The Kids Are Watching

It’s been a difficult week. As we prepared to mark 24 years since the horrific attacks of 9/11, our nation was shocked by the reprehensible murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. While I vividly remember struggling to connect with my parents by phone on 9/11, my kids saw Kirk’s gruesome murder on their phones before we even had a chance to discuss it. Violence that once played out solely on TV now unfolds in the palms of our hands, and it’s having an impact on our kids. Our children and country are in need of leadership in times of crisis, and deserve better than one-sided condemnations of political violence.

Yesterday, my tween boys came home troubled by terrifying images they had seen online of those jumping from the flame-engulfed World Trade Center 24 years ago. The day before, they came home troubled by the assassination of Kirk, whose ubiquitous social media presence had made its way to their feeds. Sadly, images and videos of violence are ever-present on social media, just as school shootings are ever-present in their lives. As much as I want to hide the devastating impact of political and gun violence from my children, news of it is truly unavoidable.

Recognizing that the past 48 hours have taken an emotional toll on the country, including our children, it’s clear that we’re a nation in need of healing. We need leadership to bring us together and quell the simmering danger of political violence. We need leadership that unequivocally condemns such violence regardless of the victims’ ideology or partisan affiliation. Sadly, we don’t have such leadership in the White House, where even amid tragedy, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans chose to pour fuel on the fire of political division and repeatedly blame – without any evidence – the murder of Charlie Kirk on the “radical left.” 

Trump’s vengeful remarks following the murder of Kirk stood in stark contrast to his response to the equally horrific June assassination of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as the attempted murder of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman, his wife, and his daughter. Following that night of sheer terror perpetrated by a Trump supporter, the President said very little other than a post on Truth Social, and he pointedly refused to call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Similarly, following the April firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home on the first night of Passover, also perpetrated by a Trump supporter, the President had a muted response, underscoring his relative indifference to – or even his acceptance of – political violence perpetrated against Democrats.

For years, Trump has repeatedly mocked the horrific assassination attempt on Nancy Pelosi, perpetrated by a Trump supporter and motivated by Trump’s Big Lie, which grievously injured Pelosi’s husband. Trump’s pardoning earlier this year of nearly 1,600 January 6 insurrectionists – including those involved in violent attacks on Capitol Police – sent a message that political violence when in service to him is not just encouraged, it may also be rewarded. Trump has consistently distinguished between political violence targeting Democrats and violence targeting Republicans, as if a life’s worth is determined by party affiliation and loyalty to him. 

Following the attack on Kirk, there were equally strong condemnations from Republicans and Democrats, including me, but there was a key distinction in the content and tone depending on party. While Democrats nearly universally denounced political violence and the unconscionable killing of Kirk, MAGA Republicans, including Trump, chose to place blame for Kirk’s assassination on “the left,” fueling the fire of political division and laying the groundwork for possible retribution. This selective outrage is incredibly dangerous, as it contributes to the vicious cycle of political violence that has escalated in recent years. As retiring GOP Rep. Don Bacon said yesterday, indicating he wished Trump would unite the country, “He’s a populist, and populists dwell on anger… I have to remind people, we had Democrats killed in Minnesota, too, right?” Exactly.

Our children are watching how the President and elected officials respond to tragedy, and my kids are confused. They asked why it sounded like the President knew who killed Kirk right away, to which there’s no clear answer other than Trump wanting to deepen the political divisions in our country. They asked why someone would have done this, to which there’s no clear answer at this point, but it’s painfully obvious that Trump, MAGA, and even Kirk’s refusal to do anything about gun violence continues to place deadly weapons in the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.

Twenty-four years ago, as a relatively young “kid” in politics, I watched President George W. Bush’s response to the tragic events of 9/11 closely. As much as I disliked President Bush, I was genuinely comforted by his unifying leadership in times of crisis. Visiting the ruins of the World Trade Center in the days after 9/11, he grabbed a bullhorn, assured incredibly courageous first responders and Americans that he heard them, and warned the perpetrators of that attack that “the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” His calls for unity, non-partisan defined patriotism, and unequivocal condemnation of terror after 9/11 were what the country needed. Bush’s leadership helped Americans on both sides of the political aisle heal after 9/11, and that’s precisely the kind of leadership that’s missing from our current president and nearly every Republican who echoes him in the MAGA movement. 

Until Trump and MAGA Republicans are voted out of office, we are unlikely to heal as a nation and end the epidemics of gun and political violence. This is precisely why it’s so important to take action in upcoming elections – including in 2025 – to help elect those who are willing and able to unequivocally condemn political violence and support gun safety measures. If there’s an important lesson to be learned from Charlie Kirk’s legacy, it’s that political mobilization focused on young people is incredibly effective, and younger voters are a critical component of winning elections. The kids are watching, and it’s time to model and elect the kind of leadership they deserve in order to change the trajectory of the country for future generations.

Shabbat Shalom,

Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America