MSNBC reportedly fired senior political analyst Matthew Dowd on Wednesday (September 10), hours after he made highly controversial comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was assassinated at the age of 31 during an event at Utah Valley University.
After an armed assailant hit him in the neck, Kirk was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the attack, but before his passing was confirmed by President Donald Trump, MSNBC host Katy Tur asked Dowd about the “environment” that enables such violent actions in the country.
Image credits: Gage Skidmore / flickr
The political analyst began by describing the pro-lifer as “one of the most divisive” public figures who spread hate speech “aimed at certain groups.”
Dowd went on to suggest that Kirk’s assassination was “unfortunate” but inevitable.
Image credits: nrkbeta / flickr
“And I always go back to: Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that’s the environment we’re in,” he said.
“You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have, and then saying these awful words, and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we’re in.”
Matthew Dowd was asked about the “environment” that allows violent incidents to happen
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His comments sparked outrage on social media, causing MSNBC to trend on X (formerly Twitter) amid calls for the analyst to be fired.
After the broadcast, Dowd, who was the chief strategist of George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, apologized for his “tone and words.”
MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler called Dowd’s statement “inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable”
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Taking to social media, he stated that he “in no way intended for [his] comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.”
Dowd concluded with a message of peace: “Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”
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Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC President, has also issued an apology for Dowd’s remarks, calling them “inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable.”
“We apologize for his statements, as has he,” Kutler wrote. “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”
Following the incident, outlets like Deadline and Variety reported that the political analyst had been fired from MSNBC.
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The manhunt for the individual responsible for Kirk’s assassination is ongoing at the moment of writing. Two people were arrested but later released, as authorities determined they had “no current ties” to the incident
Kirk, a close ally of Trump, had been invited to speak at Utah Valley University (UVU). The conservative activist was seated under a white gazebo, addressing a crowd of about 3,000 people during the first stop of his Prove Me Wrong (The American Comeback) Tour.
Kirk was assassinated while giving a talk in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley University
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According to eyewitnesses and videos taken at the scene, Kirk was responding to a question about violence at the time that the bullet hit his neck.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” an audience member asked, as per the BBC.
“Too many,” replied Kirk.
His wife Erika and their two children were watching him speak.
Dowd said “hateful words lead to hateful actions,” a statement he later retracted
Image credits: charliekirk1776 / mrserikakirk / Instagram
At around 12:20 local time, the 31-year-old could be seen recoiling in his chair, with blood visible on his neck, before the crowd began running.
“I heard a loud shot, a loud bang and then I saw his body actually – in slow motion – kind of fall over,” one eyewitness described.
The father of two was rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle. Hours later, Trump confirmed his passing in a post on Truth Social.
The political analyst clarified that he didn’t intend to blame Kirk for the fatal attack
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The Department of Public Safety confirmed in an update that the attack “is still an active investigation.”
Law enforcement officials said the assassin is believed to have fired from the roof of a building near the courtyard where Kirk was speaking. Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and believe the suspect was “dressed in dark clothing.”
This description matches accounts from witnesses at the scene who reported seeing a figure on the roof of a university building dressed in black clothing.
In a Facebook post in August, Kirk’s American Comeback Tour was promoted as “a lively discussion of Freedom & America.”
Image credits: Max Whittaker / Getty Images
Utah Valley University’s student newspaper, the UVU Review, reported the campus had a “divided opinion” on Kirk being invited to speak. Some students started an online petition asking administrators to stop him from coming, as per ABC News.
In response, the university issued a statement on September 3 titled Free Expression and Neutrality, writing that UVU “does not take official positions on political, social, or cultural controversies unless they directly impact our mission, operations, or core values.”
The assassination has been condemned by leaders around the world and across the political spectrum, including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Glad they finally did something,” one netizen said in response to the reports of Dowd being fired
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