Barack Obama, in his first public comments on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, called the murder “horrific” and a “threat to all of us,” while also suggesting President Trump was trying to capitalize on the tragedy as a means to stifle dissent.
Obama’s comments, during a moderated conversation at the Jefferson Educational Society’s 17th annual global summit on Tuesday, began appropriately sympathetic and outraged over the tragedy.
“Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy,” the former President said.
“When it happens to somebody, even if you think they’re quote unquote ‘on the other side of the argument,’ that’s a threat to all of us and we have to be clear and forthright and condemn it.”
Obama would later state that he did not know Kirk well, and though he disagreed with his ideas, he mourned for his family over the senseless killing.
“He was a young man with two small children and a wife, who obviously had a huge number of friends and supporters who cared about him. So we have to extend grace to people during their period of mourning and shock.”
So far, so good, right?
Obama, though, being Obama, had to quantify his comments by referencing a list of opinions the left has used to justify violence against Kirk, including reviving a quote about his wife’s “brain processing power” that has been spread in recent days but fact-checked as an “altered quote.”
The old ‘killing is bad, but he did say these terrible things wink wink‘ dog whistle is an expected touch.
Also expected, since Obama is a raging narcissist, was that he wouldn’t be able to control himself and make the tragedy about him.
And by extension, he had to take a jab at the man who neutralized his own failed presidency, plus a third shadow term under Joe Biden.
As such, he ripped Trump and insinuated the current President is trying to silence critics.
“When I hear not just our current president, but his aides, who have a history of calling political opponents vermin, enemies, who need to be ‘targeted,’ that speaks to a broader problem that we have right now and something that we’re going to have to grapple with, all of us,” Obama claimed.
Obama also found the temerity to insist that, while there are fringe elements on both sides of the political aisle, he never pushed divisive rhetoric during his time in the White House.
“But I will say that — those extreme views were not in my White House,” he said.
“I wasn’t embracing them. I wasn’t empowering them. I wasn’t putting the weight of the United States government behind extremist views.”
“When we have the weight of the United States government behind extremist views, we’ve got a problem.”
The absolute balls it takes to say that when we’ve spent the past decade hearing Obama, Biden, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and on and on refer to Trump supporters – half the nation – as “fascists” or “Nazis” or an “existential threat” to the country is mind-numbing.
Obama was one of the most divisive presidents in this country’s history.
He quite literally used the death of Trayvon Martin as a springboard to create a massive racial divide in this country during his presidency.
As for calling political opponents “enemies”? Yeah, he did that too.
Some would suggest Obama was so divisive during his presidency that it actually led to Trump’s shocking victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
The divisiveness, relentless weaponization of government, and the violent threats from his party under Biden’s reign helped bring us Trump 2.0.
Here again, Obama demonstrates that divisiveness, suggesting the violent rhetoric is equal on both sides of the political spectrum (it isn’t) and taking an unnecessary swipe at both Trump and Kirk, two victims of targeted political violence.
Obama’s response to Kirk’s assassination reveals everything wrong with his character and political instincts.
Even when faced with the murder of a young father, he couldn’t resist scoring cheap political points against Trump.
His suggestion that both sides engage in equal violent rhetoric is demonstrably false and morally bankrupt.
The former president’s claim that he never pushed divisive rhetoric during his White House years is laughable revisionist history.
Obama spent eight years dividing Americans by race, class, and ideology while positioning himself as a unifying figure.
His exploitation of Trayvon Martin’s death to advance racial division represents one of the most cynical political moves in modern history.
The former president’s accusation that Trump calls opponents “vermin” and “enemies” ignores his own party’s far worse rhetoric.
Democrats have spent years calling Republicans “fascists,” “Nazis,” and “threats to democracy” without any self-reflection.
Obama’s sanctimonious tone rings hollow when his own administration weaponized the IRS, FBI, and intelligence agencies against political opponents.
His claim about never putting government weight behind extremist views ignores his support for radical progressive policies and activists.
The former president’s response demonstrates the left’s inability to take responsibility for the violent rhetoric that led to Kirk’s assassination.
Instead of genuine soul-searching, Obama uses Kirk’s death as another opportunity to attack Trump and conservatives.
His “both sides” false equivalency ignores the reality that political violence overwhelmingly comes from the left.
Obama’s narcissistic need to make Kirk’s tragedy about himself shows his complete lack of empathy and decency.
The former president’s comments prove that even assassination won’t stop Democrats from their relentless political attacks.
His hypocritical lecture about divisive rhetoric comes from the man who divided America more than any president since the Civil War.
Obama’s response to Kirk’s murder will be remembered as one of the most disgraceful moments in his post-presidential career.
The American people see through his false concern and transparent attempt to exploit tragedy for political gain.
His shameless behavior in the wake of Kirk’s assassination proves that some politicians have no decency left.