Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters have used the murder of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk to intensify their attacks on liberal organizations, donors, Democrats, and other critics, branding them as the “enemy within” and the “radical left.” Legal experts and historians describe this tactic as authoritarian and anti-democratic.
Following Kirk’s death at the hands of a lone gunman, Trump and his close allies quickly spread conspiracy theories targeting various political opponents and called for an investigation into liberal billionaire donor George Soros. They also threatened legal action against ABC after the network suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for his insensitive remarks about Kirk.
Although Kirk’s murder was a personal loss for Trump and his supporters, scholars note that a month later, the tragedy appears to have given the president and the MAGA movement a pretext for a widespread retaliation campaign. This effort threatens civil liberties and targets critics in the media, universities, non-profits, and other sectors of American society.
At Kirk’s memorial service, after his widow expressed her forgiveness for the killer, Trump angrily stated, “I hate my opponents and I don’t wish the best for them.” Scholars considered these words unpresidential and potentially inciting further violence.
Even before the suspect in Kirk’s murder was arrested, Trump suggested that “radical left” rhetoric played a role in the death. He vowed to pursue those responsible for the violence, along with organizations that fund and support it, saying, “We have radical-left lunatics out there, and we just have to beat the hell out of them.”
Trump’s aggressive stance was also evident in a speech to top military officials, where he warned about the “enemy within” and hinted that the military could help combat crime in Democratic-led cities, even suggesting these areas could serve as training grounds.
In a related incident on October 8, as National Guard troops prepared to enter Chicago against the wishes of the city’s Democratic mayor and Illinois governor—both of whom had criticized Trump’s militarized immigration policies—Trump called for their imprisonment, despite neither facing any criminal charges.
Historians and legal analysts caution that Trump and the MAGA movement are exploiting Kirk’s killing to justify broad attacks on their critics.
Steven Levitsky, a Harvard government professor and co-author of How Democracies Die, remarked that Trump and his allies are following “page one of the authoritarian playbook” by using political violence as an excuse to target political enemies. He noted that they are broadly defining unacceptable behavior to go after mainstream opponents and critics.
Levitsky emphasized that Trump’s attacks on Soros and other Democratic donors are part of a larger assault on civil society, aimed at silencing potential challengers by falsely linking them to violence or illegal activities.
Days after Kirk’s death, Trump made unsubstantiated claims in interviews, calling the 95-year-old Soros a “bad guy” who should be jailed and suggesting he be investigated for possible RICO violations. The Justice Department has since opened investigations into the matter.According to the New York Times, George Soros’s Open Society Foundations have invested millions of dollars over decades into civil rights, human rights, and democracy initiatives. The foundations have strongly denied accusations against them, calling them “politically motivated attacks on civil society” aimed at suppressing dissent and emphasizing that all their activities are “peaceful and lawful.”
Legal experts argue that Trump’s push to prosecute Soros under RICO charges undermines the rule of law and is part of a broader effort to use the Department of Justice against his adversaries. This includes former FBI Director James Comey, who drew Trump’s ire for investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Last month, a prosecutor appointed by Trump indicted Comey on charges of lying to and obstructing Congress, after Trump replaced a veteran prosecutor who reportedly declined to pursue the case due to insufficient evidence. Comey pleaded not guilty on October 8.
In a similar move, the same Trump-appointed prosecutor in Virginia, despite objections from ousted senior prosecutors, filed charges of bank fraud and false statements against New York Attorney General Letitia James on October 9. Trump has long criticized James for winning a civil case against him and others for inflating his real estate assets. James dismissed the charges as “baseless” and part of Trump’s “weaponization” of the justice system.
Former federal prosecutor Paul Rosenzweig described Trump’s use of RICO to investigate Soros as “frivolously wrong-headed,” adding that it exemplifies his tactic of using the law to target opponents.
Concerns over attacks on nonprofits were highlighted when the Democracy Defenders Fund announced on October 1 that over 3,700 organizations signed a letter condemning the administration for a campaign to “intimidate and silence charitable groups through executive action.”
Beyond these retaliatory actions, Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller labeled the Democratic Party “a domestic extremist organization” and blamed “terrorist networks” for the murder of an individual named Kirk, vowing to target a “vast domestic terror network.” Two weeks after Kirk’s death, Trump signed an executive memo titled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence,” citing the killing as justification. The memo called for a coordinated strategy involving the attorney general, treasury secretary, and IRS commissioner to investigate and prosecute acts of political violence aimed at suppressing lawful activities or undermining the rule of law.
As part of this effort, Trump designated the left-wing Antifa movement as a “domestic terrorist organization,” despite no such legal category existing under U.S. law. He directed his administration to use all available authorities to investigate and dismantle any illegal operations, particularly those involving terrorist actions by Antifa.Attorney General Ken Paxton, a key Trump ally, has directed his office to conduct broad investigations into “radical leftist organizations involved in or supporting political violence.”
