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An unusual media saga unfolded in 2025 when MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd in September for suggesting that Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk's “hateful” rhetoric led to his own assassination.
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and top ally of President Donald Trump, died at the age of 31 after he was shot while holding an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. In a surprising moment, Dowd suggested that Kirk's murder was caused by a chain reaction of his “hate words” against various groups.
Dowd said Kirk has been “one of the most divisive, especially divisive, young figures who is constantly pushing this type of hate speech or targeting certain groups. And I always go back to saying that hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
MSNBC FIRES ANALYST MATTHEW DOWD FOR 'UNACCEPTABLE' COMMENTS ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK
MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd for suggesting that Charlie Kirk's “hateful” rhetoric led to his own murder. (Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images)
“I think that's the environment that we find ourselves in, that people just… you can't stop with these kinds of horrible thoughts that you have and then say these horrible words, and not expect horrible actions to occur. And that's the unfortunate environment that we find ourselves in,” he added.
Before the news that Kirk had died, Dowd also told host Katy Tur: “We don't know all the details of this yet. We don't know if this is a supporter who fired his gun in celebration.”
MSNBC, which has since been renamed MS NOW, publicly condemned Dowd's comments before he was officially fired.
“During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable,” MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler said in a statement. “We apologize for his statements, as does he. There is no place for violence in the United States, political or otherwise.”
Dowd's comments were widely condemned following the tragic shooting, with numerous figures calling for his firing. White House staffers were even infuriated by Dowd's comments.
“They're bastards. They need to look inward and realize they're hurting this nation with their horrible rhetoric,” a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital in reaction to the MSNBC segment.
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Matthew Dowd appears on MSNBC on July 26, 2024. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Dowd, who joined MSNBC in 2022 after a long stint at ABC News, attempted to backtrack on the liberal social media platform Bluesky.
“In a previous appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question about the environment we find ourselves in. I apologize for my tone and words. Let me be clear, in no way did I intend with my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let's all come together and condemn violence of any kind,” Dowd wrote.
Dowd, a Democrat who was previously a Republican strategist and independent, is one of the most rabidly anti-GOP voices in cable news. He made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Texas in 2021. Since ABC News showed him the door, Dowd launched a Substack and defended his comments.
“On MSNBC I have made nearly 1,000 appearances, speaking on a wide range of topics, and have always consistently condemned gun violence and political violence of any kind, no matter where it came from. Last Wednesday I was asked to come speak on a variety of topics, and as I was about to go on the air, breaking news broke about shootings at a Kirk event in Utah,” Dowd wrote in a Substack post.
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Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who ran Turning Point USA. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)
“Please note that when the host came to me to comment on the 'national environment,' the only thing known at the time was that shots had been fired and there were still no reports that Kirk was targeted or shot,” he continued. “I said at the time that we needed to get the facts because we have no idea what this could be and it could easily be someone shooting a gun in the air to celebrate the event. Remember that Kirk is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment.”
Dowd added: “I said my now-legendary line 'hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which ultimately lead to hateful actions'. I thought to myself how could anyone disagree with this? I guess I was naïve… the right-wing media mob armed itself, went after me on a multitude of platforms, and MSNBC reacted to that mob.”
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