The Michael Knowles Show

Episode 1813 – What Happens After Charlie Kirk?
Date: September 12, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles, The Daily Wire

Episode Overview

This emotionally charged and breaking-news episode of The Michael Knowles Show centers on the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Michael Knowles provides real-time updates surrounding the capture of the alleged killer, analyzes media reactions from across the political spectrum, and discusses the broader implications for political discourse, justice, and the state of American society. As authorities hold a press conference and the nation reacts, Knowles questions what should come next—insisting that merely “speaking up” isn’t enough, and that order and standards must be restored to prevent political violence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking News: Capture of the Suspect and Immediate Aftermath

• [00:00-03:06]
  • Authorities found the suspected assassin of Charlie Kirk; a press conference is imminent.
  • The FBI had discovered clues (weapon, footprints, grainy surveillance), and a nationwide search was underway.
  • President Trump (on Fox and Friends) revealed a family member played a crucial role in turning in the suspect.

Notable Quote:
"Essentially, somebody that was very close to him turned him in... the father convinced the son, this is it." – Unidentified guest in discussion of the arrest [01:56]

Knowles’ Analysis:

• The act of the father turning in his own son is discussed both as a gesture of moral clarity and paternal care, likely motivated by the fear that the suspect would otherwise be killed before due process could take place.

2. Public Appeals and the Fractured State of American Society

• [05:23]
  • The FBI’s plea for information highlights the need for residual community and shared humanity despite a “fractured” nation.
  • Knowles reflects on the disturbing public and media reactions, particularly those who celebrated Kirk’s murder, as evidence of polarization and the breakdown of common decency.

3. Justice and the Death Penalty Debate

• [06:24-09:57]
  • Utah authorities vow to pursue the death penalty for the suspect.
  • Knowles describes the rationale for capital punishment: retributive justice, deterrence, and, quoting Samuel Johnson, rehabilitation via the sobering prospect of punishment.
  • He argues the prudential argument against the death penalty is weakening amid rising lawlessness and inability to trust the current justice system.

Quote:
"The death penalty will be pursued. This would appear to be appropriate, to put it diplomatically." – Michael Knowles [06:41]

4. National Mourning and Charlie Kirk’s Legacy

• [10:00-15:30]

  • Details of Kirk’s remains being returned to Phoenix on Air Force Two, with the Vice President himself helping carry the casket.
  • Kirk is portrayed as symbolically influential—open to dialogue and more impactful than many elected officials.
  • Outpourings of respect came from both political and cultural institutions, including the Yankees and, notably for Knowles, the NFL (commonly seen by the right as a left-leaning institution).

• Phoenix ATC tribute:

  "Welcome home, Charlie. You didn't deserve it. May God bless your family." [12:36]

• The unified institutional response (excluding some in the media) reflects acknowledgment that “America is on the brink”—with Knowles stating even usually combative sectors are taking the threat of destabilization seriously.

5. Media Responses: Criticism of the Left-Wing and the Elite Press

• [17:11-24:15]
  • MSNBC Coverage:
    • Matthew Dowd’s remarks trivialize the motive, suggesting the shooting could be “celebratory gunfire,” and later calling Kirk “divisive.”
    • Knowles reacts with outrage at what he perceives as a gleeful left-wing implication that Kirk “had it coming.”

Quote:
"He's been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures... hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which then lead to hateful actions." – MSNBC Contributor [19:18]
"Vomit inducing behavior from MSNBC... that's your first reaction?" – Michael Knowles [19:42]

• New York Times Coverage:
  • The Times issued a misleading correction claiming Kirk had made an anti-Semitic statement, which he had only quoted and denounced.

Quote:
"Your correction needs a correction... Even the correction is calumny from the New York Times." – Michael Knowles [22:41]

• Ilhan Omar’s (Democratic Congresswoman) Reaction:
  • Her response, focused on her dislike of Kirk’s positions, is interpreted by Knowles as tacit approval of the killing by omission of a clear condemnation.

