Memorial or Manifesto?
From scapegoats to crusades: Trump was fanning the flames at Charlie Kirk's memorial for what he hopes is his "Reichstag Fire" moment
Summary
This article looks at the disturbing themes from the speeches given by President Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and advisor Stephen Miller at the memorial for Charlie Kirk on 21 Sep 2025.
The rhetoric and underlying messaging should be a warning for all of us.
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First published: 25 Sep 2025
Updated: 26 Sep 2025 (see version history)
Contents
END PAPERS
1. Introduction
I was watching the Charlie Kirk Memorial service on CNN over the weekend.
It wasn’t a memorial - it was a political rally.
President Trump and multiple members of his administration all giving hard-hitting speeches - making Kirk a cause célèbre. The manipulation was stage-managed mastery for the MAGA crowd.
The themes were
political opportunism overall
instrumentalisation of Kirk
fomenting hatred - giving a collective name to those who pulled the trigger “THEM”, “THEY”
demonisation of “THEM”, “THEY”
giving them a name - “the radical left”
The irony is incredible
celebrating the life of someone who was a huge gun advocate, who was killed by a gunman
advocating to shut down and deplatform those disagreeing with Kirk “in the name of free speech”
You couldn’t make it up. You don’t need to. It happened.
There were multiple speeches - few were eulogies - at Kirk’s memorial. I’ve looked at the speeches of President Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and advisor Stephen Miller to examine what they are actually saying.
It really underscores their oft denied descent into fascism - so much so that you can literally checkpoint off the “14 signs” of fascism famously proposed by Dr. Lawrence Britt (full detail in Appendix A: The 14 Characteristics of Fascism).
I’ll structure this article for the most part going through scene by scene in the accompanying video where I call out Britt’s signs as they come up.
Video (5m 24s):
2. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying cause
Trump: “Charlie’s murder was not just an attack on one man or one movement. It was an attack on our entire nation. That was a horrible attack on the United States of America. It was an assault on our most sacred liberties and God given rights. The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us. That bullet was aimed at every one of us.”
Miller: “because of what YOU did to US … you have no idea the dragon you have awakened..”
Trump and Miller are fomenting an enemy greater than one lone gunman, and making the target “the American People”. There crowd lapped it up - noting similar MAGA logic for criticism of Trump himself:
Cut to found footage of a young Stephen Miller, clearly slightly worse for wear in the back of a bus but giving a speech to camera to a couple of giggling friends. The footage is from 2003 and he is talking about how to treat Sadaam Hussein and friends with respect to the Iraq War.
Miller (young): “torture is a celebration of life and human dignity. We need to remember that as we enter these very dark and dangerous times in the next century. And I only hope that many of my peers and people who will be leading this country will appreciate the value and respect that torture shows towards other cultures”
He is joking-not-joking and you get a sense of a deeply unpleasant young man from the footage - as is the talk in Washington halls today.
Miller (current): “you have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilisation, to save the West, to save this Republic”
Woah. That’s a pretty tall order…. but then it’s clear that a lot more than just cracking down from some lefties is going to be done in Charlie’s name.
3. It’s not me .. it’s you
JD Vance weighs in on this with some repetition “For Charlie”.
He underscores two points:
it’s what YOU are telling us to do - “I’m hearing on social media everyone saying they will do things for Charlie”…
so we will do for YOU in Charlie’s name also
So there’s the cause - and it’s clearly “from the people”.
Pretty loose tie up but that’s the plan.
JD Vance: “For Charlie ,… we will never shrink, we will never cower, and we will never falter - even when staring down the barrel of a gun” (points and looks directly down the barrel of the central camera - good scripting!)
Anyone feel this sounds a bit like a pep talk before going to war?…
4. Who’s to blame?
Trump uses his speech several times to point the finger in a general way. The following day he proscribed a political idea more than anything else “Antifa” - a bit like your Grandad ordering “an internet”, stopping the tide coming in with a shovel or Netanyahu keeping the IDF fighting until “Hamas is defeated”.
It was 11 days between Kirk’s assassination and the Memorial Day and in that time a report at the Department of Justice showing the rise in right-wing crime was quietly removed1 2.
