The White House slammed MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow on Wednesday for devoting just 22 seconds on her weekly show to the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk.
In her first program on Monday since Kirk's murder last week in Utah, Maddow addressed a New York Times report about White House plans to crack down on a "nondescript left-wing network" that President Donald Trump suggested radicalized 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson, the Daily Mail reported. Her segment focused on what she described as Trump's "strongman" politics.
"They're saying now they will use the horrific murder of pro-Trump leader Charlie Kirk last week as a justification for some undefined whole-of-government attack on what they always describe very vaguely as the left in this country," she said.
Maddow did not mention Kirk or his assassination again during the broadcast, instead framing the alleged plans as "a textbook agenda of every right-wing strongman everywhere."
"Rachel's comments are pathetic as always, but luckily for American civilization, only about five people watch her show and consume that garbage on a regular basis," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Newsmax.
Kirk had previously clashed with Maddow. In June 2024, he accused her of "calling me a racist" during a segment, dismissing it as a "typical leftist smear." His X post resurfaced after his killing, according to the New York Post.
Maddow, who now appears on MSNBC only on Mondays, did not have a chance to comment on Kirk's death since it occurred Sept. 10. Her colleague Matthew Dowd reportedly was fired last week after speculating that Kirk's shooter might have been "a supporter shooting his gun off in celebration."
MSNBC's swift dismissal of Dowd mirrored actions at other companies and in government, where staffers were suspended or terminated for mocking or dismissive remarks about Kirk's death.
The Trump administration has vowed to investigate and prosecute progressive groups it claims fuel political violence after the Utah campus assassination. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller called the effort a fight against a "vast domestic terror movement." Vice President JD Vance urged Americans to report anyone celebrating Kirk's murder, and the State Department announced visa revocations for foreign nationals who did so, the Post reported.
Meanwhile, congressional Republicans have proposed a special committee to investigate the funding of liberal groups, as Trump boosts security and casts the "radical left" as a domestic threat.
Newsmax reached out to MSNBC for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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