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“Real Time” host Bill Maher and Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro argued Friday over where the assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk appears to fall politically.
“The reality is…you can break down the death threats and where they are coming from,” Shapiro argued.
After a manhunt for Kirk’s assassin, authorities arrested 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson in connection with the crime. Among the various etchings written on the suspect’s casings and unfired rounds were “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “Bella ciao,” a reference to an Italian, anti-fascist anthem sung during World War II.
Shapiro, a conservative commentator and former attorney, made the case that Kirk’s alleged killer is on the “political left.”
WHO IS TYLER ROBINSON? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK’S SUSPECTED ASSASSIN
The booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
“If we are not politically correct, then we understand that if there’s a shooting at a synagogue, it is very likely to be either a white supremacist or a radical Muslim,” Shapiro began. “If it is a shooting of a Republican politician, it is very likely to be a trans, antifa, Marxist shooter.”
“That is just not true,” Maher countered. “We don’t know what this kid is.”
The late-night host sparred with Shapiro about his claim, arguing, “We don’t know sh-t.”
“It’s two days out, we don’t know sh-t, Ben,” Maher asserted. “The internet is undefeated in getting it wrong to begin with.”
Shapiro went on to say “actual reporting” from mainstream outlets supported his argument, including from The Guardian, which he noted is not “right-wing.”
Charlie Kirk, president and founder of Turning Point USA, right, greets U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., in 2019. Charlie Kirk was shot on Wednesday in Utah, with conservatives calling for prayers for the Trump ally. (Chris Kleponis/Pool via Bloomberg/Getty Images)
“How are you so sure he’s of the Left?” Maher asked.
The conservative commentator said there is a “very far, radical Left, trans antifa Marxist” group on the Left and contrasted it with two “semi-on-the-Right” groups: White supremacists and radical Muslims.
While he suggested an imbalance of power between the two political parties’ groups, Shapiro dissected what all the “movements” he described have in common to justify violence.
DAVID MARCUS: PROGRESSIVE MADNESS KILLED CHARLIE KIRK, A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION LEADER
“The thing that all these groups have in common is… a philosophical structure that says, ‘There is a system that is targeting me. That system is a system of power and it is deadly to me. Therefore, I am excused in using violence against that system.’”
Shapiro previously disclosed that he knew Kirk for 13 years and has had 24/7 security for almost as long.
“I’ve had 24/7 security for a decade,” Shapiro admitted. “I’ve spoken at a lot of college campuses. I never, honest to God, thought that we were going to get to this point.”
Memorials honoring Charlie Kirk have been held across the country and overseas, including in Berlin. Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025 ( Ilkin Eskipehlivan /Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told “Special Report” law enforcement is “very confident” Robinson acted alone.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT
Robinson’s family members told investigators he had “become more political in recent years,” with one referencing a recent dinner conversation in which Robinson mentioned Kirk’s scheduled appearance at Utah Valley University (UVU).
They talked about why they didn’t like Kirk and his viewpoints, the family member told authorities.
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Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was assassinated Wednesday by a single bullet while speaking at an event on UVU’s campus.
He co-founded the conservative nonprofit organization Turning Point USA at 18 years old, which now has more than 250,000 student members.
