Enough with the "both sides" equivocation from leftists and their apologists in the media trying to spin the assassination of Charlie Kirk as they "all do it," contended Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
The hate and violence are on the left and aimed at President Donald Trump and his Make American Great Again movement, Graham warned, adding that "the bottom line here is that we all reject political violence."
"Let me just be honest with you: President Trump, nor do I, see this as they all kind of do it moment; I see this as an attack on a political movement," Graham told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "I see this being different.
"Charlie Kirk is one of the top three people in the country that allowed President Trump to win in 2024 by his efforts. And I think President Trump sees this as an attack on his political movement, what he created."
This is an extension of the violence aimed at Trump on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"A year ago, people tried to blow his head off, so this is not for me the 'all do it,'" Graham told host Kristen Welker. "This is unique and different.
"This is an attack on a movement by using violence, and that's the way most Republicans see this."
Welker, undaunted, pressed Graham, asking whether "this was the right message of this moment."
Graham had to inform her of the facts, using leftists' own words in contrast to Trump's urging for no retaliation against the hateful "radical left."
"There is an effort by the radical left to dehumanize the MAGA movement," the senator said. "I reject political violence.
"If you are offended by what somebody says or does, then take up a political cause to fight back, not a gun, not a bomb, not a knife. We don't need the Mideast moment here in America where it turns into just revenge killing. We don't need a Mideast moment for America here. What we need to do is be honest with each other.
"President Trump is not just president of the United States. He's the leader of a movement. Charlie Kirk was his chief lieutenant. This is viewed by many people in the MAGA movement, conservatives like myself, as the attack on the movement, not just traditional, political violence. And I really believe that."
Graham repeated his call for MAGA, Trump, and Kirk supporters to not retaliate.
"What I'm asking everybody to do is not to resort to violence to settle your political differences," he continued. "To those wounded and hurt, Turning Point wasn't about an organization, it wasn't antifa, it wasn't the KKK.
"If you really want to honor Charlie's legacy, get involved. Do what he did. Organize, debate, let's win in 2026. That's the best way to do this."
Welker still homed in on right wing retaliating — something that has not happened after past leftist violence, including transgender school shootings and the assassination attempts on Trump.
"You always worry about people, you know, somebody very close to you gets killed for thinking like you," Graham replied. "Charlie was a symbol of MAGA to so many young people who felt disenfranchised. He said things that people don't like. I understand that. But the answer is not to kill him.
"This guy was something. He created a movement on colleges that no other Republican could ever create. He's one of the chief reasons that President Trump won. And I'm glad to hear his widow say that we're going to continue. But my advice to America here is, you know, killing people, that's what they do in the Mideast. That's not what we do."
Graham called out social media radicalization, because anti-MAGA hate speech has been propagated in the media and normalized against Trump's movement.
"Section 230 needs to be repealed: If you're mad at social media companies that radicalize our nation, you should be mad," Graham concluded.
"I have a bill that will allow you to sue these people. They're immune from lawsuits."
Welker, attempting to interrupt that response, then quickly turned to "talk about Russia."
Trump has repeatedly denounced leftist media and Democrat attempts to demonize him on the "Russia, Russia, Russia hoax."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.