The Trump administration continues exploiting the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk to wage war against freedom of expression.
The State Department announced Tuesday that it has revoked visas from six people for making comments on social media about Kirk and the hate he spewed.
A photo of Charlie Kirk is seen on a large screen during a memorial on Sept. 21.
“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the department wrote on X. “The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
The action fulfilled threats from President Donald Trump and members of his administration to use the power of the government to silence dissent in the days following Kirk’s killing.
In one X post, the State Department reshared one of the messages that it found to be offensive.
The person wrote, “I do not give a fuck about the death of a person who devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric.”
And in another post, a person described the event where Kirk was lionized by the right as a “racist rally,” adding that Kirk was “white nationalist trailer trash.”
Kirk was in fact a racist and misogynist who spent his time as a political commentator and activist promoting bigoted causes and leaders. He also promoted right-wing conspiracy theories and regularly denigrated people based on their gender, sexual orientation, and race.
Conservatives have tried to sanitize Kirk’s image since his death, but his comments are well documented and easy to find. Being a bigot was central to his fame and influence.
Erika Kirk wipes her eyes as President Donald Trump posthumously awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to her late husband Charlie Kirk on Oct. 14.
The State Department’s announcement came on the same day that Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.
During the ceremony, Trump falsely claimed that Kirk was “boldly speaking the truth” at the time of his death.
The decision to bestow the honor on a bigot echoes Trump’s decision in 2020 to give the medal to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who spent decades spewing hate on the radio. Limbaugh died a few months later in February 2021.
Revoking visas over dissenting speech is in line with Trump’s attempts to squelch voices that he doesn’t agree with. Most notably, the Federal Communications Commission tried to squeeze late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the airwaves after he made comments about the right’s response to Kirk’s death.
Following public outcry, Kimmel returned to massive ratings. Unfortunately for those whose visas have been revoked, they will not have such luck.
