Democrat National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin on Wednesday condemned the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk after saying in late August that President Donald Trump’s administration is “fascism dressed in a red tie.”
Martin said in a written statement:
Today, in yet another horrific act of targeted political violence, Charlie Kirk was murdered in cold blood on a school campus. Though we’re still awaiting further details, in all likelihood, he was murdered for expressing his beliefs. I am praying for his family, his friends, and his loved ones.
Let me be clear: even if you disagree with someone’s beliefs, even if you stand against every single thing they stand for, the path of disagreement must never lead to what happened today at Utah Valley University.Political violence — in all of its forms — is unacceptable in America. Yet, as I said when my dear friends Melissa and Mark Hortman were murdered earlier this summer, such violence has become commonplace. Every single political leader, Democrat and Republican alike, must loudly condemn this violence. We must work harder to bring this country together, not divide it.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen far too much violence. Political leaders targeted at rallies, lawmakers and their families shot in their own homes, children gunned down in a church, and now an execution on a college campus. It is unacceptable,” he concluded in his statement.
His condemnation of the assassination of Kirk comes after he made an incendiary speech at the DNC’s summer meeting in August, portraying the 47th elected president as a form of autocrat.
Martin said that Trump’s second term in office is “fascism dressed in a red tie.”
“Are you ready to take back our country from the wannabe king in the White House?” he asked the audience.
Martin pointed to Democrats’ response to Trump and Republicans that are seeking to redistrict House seats that would favor Republicans during the 2026 midterm elections.
He said that he is “sick and tired of this Democratic Party bringing a pencil to a knife fight.”
“We cannot be the only party that plays by the rules anymore,” Martin added.