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The Rights Weaponization of Charlie Kirk’s Death - The Find Out Podcast | Wave AI Podcast Notes

The Rights Weaponization of Charlie Kirk’s Death

Tue Sep 16 2025

We still do not know the shooters motive, and yet conservatives have launched a campaign to blame the left. We dig into how reckless this is and what we can do to fight back.

Summary

The Find Out Podcast – Episode Summary

Podcast: The Find Out Podcast
Episode Title: The Right’s Weaponization of Charlie Kirk’s Death
Date: September 16, 2025
Host(s): Tim (host A), Chris (host B), Luke (host C)
Main Theme:
The hosts explore how the American right-wing is weaponizing the assassination of Charlie Kirk, using false narratives to vilify the left, stoke outrage, and rewrite Kirk’s legacy. They aim to clarify truths about Kirk, examine broader media manipulation, and spotlight the real dangers posed by far-right extremism during Trump’s second term.

Episode Overview

Amid wall-to-wall media coverage and right-wing outrage over Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the Find Out team deconstructs the ways conservative media is distorting facts and lionizing Kirk. The episode balances horror at the assassination itself with a sharp critique of Kirk’s real record, highlights the hypocrisy of right-wing attacks on the left, and communicates the deepening threats posed by rising fascism and state power under Trump. The tone is candid, sometimes darkly funny, and always unapologetically left-wing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Right-Wing Narrative Manipulation After Kirk’s Death

The Republican response was immediate blame-shifting to Democrats and the left, despite no evidence.
- Chris: "The governor of Utah...came on to Meet the Press and said that the killer was radicalized by leftist ideology. He did not elaborate. He did not present any evidence, but he made the claim, and that was enough to end up in headlines." (02:23)
Media outlets uncritically amplify unsupported claims, fueling misinformation and hate.
Lack of information (shooter not cooperating) has allowed conspiracy theories to flourish and been used for partisan advantage.

2. Transphobia and Statistical Reality

Right-wing pundits have tried to use the shooter’s alleged association with a trans woman to paint the crime as leftist.
Hosts debunk myths about trans people and violence:
- Luke (on trans mass shooters): "5."
- Tim: "When you factor in the amount of the US population that are trans… it's lower than would be expected... who commits [mass shootings]? Young white men." (06:29-07:01)
Kirk himself was spreading anti-trans lies immediately before his death:
- Luke: "He died while mischaracterizing statistics... asked how many mass shootings were perpetrated by trans folks... he said the words 'too many.'" (07:02-07:19)

3. Charlie Kirk’s Real Legacy

The episode pushes back on the posthumous lionization of Kirk, highlighting his record on race, gender, and LGBTQ issues.
Kirk’s main legacy: creating social media ecosystems that radicalize white men, building "hit lists" (Professor Watch List) that terrorized academics who teach about race or gender.
- Chris: "Charlie Kirk maintained a website... where without notice, professors... could end up on a list that would make them receive death threats, that their families would be intimidated... Their only crime was keeping an engaged student body." (10:52)
- Chris: "Charlie Kirk decided that ruining their life was good business for him. That is who Charlie Kirk was in life." (12:57)
The right-wing billionaire ecosystem funded Kirk’s brand of culture war for profit and power.

4. How the Right Manufactures Outrage

Conservative media and politicians use narrative control to make people "feel things that are not real":
- Tim: "The genius of the right is that they have figured out a way to make people feel things that are not real... [They] motivate young white men." (08:33, 13:12)
Outrage is a business and political tactic, not genuine mourning or conviction, highlighted by Trump and Crowder moving on rapidly:
- Luke: "Steven Crowder changed his Twitter bio from number 2 political right leaning podcast to number 1... They don't give a fuck." (15:23)

5. Right-Wing Internal Power Struggles and Neo-Nazi Infiltration

Discussion of the complex infighting between Kirk, Nick Fuentes, and the "groyper" movement.
Nick Fuentes and his followers have repeatedly tried to radicalize and take over Kirk’s Turning Point USA.
- Chris: "They're turning Charlie Kirk’s empire that these billionaires bought into a machine that is made of neo Nazis. And I’m not exaggerating..." (30:49)
Fuentes’s movement openly espouses genocidal white nationalism.
The shooter might have been motivated by nihilistic "accelerationism" rather than ideology—mirroring patterns from previous far-right violence.

