Jimmy Kimmel slams Trump for failing to 'bring us together' by blaming Democrats for Charlie Kirk's death
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On the September 11 episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', the host accused the president of fueling division instead of calling for national unity.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on September 10 in what Utah Governor Spencer Cox described as a “political assassination.”
Jimmy Kimmel slams Trump for blaming Democrats forr Charlie Kirk's death
Kimmel said he was disturbed by “extraordinarily vile responses from both sides of the political spectrum” in the wake of the killing.
“With all these terrible things happening you would think that our president would at least make an attempt to bring us together but he didn't,” Kimmel said in his opening monologue.
He contrasted Trump’s rhetoric with statements from former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton, all of whom urged Americans to come together in mourning.
“President Trump did not. Instead he blamed Democrats for their rhetoric,” Kimmel added.
President Trump shares a message on the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 11, 2025
“I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived & died. The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law & the patriotic devotion & love of God.” pic.twitter.com/3fBSgs4Zxa
In a video message released shortly after Kirk’s death, Trump asserted that the “radical left” was “directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.” The president later announced he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him a “martyr for truth and freedom.”
Calls for compassion across late-night shows
Kimmel did not mention Kirk’s death during his September 10 broadcast which opened with a monologue about Trump.
View this post on Instagram
He later posted condolences to the Kirk family on Instagram. “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” he wrote. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
Other late-night hosts also addressed the tragedy. Stephen Colbert opened 'The Late Show' by offering condolences and warning against a cycle of escalating violence.
“I'm old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences. Political violence only leads to more political violence,” Colbert said. “I pray with all my heart that this is the aberrant action of a madman and not a sign of things to come.”
Donald Trump confirmed Charlie Kirk’s death in a Truth Social post on Wednesday afternoon. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the president wrote.
HE added, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