While the Trump administration emphasizes connecting the “radical left” to such violence, a 2024 study previously on the Department of Justice website noted that “far-right attacks still exceed all other forms of terrorism and domestic violent extremism.”
A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that left-wing violence reached a 30-year high in the first half of 2025. However, it also highlighted that right-wing violence has been significantly more prevalent since 2016, with 41 attacks by left-wing extremists compared to 152 by the far right during that period.
Legal experts caution that the Trump administration’s actions against liberal political targets and critics following Charlie Kirk’s death indicate increasing authoritarian tendencies.
David Pozen, a Columbia law professor, told the Guardian, “Authoritarian regimes typically undermine independent media and NGOs, blur legal lines between the state and civil society, demonize critics and marginalized groups, personalize politics, and suppress dissent. All these traits have been evident in the Trump administration’s response to Charlie Kirk’s murder.”
Historians also express concern that Trump is exploiting Kirk’s death to promote conspiracies for political advantage and retaliation.
Russell Muirhead, chair of Dartmouth’s government department, stated, “Since Charlie Kirk’s murder, President Trump has intensified his habit of making conspiracy accusations. The focus is on ‘domestic terrorist organizations,’ which appears to include peaceful pro-democracy, anti-communist groups like George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. This effectively labels the entire left, including the Democratic party, as a conspiracy aimed at destroying the country.”
Muirhead added, “The danger is clear: framing political opponents as conspirators turns them into enemies. Once that happens, they no longer deserve respect or tolerance and can be branded as part of shadowy ‘domestic terrorism networks,’ leading to imprisonment or worse.”
These concerns were echoed in Trump’s September 30th speech to hundreds of top military leaders, where he warned of an “enemy within” and asserted that “America is under invasion from within.” He claimed that “Democrats run most of the troubled cities,” describing them as “very unsafe places” that he plans to “straighten out one by one,” a task he suggested would be a “major part” of some military leaders’ duties. Trump also proposed using these “dangerous cities as training grounds” for the military.
These radical suggestions seem to disregard the Posse Comitatus Act, a nearly 150-year-old law that restricts the use of federal troops for domestic law enforcement, despite some exceptions.
Legal experts have sounded alarms over Trump’s military plans. Larry Noble, former general counsel at the Federal Election Commission and current law professor at American University, remarked, “A president with dictatorial ambitions labeling people in Democratic-led cities as the ‘enemy within’ to be controlled by the military goes against the foundational principles of this country. It raises concerns about whether he will expand military presence in these cities through the 2026 midterm elections to undermine free and fair elections.”
Pozen concurred.President Trump’s recent remark to military leaders about an enemy “from within” is yet another alarming authoritarian tactic, and a particularly frightening one at that.
More broadly, legal experts argue that Trump’s widespread attacks on the radical left threaten the “laws and traditions” that form the foundation of democracy.
Peter Shane, a constitutional law professor at New York University, stated, “Trump uses extreme language to justify his unconstitutional actions. Whether it’s withholding funds from private institutions without cause if they don’t submit to his will or imagining the use of cities with Democratic mayors for military training, he is blatantly disregarding the laws and traditions that have long supported a strong American democracy.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the topic Page one of the authoritarian playbook Trump and allies capitalize on Kirks death designed to be clear concise and in a natural tone
General Beginner Questions
1 What does Page one of the authoritarian playbook mean
Its a common phrase used to describe a tactic that is fundamental and frequently used by leaders who seek to consolidate power by undermining democratic norms
2 Who was Kirk and what happened to him
This refers to Officer Brian Sicknick a US Capitol Police officer who died after responding to the January 6th attack on the Capitol
3 How did Trump and his allies capitalize on his death
Following Officer Sicknicks death some political figures and media personalities who had initially praised him later shifted their narrative They began to downplay the events of January 6th and used his death to criticize the subsequent prosecutions of the rioters framing them as politically motivated
4 Why is this considered a controversial tactic
Its controversial because its seen as using a tragic death for political gain often by distorting the facts to fit a specific narrative and to deflect blame or criticism
Deeper Advanced Questions
5 What is the specific goal of using a tactic like this from the authoritarian playbook
The primary goals are to create a unifying narrative for supporters demonize opponents control the publics perception of a critical event and erode trust in independent institutions like the justice system and the media
6 Can you give another historical or global example of this tactic
Yes a classic example is a government blaming a foreign power or internal enemies for a national tragedy to justify a crackdown on dissent or to launch a war thereby rallying the population around the leader
7 Isnt it normal for politicians to talk about tragic events What makes this different
While its normal to offer condolences the line is crossed when the event is actively used to manipulate public opinion spread disinformation or attack political rivals rather than to genuinely honor the deceased or seek accountability
8 What is the big lie and how does it connect to this
The big lie is a propaganda technique where a falsehood is so colossal that people assume it must be true Capitalizing on Officer