6. Hypocrisy and Authoritarian Drift

Right-wing figures like VP J.D. Vance and Steven Miller advocate for violence or openly admit to abusive behaviors without consequence.
Marco Rubio proposes stripping visas from those who criticize Kirk—despite ostensible free speech commitments.
- Tim: "Now I thought these were the constitution loving guys... Right until it’s against them." (28:12)
Media and mainstream institutions largely sanitize Kirk, fire journalists for truth-telling, and fail to adequately inform the public.
Fox hosts such as Brian Kilmeade advocate mass violence against villains of the right—like the unhoused—without backlash.
- Chris: "Fox News host Brian Kilmeade... advocated for involuntary lethal injection, AKA mass murder, of people who are unhoused." (22:12)

7. Escalating Targeting of the Left and Threats to Democracy

The Trump administration’s official rhetoric increasingly describes the left as "domestic terrorists." (19:37)
Co-hosts express real fear about their personal safety and the ability of billionaire-backed far-right actors to target dissenters.
The historical parallel to the rise of Nazis is drawn—warning that failed accountability for Trump’s crimes is setting the stage for greater democratic collapse.
- Chris: "That is crazy that Democrats were just like... [let] this fucking monster just do whatever the fuck he wants... so that he can... dismantle our democracy from the inside..." (21:10)

8. Absurdity and Dark Humor Amid the Crisis

Segments on Republican officials "cosplaying" as Norse warriors (Cash Patel’s "Valhalla" statement), and repeated references to media figures acting unseriously amid crisis, provide comic relief but underscore the seriousness of the underlying dysfunction.
- Luke: "I know what it means. I've played God of War. I know what that means... a governmental official said that." (36:05)

9. Call to Action and Community

The hosts reaffirm the importance of solidarity, organization, and not succumbing to fear:
- Tim: "If we stick together and fight back, there are more of us…" (43:11)
They urge listeners to support alternative media, stay informed, and vote to take back Congress as a necessary bulwark.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On manipulating statistics:
Luke: "He died while mischaracterizing statistics... instead of answering the question... he said the words 'too many.'" (07:02-07:19)
On white supremacy and differential standards:
Tim: "If you are a white male in certain segments of the United States, you can do whatever you want... you white men are allowed to do whatever they want. Black people, trans people, brown people...we are going to hold you to a higher standard..." (26:58)
On right-wing outrage as performance:
Luke (on Crowder/Trump): "They don’t give a fuck. It wasn’t even a day." (15:25)
On Charlie Kirk’s actual record:
Chris: "Charlie Kirk maintained a website... the Professor Watch List... professors could end up on a list that would make them receive death threats... That is who Charlie Kirk was in life." (10:52-12:57)
On the normalization of hate:
Chris: "These people are just absolute fucking monsters...there are groypers who have been openly working for Representative Paul Gosar for four plus fucking years..." (30:53)
On the deterioration of US democracy:
Chris: "Democrats were like, history never rhymes… Let's just let this fucking monster just do whatever the fuck he wants..." (21:10)
On the scale of the crisis:
Chris: "The administration wants to brand one of the two political parties as a terrorist organization, and they're building concentration camps. We haven't even talked about the concentration camps in like a fucking month..." (41:30)
On the importance of solidarity:
Tim: "If we stick together and fight back, there are more of us. We have to take the House back next year..." (43:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:23] – Republican officials baselessly blame leftist ideology for Kirk assassination
[06:29] – Myth-busting on trans mass shooter stats ("5 of 4,000 mass shootings")
[10:52] – The real legacy and harm of Kirk’s Professor Watch List
[13:12] – How billionaires, culture war, and outrage keep the GOP in power
[15:23] – Right-wing media’s rapid pivot, lack of real mourning for Kirk
[19:37] – Trump administration’s use of “domestic terrorist” label against the left
[22:12] – Fox’s Brian Kilmeade advocates "lethal injection" for the homeless
[26:58] – White male privilege in US political and media narratives
[30:49] – Groyper infiltration of right-wing youth politics; pipeline to power
[35:07] – Analysis of the shooter’s nihilistic, “accelerationist” motives
[36:05] – Cash Patel’s Valhalla cosplay and right-wing militia rhetoric
[41:30] – Escalating personal safety risks for the left; threat assessment
[43:11] – Call to action: organizing, voting, and supporting independent media

Final Thoughts

The episode is a no-holds-barred exploration of how the right manipulates tragedy to its political advantage, the insidiousness of media bias and manufactured outrage, and the urgent need for solidarity and action in the face of growing authoritarianism. The hosts’ incisive humor, personal reflections, and willingness to name uncomfortable truths make this conversation essential listening for anyone trying to understand US politics in 2025.

