Author Michael Wolff has accused President Donald Trump of cynically exploiting the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, arguing that the president’s response reveals more about his own limitations than about the tragedy itself.
Appearing on The Daily Beast Podcast, Wolff said Trump rushed to weaponize Kirk’s death against Democrats before investigators had identified a suspect or established a motive. “Before we had a suspect, Donald Trump was out essentially saying that the left, the liberals, the Democrats, and anyone who might oppose him was complicit in the killing of Charlie Kirk,” Wolff said. “This is not only just specious [and] wrong, but it’s obviously irresponsible.”
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot last week during a campus event at Utah Valley University, sparking a national reckoning over political violence. In a four-minute video posted to Truth Social, Trump labeled Kirk a “martyr” and blamed “radical left lunatics” for his death. The statement came before authorities announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whose grandmother has since said the family are all Republicans.
According to Wolff, Trump’s reaction has less to do with Kirk and more to do with the former president’s own trauma following an assassination attempt against him earlier this year. “Maybe in his mind, inside Trump’s head, it’s too associated—and how could it not be—with his own assassination attempt. So I think in some way he is running from this death instead of trying to do what a leader ought to be doing… expressing grief and empathy.”
Instead, Wolff argued, the White House is treating Kirk’s death as a strategic weapon. “Charlie Kirk and the death of Charlie Kirk is now the weapon to be used against all perceived political enemies,” he said. “And obviously that’s incredibly scary, frightening, and incredibly wrong.”
Trump’s lack of visible grief has raised eyebrows. When asked by reporters how he felt about Kirk’s death, Trump brushed off the question and instead spoke about construction of a new White House ballroom. “He doesn’t talk about personal feelings,” Wolff explained. “Everything is exterior for Donald Trump.”
Reports have also surfaced suggesting the administration delayed the announcement of Robinson’s capture so Trump could break the news himself on Fox News. Wolff called this a chilling example of the White House’s desire to “own” Kirk’s death. “They wanted to own this. They want to own Charlie Kirk. They want to own this terrible event. And they want to put it to use. I mean, it’s horrifying.”
White House officials dismissed Wolff’s claims in blistering terms. Communications Director Steven Cheung told The Daily Beast: “Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s–t and has been proven to be a fraud. He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.”
For Wolff, however, the danger lies not just in Trump’s rhetoric but in the cultural environment it fuels. “This is a weird moment in which everybody seems to be having a great deal of trouble processing this on a normal human level,” he said. “Instead of mourning, we’re already locked in battle over what Charlie Kirk’s death is supposed to mean.”