In the wake of the fatal shooting of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, US airlines, federal agencies, and private companies have taken disciplinary action against individuals over social media posts perceived as condoning or celebrating his death.
Multiple employees across various sectors—including teachers, firefighters, a Secret Service agent, and a communications coordinator for an NFL team—have been suspended or dismissed in recent days for comments they posted related to the Kirk shooting.
Delta Air Lines announced that employees whose "social media content related to Kirk’s killing… went well beyond healthy, respectful debate" have been suspended pending investigations, CNN reported Sunday.
American Airlines also stated that employees who "promoted violence on social media were immediately removed from service."
United Airlines released a statement saying: “We’ve been clear with our customers and employees that there’s zero tolerance for politically motivated violence or any attempt to justify it.”
Veteran MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd was also fired after comments suggesting a link between Kirk’s rhetoric and his own killing. Dowd later claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted and blamed a right-wing media mob for the backlash.
These moves come amid growing pressure from the Trump administration, which has urged institutions to dismiss individuals accused of “celebrating the assassination.”
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly instructed staff “to find and identify military members, and any individual associated with the Pentagon, who have mocked or appeared to condone Charlie Kirk’s murder.”
The Trump administration has also requested Congress to allocate an additional $58 million for security measures to protect the executive and judicial branches in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, NBC News said on Sunday.
The White House has also voiced support for increased funding to bolster the security of Congress members, though implementation is reportedly being left to the legislative branch.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while addressing a group of students at Utah Valley University in the city of Orem, some 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. The apparent targeted attack occurred despite security, including six university police officers and Kirk's private team.