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Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Find out podcast. You've got a trio today. With me is. It's Luke and Chris, and we are obviously going to continue to talk about the news around the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We. We now have. The shooter is now in custody. He is not cooperating. So information is not coming out a lot, which is allowing a lot of rumors to spread around and also, you know, starting to see the right do what they always do, which is casting blame on Democrats in the left, even though there was zero evidence of anyone doing anything. So what we want to do here is we want to dig into this a little bit more and, you know, be very clear that we are all horrified at the. At the murder of Charlie Kirk. But we also think it's important to tell you all who this person was because we're seeing a lot of people on the. On the right comparing him to, I don't know, mlk, who, by the way, Charlie Kirk didn't like and, you know, know, lionizing him. We're seeing moments of silence at, you know, at Dallas Cowboys games and a couple other stadiums this weekend. And I think people just don't know who this is. So we really need to. We really need to talk about it because it feels like it's spiraling a bit out of control and the right keeps pointing at us, but we're not really doing anything. So I think we need to dive into this a little bit. So we're going to do that. You know, we probably won't be super long today, but thought this was important context. As this conversation continues and shows no, no signs slowing down anytime soon. I think our next shows will go back to normal, but we really need to put this out there and then maybe we can start moving on. But, Chris, I want to go to you first. So obviously we've seen the right do what they always do, which is to blame Democrats, even though when you ask them for evidence, there's absolutely nothing. So what are. What have you seen? Like, we recorded, I think on. Actually we did do Wednesday night. So we did Wednesday night. So now there have been a few, four or five full days that have gone past. What are you seeing? Are you surprised? Not surprised. Where do we go from here?

B (2:23)

So this weekend, the governor of Utah, yeah, we did Wednesday night state where Charlie Kirk was murdered, came on to Meet the Press and said that the killer was radicalized by leftist ideology. He did not elaborate. He did not present any evidence, but he made the claim, and that was enough to end up in headlines. Major Major papers reported on that as fact. Talking heads on every television show that covers the news have repeated that.

A (2:59)

We.

B (2:59)

Do not know what, what the ideology of the shooter was. We do not know what the motivation was. I suspect that it is more likely than not that this shooter who murdered Charlie Kirk in cold blood was motivated by elements of what we normally consider the far right. Now the, the, the right, broadly speaking. The Fox News of the World have identified the alleged shooter's alleged partner as a trans woman who's beginning her transition into becoming a woman as evidence that the shooter is a leftist. But the crazy subculture that these incel gamer types come from hate women to the extent that some of them would prefer to be with a trans woman than a biological woman. That sounds crazy, but we should keep in mind that a crazy right wing trans woman just shot up a church not long ago because she was influenced by a neo Nazi cult that engages in pedophilia. That is the world we fucking live in today. That like everything that I just said sounded absurd as shit. But unfortunately the fringes of the Internet that have existed for, you know, a decade plus and really like have grown in the last decade plus are starting to spill over into the real world. These nihilistic fascists, anarchists, whatever you want to call them, these people who believe that the world must be more broken because they are personally miserable. That population has grown and we all have to deal with it. That is the reality that we live in.

A (43:11)

I say it all the time. But, like, there are more of us than them. Like, if. If we stick together and. And fight back, there are more of us. We have to take the House back next year. Like, the Senate's a tough call. Maybe we could do it. But we need the House. We need the House for oversight reasons, for subpoena power, and also just so they can't pass terrible shit. You're going to have a real. A real voice in budget negotiations and, you know, basically, like, give everybody a bit of a breather because this is a lot. But this is why we started this show. You know, we knew what we were getting into. We knew it was going to get bad, and it is getting bad, but we signed up for it, and we're not going anywhere. And we hope the audience stays with us as well. We've got big things we're going to be announcing soon that I. We're hoping is going to help to fight back against this stuff. But it only. It only works if you. The audience sticks with us, which you have, and you have been great. Our episode last week was, I think, at least from an audio perspective, the most downloaded show we've had in a long time. Because I think this is. People need this information, and they're finding it valuable. So this is where I transition into my pitch, which always feels weird in these conversations. Chris did the great one last week. I was. I actually just finished listening last week's episode this morning, and I was like, damn, that was a. I had no idea where he was going last week when he was, like, setting up for the pitch. But. But it's true. Like, we can't do this without audience support. I mean, it feels. It feels weird to always be asking, but it's true. We are trying to build a media company. We want to build more shows that attract different audiences and help educate people on what's going on so that we can win in 2026 and, and then take back the White House in 2028. So, you know, even for just six bucks a month, that helps us a lot. And you can do that on Substack going find out podcast.substack.com you can. Also Luke is modeling one of our biceps.