Quote:
"Her reaction was, yeah, yeah, but he said really disgusting stuff, as if to say ... yeah, he had it coming." – Michael Knowles [28:49]

6. The Press Conference (Utah Governor & Law Enforcement)

• [31:53-34:17]
  • Confirmation: The suspect is in custody, arrested after a family friend contacted authorities at the father’s urging.
  • Bullet casings found at the scene had leftist, mocking, and anti-fascist slogans.
    • "Hey, fascist! Catch!"
    • "O, W, O. What's this?"
    • "Bella Chow, Bella Chow, Bella Chow, Chow, Chow"
    • "If you read this, you are gay. LMAO."
  • Governor emphasizes the damage social media does to society and calls for people to “log off, touch grass, hug a family member.”

7. Analysis: Implications for Free Speech, Order, and Society

• [34:17-45:33]

  • Knowles disputes the consensus that the solution is simply “more speech.” He argues Kirk “did everything right” as a model of civil discourse and was murdered anyway, symbolizing the breakdown of the "marketplace of ideas."

• Marketplace metaphor: For a marketplace of ideas to exist, participants must first feel safe; when violence becomes the cost for entry, the system collapses.

  • Policy Prescriptions:
    • Stronger enforcement of laws
    • More robust content moderation of threats, explicit ostracism for those celebrating violence
    • Return to clarity, force, and traditional standards—“you can’t have freedom without order”

Quote:
"You can't have a marketplace if people keep shooting up the marketplace... the left keeps shooting up the marketplace."
"We need institutions that can take care of these people who cannot take care of themselves and who have made it impossible to have a free marketplace of ideas."
– Michael Knowles [36:23, 39:10]

8. The “Myth” of One-Sided Political Violence

• [45:33-53:00]
  • Rep. Seth Moulton (D) cites stats claiming 76% of “extremist violence” comes from the right, only 4% from the left.
  • Knowles vehemently disputes this, citing his own experiences and narratives about overlooked or misclassified left-wing violence (e.g., antifa, trans-ideology-motivated attacks).
  • Argues that such violence by the left is deliberately underreported or downgraded in official statistics.

Quote:
"They don't count the left wing political violence. That's how... They lie. They hide the left wing political violence. The first two cases I looked up of clear left wing political violence... not political violence. So that's how you get to it." – Michael Knowles [49:22]

9. What Now? The Path Forward

• [53:00-end]
  • Appeals for nonviolence are good, but Knowles insists the state must impose order to make genuine free speech possible.
  • Criticizes suggestions to ban guns after the assassination, since the weapon used was an “antique bolt action rifle”—not the rhetorical focus of contemporary gun control debates.
  • Final call: To restore civil society, those in power must “have the prudence and the justice and the clarity to appropriately and forcefully insist upon what is right.”
  • Freedom is impossible without standards and order.

Quote:
"You don't have liberty without order. It's not possible... The prerequisite for freedom is order and discipline and knowledge. That's what we have to restore right now." – Michael Knowles [55:41]

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• [01:56] Unidentified guest on turning in the suspect:
  "Somebody that's close, recognizes even a little tilt of the head, which nobody else would do... The father convinced the son, this is it."

• [12:36] Phoenix ATC tribute:
  "Welcome home, Charlie. You didn't deserve it. May God bless your family."

• [19:18] MSNBC Contributor:
  "He's been one of the most divisive... pushing this sort of hate speech... hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which then lead to hateful actions."

• [31:53] Utah Governor (Press Conference):
  "We got him... inscriptions on a fired casing read, notices, bulges, capital O, W, O. What's this? ... Hey, fascist! Catch! ... Bella Chow..."

• [34:17] Governor’s societal prescription:
  "Social media is a cancer on our society right now... log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community."

• [53:13] President Trump:
  "He was, he was an advocate of non violence. That's the way I'd like to see people respond."

Structure & Flow

The episode combines breaking news updates, personal reflection, social commentary, and philosophical debate. Knowles’ tone is urgent, indignant, and at times mournful; he positions the events as a watershed moment for Americans of all stripes, urging a reevaluation of foundational national values and the necessity of social order.

Conclusion: What Happens After Charlie Kirk?

• The unity and mourning that followed Kirk's assassination are contrasted sharply with what Knowles sees as media and left-wing apathy or worse, celebration.
• Knowles rejects the “marketplace of ideas” ideal as insufficient in the face of political violence: dialogue and debate are only possible where order prevails.
• The episode closes with a rejecting of wishful thinking—a call for renewed moral clarity, firmer institutional standards, forceful (but just) law enforcement, and societal renewal.