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New York Times columnist Ezra Klein stood by his opinion piece that said Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk practiced politics “the right way” after revealing on his podcast Tuesday that he received pushback from his own side.
On Sept. 10, Kirk was shot and killed during a campus event at Utah Valley University. FBI officers and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox later said the shooter held a “leftist ideology” that could have motivated the assassination.
One day later, Klein published a piece honoring his legacy, “Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way.” He highlighted Kirk’s work in engaging with the opposition despite disagreeing with his politics.
“You can dislike much of what Kirk believed, and the following statement is still true: Kirk was practicing politics in exactly the right way,” Klein wrote. “He was showing up to campuses and talking with anyone who would talk to him. He was one of the era’s most effective practitioners of persuasion. When the left thought its hold on the hearts and minds of college students was nearly absolute, Kirk showed up again and again to break it.”
Klein addressed the piece again on his podcast, “The Ezra Klein Show,” calling it the most “polarizing” piece he’s written based on the reaction he received.
“I’ve published a lot of pieces over the years,” Klein said. “I’m not sure I’ve published any with as polarizing a reaction as that one. A lot of people appreciated it, particularly on the right. They felt I saw their friend and their ally more the way they saw him. There were many, many closer to my own politics, who were truly infuriated by it. Privately and publicly, they offered the worst things Kirk has said and done.”
Klein described being told that one could condemn political violence without “whitewashing” a person like Kirk, but he added that he no longer believes simply condemning violence is enough.
He remarked that he grew more sympathetic and empathetic toward Kirk as a result.
“In ways that surprise me, given what I thought of Kirk’s project, I was and am grieving for Kirk himself. Not because I knew him — I didn’t. Not because he was a saint — he wasn’t. Not because I agreed with him — no. Most of what he poured himself into trying to achieve, I pour myself into trying to prevent,” Klein said.
“But I find myself grieving for him because I recognize some commonality with him. He was murdered for participating in our politics. Somewhere beyond how much divided us, there was something that bonded us, too. Some effort to change this country in ways that we think are good.”
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In the spirit of finding common ground, Klein released a full conversation between him and Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro.
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“We are going to have to live here with one another, believing what we believe, disagreeing in the ways we disagree,” Klein said.
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