Lara Trump slams Katie Couric for 'outrageous' Charlie Kirk questions on Fox News

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK:  Lara Trump tore into journalist Katie Couric on Fox News, accusing her of trying to provoke Sen John Fetterman into suggesting that the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk bore responsibility for political violence.

The clash stemmed from Couric’s interview with Fetterman, where she pressed the Pennsylvania Democrat on whether he viewed Kirk as an “extremist.” 

Couric noted that “some people might say Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was extreme,” reportedly arguing that uncomfortable political language can contribute to real-world violence.

Fetterman pushed back, telling Couric, “I’m an absolute free speech guy… you have the right to say these things, and you definitely also have the right not to get shot by sharing your views.”

Lara Trump blasts Katie Couric over Charlie Kirk question

Responding on 'Fox & Friends Weekend', Lara Trump rejected Couric’s characterization of Kirk outright.

“Of course not,” she said when asked if Kirk was an extremist. “He loved this country. He stood for freedom of speech and allowing people to say whatever it is they wanted, especially those people with whom he disagreed.”

Lara Trump then launched into a blistering critique of Couric, arguing that the veteran broadcaster was attempting to regain relevance by steering Fetterman toward a controversial answer.

“This was a person who once was pretty relevant, who has lost a lot of relevance,” she said.

“It seemed like her attempt was to goad Senator Fetterman into somehow justifying Charlie’s murder to get a ‘gotcha moment’ with him for, I don’t know, a ratings boost, some clicks on social media,” she added.

Calling Couric’s line of questioning “outrageous,” Lara tied it to what she described as increasingly dangerous political rhetoric.

“Charlie is no longer with us. My father-in-law has had two assassination attempts on his life. Where does it end?” she asked. “It should not be up to Republicans and conservatives to call this out.”

Rachel Campos-Duffy backs Lara Trump’s remarks

Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy backed Lara Trump’s remarks, refusing the idea that Kirk’s politics were extreme.

“I refuse, like you, to accept that narrative that somehow Charlie Kirk was controversial,” Campos-Duffy said.

“He espouses the views of over 70 million people in America, and I find it hard to believe anyone said his point of view more compassionately than Charlie Kirk. He was so gentle in the way he said things and so inviting of debate,” she added.

The exchange comes as conservatives continue to push back hard on any framing of Kirk as an extremist, following renewed attention to his past rhetoric in the wake of his killing.

Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder, was shot dead on September 10, 2025, during a public event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

His killing sent shockwaves through political circles and intensified national debates over escalating political violence.