding the state by annexing some New Mexico counties, The Guardian reports.Save to Favorites

Maine Democrats Clash Over How to Beat Collins

March 30, 2026 at 11:26 am EDT

New York Times: “The Democratic primary race for Senate in Maine is swiftly becoming a test of how liberal voters perceive risk and electability as their party searches for a…

The Stock Market Has Only Two Catalysts

March 30, 2026 at 10:40 am EDTMarch 30, 2026 at 10:43 am EDT

“Forget earnings reports or other corporate announcements, the stock market really has just two main catalysts this year: AI anxiety and President Trump,” Axios reports. “It’s like a pinball machine…

No Strategy, No Briefings, No Clarity

March 30, 2026 at 10:07 am EDT

The Pentagon has gone silent. It’s now been more than a week since officials last briefed reporters on the war in Iran — a striking departure from the playbook of…

Iran Could Emerge Stronger and More Dangerous

March 30, 2026 at 10:00 am EDTMarch 30, 2026 at 8:50 am EDT

Gideon Rachman: “Donald Trump has a perverse genius for driving American adversaries to discover new forms of leverage over the US. His trade war with China persuaded Beijing to exploit…

Crowded Field in California Opens the Door for Republicans

March 30, 2026 at 9:36 am EDTMarch 30, 2026 at 9:38 am EDT

California’s gubernatorial primary is setting up a scenario that would have seemed implausible not long ago: two Republicans advancing to the general election. It’s not because the state suddenly shifted…

Republicans Eye Health Care Cuts to Pay for Iran War

March 30, 2026 at 9:12 am EDT

“Republicans are considering reductions in federal health spending to help pay for a budget bill containing as much as $200 billion to fund the Iran war and immigration enforcement,” Axios…

Bonus Quote of the Day

March 30, 2026 at 9:00 am EDT

“A lot of people are talking how beautiful the ballroom is. A lot of people are giving it good reviews. Some people are giving it good reviews without seeing it.”…

America Is Now a Rogue Superpower

March 30, 2026 at 8:44 am EDT

Robert Kagan: “Whenever and however America’s war with Iran ends, it has both exposed and exacerbated the dangers of our new, fractured, multipolar reality—driving deeper wedges between the United States…

Quote of the Day

March 30, 2026 at 8:40 am EDT

“The average person just wants shit to work. I don’t give a shit if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent—just live in the zone of practicality. And the far…

Spain Shuts Airspace to U.S. Military

March 30, 2026 at 8:28 am EDT

Spain closed its airspace to American flights involved in its military operation in Iran, expanding an effort to distance itself from the conflict, Bloomberg reports. Save to Favorites

Iran Says U.S. Peace Proposal Is ‘Unrealistic’

March 30, 2026 at 8:24 am EDT

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that the U.S.’s 15-point list for halting the conflict contains “largely excessive, unrealistic, and unreasonable demands,” contradicting U.S. President Trump’s earlier claims…

Trump Threatens to Destroy Iran’s Oil Wells

March 30, 2026 at 8:07 am EDTMarch 30, 2026 at 8:08 am EDT

President Trump said Monday that the U.S. will “completely” obliterate Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz is not “immediately” reopened…

Vance Pledges to ‘Get to the Bottom’ of UFO Files

March 30, 2026 at 8:04 am EDT

Vice President JD Vance told a podcaster he’ll “get to the bottom” of the government’s UFO files, adding that he’s “obsessed,” The Hill reports. Said Vance: “Trust me, anybody who’s…

Trump Highlights ‘Military Compound’ Under New Ballroom

March 30, 2026 at 8:02 am EDT

President Trump showed reporters new renders of the White House ballroom, which will have a “military compound” underneath it, the New York Times reports. Save to Favorites

Republicans Can’t Count on MAHA for the Midterms

March 30, 2026 at 7:58 am EDT

A majority of Americans say the Trump administration has not done enough to “Make America Healthy Again,” according to a new Politico Poll, including 41% of Donald Trump’s 2024 voters….

Dread Deepens Among U.S. Allies in Asia

March 30, 2026 at 7:42 am EDT

Washington Post: “Allies and partners of the United States in Asia are steeling themselves for what they see as the nightmare scenario of a long American war in the Middle…

Iran Is Winning the Energy War

March 30, 2026 at 7:36 am EDT

The Economist: “As its tankers keep plying the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is now earning nearly twice as much from oil sales each day as it did before American and…

« Trump and Epstein Images Projected on Windsor Castle
Fired BLS Chief Breaks Her Silence »

Your Account

Sign in

Members Only

  • From Free Speech to Score-Settling
  • No Strategy, No Briefings, No Clarity
  • Crowded Field in California Opens the Door for Republicans
  • Weekly News Quiz
  • Democrats Flipped the Shutdown Playbook

Trial Balloon

Add Trial Balloon to your podcast player to get new episodes each week.


About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC