Former President Barack Obama found himself in an awkward back-and-forth with the audience in Erie, Pennsylvania, when applause broke out just as he said he disagreed with many of Charlie Kirk’s ideas. Obama immediately raised his hand and motioned for quiet, stressing that disagreement doesn’t diminish the tragedy of Kirk’s killing.
The exchange unfolded during a conversation at the Jefferson Educational Society’s Global Summit, where Obama called the nation “at an inflection point” and condemned political violence “without ifs, ands, or buts.”
“Obviously, I didn’t know Charlie Kirk,” Obama said. “I was generally aware of some of his ideas. I think those ideas were wrong,” he added, at which point clapping broke out and he tried to tamp it down. “But that doesn’t negate the fact that what happened was a tragedy and that I mourn for him and his family.” He stated that democracy requires “really contentious debates” that never cross the line into violence.
Barack Obama signals for the audience to STOP CLAPPING after saying Charlie Kirk’s ideas were “wrong.”
He didn’t want a big reaction to this comment, but he got one.
As the audience erupted in applause, Obama looked visibly frustrated and motioned his hand with a stop gesture,… pic.twitter.com/vEN44Bkmca
— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) September 17, 2025
Obama also took aim at what he described as a rush to “identify an enemy” and use the aftermath of tragedies as a pretext to “silence discussion” about the country’s direction, an unmistakable swipe at President Donald Trump and his allies. “When I hear not just our current president, but his aides, who have a history of calling political opponents ‘vermin,’ enemies who need to be ‘targeted,’ that speaks to a broader problem,” he said.
The former president’s remarks came a week after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder and other counts and signaled they will seek the death penalty. Investigators say texts suggest Robinson claimed he had “had enough” of Kirk’s rhetoric, though authorities continue to probe motive and possible influences.
We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 10, 2025
Obama praised Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s tone in the wake of the killing and cited past leadership examples, like George W. Bush’s insistence after 9/11 that America was not at war with Islam, as the sort of unifying posture needed now. “Part of the job of the president is to pull people together,” Obama said, warning that escalatory rhetoric only hardens divisions.
BREAKING: Former President Barack Obama incinerates Donald Trump over his disgusting response to the Charlie Kirk murder — reminding us all exactly what a real leader sounds like.
America was a much better place when this man was president…
“When I hear not just our current… pic.twitter.com/FkTFerJOr4
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) September 17, 2025
The White House fired back, labeling Obama the “architect of modern political division,” even as the administration has threatened a broader crackdown on what it calls the “radical left.” Obama countered that while he rejects many of Kirk’s positions, citing criticisms of the Civil Rights Act and remarks about Michelle Obama and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Americans must be able to voice those disagreements without intimidation or violence.
The tension of that brief applause-and-shush moment captured the larger mood, a country grieving a political murder while still sparring over speech and blame. Obama’s message was clear: mourn the man, debate the ideas, and keep the temperature down. Whether anyone is listening in this election-year inferno is another story.