Yet Trump still noted “the violence comes mostly from the left… you don’t hear that from too many people, do ya?"” in his speech - in a soft conspirational tone with one eye opened…
5. We’re all Charlie Kirk (I’m not!)
Life of Brian: We’re all individuals! (I’m not!)
Trump went on
“indeed Charlie was killed for expressing the very ideas that virtually everyone in this arena and most other places throughout our country deeply believed in…”
Really?
Some of Kirk’s statements have been just appalling:
“Empathy is a made up term” (Oct 2022)3
“Some gun deaths are worth it to keep the Second Amendment.” (Apr 2023)4
[On affirmative action for black women in power]
“You do not have the brain processing power to be taken really seriously… you go steal a white person’s slot to be taken somewhat seriously” (Jul 2023)5“We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” (Dec 2023)6
“If I see a Black pilot, I’d wonder if he’s qualified.” (Jan 2024)7
So no Mr. Trump - we DO NOT think that people from “most other places throughout this country deeply believe” in the above views and many more expressed by Kirk.
He may have been religious, but he was no angel.
6. An old time revival - of the Crusades
The day was heavily religious, reflecting Kirk’s faith - Trump at one point said sweetly “this feels like an old time revival”.
However - the religion was weaponised - literally like crusader-type white nationalism.
Trump: “we need to bring back RELIGION to America - without borders, law & order and RELIGION you really don’t have a country any more. We want religion brought back to America - we want to bring God back in"
JD Vance: “my friends for Charlie… we must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America and he is a MARTYR to the Christian faith”…
Why is he a “martyr”? His Christianity had nothing to do with why he was killed. If it turns out it was his attitudes to transexuals, homosexuals etc. then that can hardly warrant Christianity and being a martyr for the whole faith…
Disturbing rhetoric - but more akin to JD Vance’s personal interpretation of the Bible.
Vance got into a heated discussion with former MP and political podcast host Rory Stewart over the interpretation of parables in the Bible. Vance noted that there was an order in which to give Christian charity - your family and friends first, then “the other” strangers. Stewart disagreed, and then finally the Pope stepped in to correct Vance’s interpretation.
But that didn’t work out to well for him (poison secreted in the palm of the hand).
📺 Rory Stewart discusses his spat with JD Vance over the meaning of Christian parables (“The Rest is Politics” podcast 5 Feb 2025):
7. Full Retard
At this point Miller went “full retard”.
“we will prove worthy of YOUR sacrifice… we will prove worth of YOUR time on earth”
“we WILL make you proud… we WILL finish the job”
"we will DEFEAT THE FORCES of DARKNESS and EVIL and we will stand every day for what is true, what is beautiful, what is good”
“and WE…WILL.. ACHIEVE… VICTORY… for our CHILDREN, for our FAMILIES, for our CIVILISATION and for every PATRIOT who stands with us”
Woah.
JD Vance: “for Charlie we will remember that is is better to stand on our feet defending the United States of America and the truth than it is to die on our knees”
Again .. beating the war drums…
8. Rolling out the Slogan
Immediately after Trump was shot and before Biden was forced to pull out I called the election last year off the back of the ridiculous photo opportunity and iconic imagery from the assassination attempt. I produced below image:
Sure enough - Trump’s final words … “you got to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT” today to great cheering (I noticed later employed at the UN but nobody was really interested - I think he forgot it wasn’t a rally).
This won’t be the last time we hear from this winner.
9. A poor segue
A great TV news anchor is a master of the segue - able to link to unrelated segments togethers in a cohesive whole.
Trump is not.
He was talking about crime rates and the wonder of sending in the national guard and troops to Washington DC.
“and now we’re going into Memphis and we’ll get that one straightened out fast, and we’re going to go into some others but we’re gonna go do Chicago …. and we’re going to have Charlie very much in mind when we go into Chicago…”
Please.
10. A Memorial?
It was difficult to recall that today was meant to be a memorial for a murdered young man.
It was literally campaign mode for the Trump team - a huge public rally, PR opportunity and the chance to whip up some hysteria.
The agenda is clear and shocking - and the assumptions the administration make about Americans is even more appalling.
