Representative Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) expressed in a statement on Thursday that he’s feeling threatened and is urging the Trump administration to help ease the nation’s political tensions following the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
He mentioned, “My office has received a shocking number of violent and graphic threats from right-wing individuals over the past two days after I pointed out a simple truth: President Trump, along with my family and my staff, should denounce this violence, just like House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other Republicans do.” Moulton added that his social media post was met with numerous hateful comments.
The Massachusetts Democrat emphasized that “violence is never the solution” to political disagreements in America.
“This should be a straightforward message for everyone,” he stated, calling on GOP lawmakers to speak out against such violence.
Many lawmakers from both parties condemned the assassination of Kirk, which took place at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. High-profile Democrats, including former Presidents Biden and Obama, also denounced the violence.
Biden shared, “We don’t yet know what drove the shooter, but this kind of appalling violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I are praying tonight, especially for Charlie’s family, his wife Erica, and their two young children.”
In contrast, President Trump, in a video message from the Oval Office the same evening, criticized the political left for Kirk’s murder. “Radical left political violence has harmed too many innocent lives. Tonight, I urge all Americans to uphold the values that Charlie Kirk stood for,” Trump stated.
Shortly after the shooting, GOP Representative Thomas Massie (Ky.) called for Trump to ease his inflammatory language. “I think that rhetoric is absurd,” he told reporters. “It’s amusing, in a way. It’s not that I’m upset about his statements, but people do take these words seriously. Perhaps he should reflect on this himself.”
Meanwhile, Republican representatives like Nancy Mace (SC) have openly placed the blame for Kirk’s assassination on differing political views. “The Democrats are responsible for what happened today,” Mace said outside the Capitol shortly after the news broke. “Just because you express your feelings doesn’t mean you’ll face violence.”
