Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe used social media to mock Charlie Kirk and place responsibility on Republican leaders for creating a hostile political climate following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On BlueSky, Kluwe posted an expletive-laden message praising Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for rejecting the notion that Democratic rhetoric led to the attack. "F---ing finally. Fight back against the bulls--- framing that tries to make Dems responsible for everything. The GOP is choosing to create this kind of societal environment. They could stop it at any time. They have agency as well. They’re not f---ing children (except when, well, you know)," Kluwe wrote.
Kluwe also reiterated comments he posted earlier this week suggesting Kirk had helped cultivate the environment in which the shooting occurred. "It is possible to hold both of these things true at the same time: 1) political violence is never an appropriate choice in a civilized society 2) Charlie Kirk’s dream is to create exactly the kind of society he currently lives in, as spoken from his own mouth," he wrote. Shortly after news surfaced that Kirk had been shot, Kluwe posted a separate comment over an article link that read, in part, "‘Hahaha yes! This rules!’ ‘what the f---.'"
Kluwe has been a vocal critic of the MAGA movement for more than a year. He said he was fired from a job as a freshman high school football coach earlier this year after calling MAGA a "Nazi movement" at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting where he protested the display of a plaque whose initials spelled MAGA. Video of that meeting showed Kluwe criticizing the movement and engaging in civil disobedience; police later handcuffed and removed him from the council chamber.
In a February interview on CNN, Kluwe said he believed the United States was on a path similar to that of Nazi Germany and cited his academic background in political science and history as informing the comparison. He also criticized the Trump administration’s stance on transgender athletes and other policies, and said the administration was seeking power "by thrusting our country into turmoil."
Kluwe, who punted for the Minnesota Vikings from 2005–12, is running for a seat in the California State Assembly. He has portrayed his firing as politically motivated and said the attention around the council meeting led to his dismissal.
The shooting of Kirk has intensified a national debate about political rhetoric and responsibility, with public figures across the political spectrum responding. Authorities have launched a search for the suspect, and coverage of the incident has included ongoing live updates.
Kluwe’s posts illustrate the tensions on social media and in public discourse that have followed the attack, combining condemnation of political violence with pointed criticism of those he views as contributing to an escalated environment. The episode also revisits earlier controversies tied to Kluwe’s activism, his arrest at the Huntington Beach meeting and his subsequent public statements comparing contemporary political movements to historical totalitarianism.