11. Reichstag Moment
When Trump gave his “State of the Union” address on 4th March 2025 I had watched a 30 second segment which just convinced me - distasteful as I find the analogy - that he is essentially a Nazi.
He was being heckled by Al Green and the Republicans all stood out chanting “USA, USA” loudly to drown him out before he was removed from the Chamber. They literally appeared like thugs for the dictator.
And Trump’s words back then were chilling:
“we are going to FORGE the freest, most advanced, most dynamic and most DOMINANT civilisation ever to exist on the face of this earth”
Nazi type speak, dictator adulation back then just over a month on the job.
9 months of totalitarian executive orders and sweeping changes since then - and it sounded like today was Trump’s “Reichstag Fire”.
“it was an attack on our entire nation, the gun was pointed at him but the bullet was named at all of us …. law enforcement can only be the beginning of the response to Charlie’s murder… “
Let’s wait for the rest.
Appendix A: The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
The oft-quoted paper by political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt8. After studying various 20th and 21st century fascists he found 14 elements in common.
Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
📚 Further Reading
Sleekit Scotsman ☮️🏴 Substack Related Articles with article summaries.
Comprehensive review of the US pro-Israel lobby in a fully referenced research article. Regularly updated with version history (first published Jan 10 2024). The article covers:
Congress - ensuring political advocacy - PAC funding, AIPAC, Billionaire megadonors, ADL concerns fast-tracked to legislation, one unbiased Congressman
Pro-Israel protectionism - example motions and bills passed 2023/24 with blatant pro-Israel protectionism including the ultimate Bill - “Countering Antisemitism Act” and ICC counteraction bills
Military aid packages to Israel 2023/24
United Nations - ensuring a free rein through the US veto
McCarthy returns to the campus (first published Apr 14 2024): article on the brutal approach taken to protest on American Universities impacting both staff and students in the first six months of the Gaza crisis:
Early repercussions of protest
Columbia University hearings silencing free speech
Pro-Israel campus organisations in the US
Impacts on Academics
Censoring education for Israel: Selective truths taught to children from Israel’s history globally (published Mar 17 2025)
Debra Winger (US)
Seth Rogen (Canada)
Kea Cranko (Australia)
Simone Zimmerman (US)
Truth and Denial
🗄️ Version History - Article Updates
First published: 25 Sep 2025
Last Update: 26 Sep 2025
Sleekit Scotsman ☮️🏴 articles are updated periodically to add latest information on the subject of the article for relevance
Updates
26th Sep 2025: Added link to video of the JD Vance/Rory Stewart religious difference.
25th Sep 2025: Added internal URLs
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📋 References
The Hill, Rebecca Beitsch, 17 Sep 2025 “DOJ quietly removes study showing right wing attacks ‘outpace’ those by left“ - https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5507682-doj-removes-far-right-extremism-study/
Newsweek, Marnie Rose McFall, 18 Sep 2025 “DOJ Deletes Study Alleging Rise In Far-Right Terrorism In US“ - https://www.newsweek.com/department-justice-terrorism-study-deleted-charlie-kirk-left-wing-2131683
Snopes, Jordan Liles, Sep 10 2025 “Charlie Kirk once said empathy was ‘made-up, new age term’“ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-empathy-quote/?collection=471193
Snopes, Jordan Liles, Sep 10 2025 “Charlie Kirk once said some gun deaths ‘worth it’ in order to have Second Amendment“ - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-gun-deaths-quote/?collection=471193
Huffington Post, Marco Margaritoff, Jul 14 2023 “Charlie Kirk Says Michelle Obama Among Black Women Who ‘Steal A White Person’s Slot’“ - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charlie-kirk-says-michelle-obama-among-black-women-who-steal-a-white-persons-slot_n_64b19633e4b0ad7b75f2de01?origin=article-related-nonlife
Snopes, Jordan Liles, Sep 11 2025 “Charlie Kirk once said passing the Civil Rights Act was a ‘huge mistake’“ - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kirk-civil-rights-act-mistake/?collection=471193
Snopes, Jordan Liles, Sep 12 2025 “eal Charlie Kirk quote about Black pilot qualifications circulates online“ - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-black-pilots/
Free Inquiry Magazine Spring 2003 page 20, Dr. Lawrence Britt “Faciscm, anyone?”