ABC's Jonathan Karl Pushes Back On MAGA Outrage Over His Charlie Kirk Segment

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Huff Post

Sep 22, 2025, 04:16 AM EDT | Updated an hour ago


ABC News’ Jonathan Karl ― who only last week drew a face-to-face attack from Donald Trump ― has defended himself against criticism from the president’s loyalists after comments he made about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk were clipped and went viral on social media.

Karl drew outrage from Trumpworld after a four-second video of him saying on Sunday’s episode of “This Week” that “the murder of Charlie Kirk was not a political act” was shared on X, formerly Twitter. Karl, in response, shared a video showing the full context of his comments. “Here’s what I actually said,” he captioned the 78-second clip. Watch here:

In the video, Karl said:

“Later today, family, friends, and supporters of Charlie Kirk will gather in Glendale, Arizona, for his memorial. The 31-year-old activist’s murder shocked the nation, and it was condemned by sensible and compassionate people in and out of politics and across the political spectrum. It has also been senselessly celebrated by some, a small minority, who didn’t like what Kirk stood for and thought it was somehow, therefore, justified.

Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent. The murder of Charlie Kirk was not a political act, it was a gruesome crime. His alleged killer now faces the death penalty.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jonathan-karl-comments-shared_n_68d0fac3e4b03c190c210430

[Walleye]

1. Karl wants to stick to the tradition of down-the-middle of journalism, but he hast to suck up to maintain his access

It seems to me that some people who have been covering this Trump administration don’t understand, that no matter how much you suck up to them, they’re still gonna be butt-hurt angry, that is their whole thing

[LonePirate]

2. Very interesting how the right took him out of context after they screamed people kept taking Kirk out of context.

Hypocrites one and all.

[PatSeg]

9. Good point

And often they can't even see the hypocrisy.

[sop]

3. Where the rubber meets the road, I'm not seeing all this MAGA Kirk outrage everyone's talking about.

I don't see people carrying signs, there are no million MAGA protest marchers converging on DC, no armed goons in statehouses demanding a Charlie Kirk national holiday. Even my stupid MAGA neighbor has yet to share his outrage, as he usually does about everything else. I could be wrong, but this whole thing seems like another corporate media fabrication.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. It's coming

They have launched something to rally around while the billionaires "pick their pockets" and they ignore the "economics" that will bankrupt them, although 45 prefers to be the center of attention, and such an effort might get slowed, preempted, or even knee-capped by him due to ego.

They will still try to milk it though, like 45 has been milking the Butler, PA incident, so this conflagration about who gets more attention will actually cause some discord within the MAGat ranks at some point.

[StarryNite]

7. It's already beginning.

95,000 people attended his memorial service. How many of those people left the stadium amped up and looking for any excuse to "get even" with anybody who doesn't see that guy as a saint?

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Yup.

And the grifting will begin with all the merch that has and will continue to come out.

[Dr. T]

13. Merch. Like a Trump-brand assault rifle?

I'm surprised they haven't thought of it yet.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. I wouldn't put it past them

[Bengus81]

12. They need to keep showing over and over the TRASH left by those fucking idiots

They love to bitch and whine about homeless encampments--what they left behind looks worse. Glendale taxpayers are stuck with the bill to clean that shit mess up.

[StarryNite]

14. Did anybody really show that?

I didn't watch any of the coverage of the spectacle. Not before, after, or during.

[Bengus81]

15. On MTN this morning. Some vids on You Tube

[StarryNite]

19. I like MTN. I'll be looking for that.

Thank you.

[Wiz Imp]

16. The stadium has a Maximum capacity of 73,000.

MAGAs are trying to claim 200,000 people attended. We should not repeat their obvious lies.

[StarryNite]

20. I think a lot were outside of the stadium.

[Wiz Imp]

21. I've seen no evidence of that

They're claiming 200,000 now because that's how many supposedly signed up online to attend. Of course, we know that signing up to attend means nothing. The majority of those people never had any intention of attending.

Remember Trump's rally in Oklahoma in like June of 2020? The one that killed Herman Cain? They were bragging that there would be tens of thousands of people there because that's how many people signed up online. In reality, no more than a couple thousand showed up.

[StarryNite]

22. Crowds turned away from Kirk memorial

Unfortunately they walk among us...lots of them.

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts/crowds-turned-away-from-kirk-memorial-248027205913

[Wiz Imp]

24. First of all, that video shows maybe a few hundred people leaving, not 20,000 plus

Second, it shows them leaving, not staying outside. If they left, they should not be counted in the attendance. Reports said some people were turned away by security for trying to bring banned items inside. Others left because they didn't want to wait in line for a long time to get inside. I've still seen no evidence that there more than the 73,000 capacity of the stadium at the actual site.

[StarryNite]

25. I don't believe 200,000 either.

[Wiz Imp]

26. Apparently, they let some people into a neighboring arena with a capacity of 19,000

However, I've seen pictures from there during the service and it wasn't close to being full. So, I'll concede if you count the people at the arena, the attendance was over 73,000, but based on what I've seen, it still wasn't close to 95,000. Probably low 80,000's at most.

[Attilatheblond]

10. Our local neighborhood has some Magas. One of them has a yard FULL of huge maga mantra signs & banners

Including with a mannequin wearing a blue suit, red tie, bad blond wig and maga hat. And, yep, he has added new a new sign about Charlie Kirk, all but claiming him to be a sainted warrior.

Give 'em time. The maga media is still working to ramp up the uproar.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

5. That's a really great statement...

...in the video; very well said.

[azureblue]

6. papering over the fact

That it was an even further right nut case that shot CK. a Groyper. Notice how that never gets mentioned when they talk about the killer? Nobody, not even Karl, MAGA or Trump, or even CK's wife, mentions that.

[c-rational]

11. Remember, outrage is the MAGA go to for all reponses. I have to remind myself that these nitwits

only go for emotion, not fact or reason.

[rubbersole]

17. Whatever distracts from the Epstine files.

Bombing fishing boats, abandoned Afghanistan military bases, gaudy WH ballrooms or censoring Pentagon reporters didn't have anywhere near the media capturing attention span that turning Charlie Kirk into the second coming did. It has at least a week left before the next outrage.

[SeattleVet]

23. They have their Horst Wessel and they're going to run with it as far as they can. nt

[underpants]

27. I guess anything over 4 seconds is beyond their attention span

or the audience for there BS.

[Cha]

28. It should be "..drew outrage from Traitor

Underworld.

Good on Karl for this... I remember Not liking him when President Obama was in Office.

TY