The death of Charlie Kirk, a controversial right-wing political activist, has had a widespread impact, not only in U.S. politics but also across the globe. This article examines how the assassination of a conservative figure has affected the domestic politics of a country known for its long-standing government that prides itself on having traditional, conservative values, exactly what Charlie Kirk stood for. Hungary, led by a Fidesz government for the past 15 years, served as an example to follow for the MAGA movement, while its leader, Prime Minister Orbán, is constantly praised by the Trump administration.
How did the Hungarian political elite take the news of Kirk’s death? Does it affect Hungarian domestic politics, given that this assassination occurred within one year of the general elections? These are some questions that the following analysis will attempt to answer, first by introducing Kirk’s work, followed by American reactions, and lastly, by examining how it affects the Hungarian situation.
Charlie Kirk’s Legacy: Who Was He, and What Did He Stand for?
Charlie Kirk was shot on September 10, 2025, while on stage in Utah at a university, where he was answering questions and debating students. His killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has since been charged with aggravated murder. Kirk was the co-founder of Turning Point USA and a key ally of President Trump and the MAGA movement. He was considered one of the emerging voices of conservative values, often aiming his message at the youth and university students, who statistically tend to lean more liberal.
Though he was often portrayed as a Christian right-wing figure, he has also made more extremist comments attacking women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, advocating for gun rights, and advocating for ideas of white supremacy. To understand what he stood for, it is necessary to be aware of some of his more controversial, far-right ideas. The following quotes are examples of what he believed to be detrimental to highlight in this day and age.
On race:
“If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.”
“We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the mid-1960s.”
“The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white.”
“Deutschland über alles.”
On women’s rights:
“Women should have children, not careers.”
“Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.” – Discussing news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement.
“The answer is yes, the baby would be delivered.” – Responding to a question about whether he would support his 10-year-old daughter aborting a pregnancy conceived because of rape.
“If you have a fraternity guy and a sorority girl of age 19 hooking up, both 5 drinks in at 2 am, and all of a sudden she removes consent, yeah, that’s a murky middle gray area.”
On gun control:
“I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.”
These few quotes show how Kirk’s work was a significant building block of the “anti-woke” ideology. Thus, the political right and far-right phrasing his death as a loss of a national hero does not come as a surprise.
American Reactions
In the U.S., reactions to Kirk’s assassination were overwhelming. While both Democrats and Republicans highlighted their shock and disapproval of political violence, the loyal allies of the Trump administration took Kirk’s legacy and vowed to protect it. On 21 September 2025, a memorial service was organized by Turning Point USA and was attended by high-ranking officials and the president himself. Throughout the day, multiple people expressed their grief through speeches.
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, described the activist as “a warrior for country, a warrior for Christ,” while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew a parallel between Kirk and the life of Jesus Christ. The service was also a turning point in the relationship between Elon Musk and the president, who had had a public falling out prior to the memorial. The former allies seemed to have rekindled their relations, knowing Kirk was also previously trying to get them back together.
Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller, and Tucker Carlson all spoke at the event, describing the political activist as a martyr and patriot. The closing remarks were delivered by Erika Kirk and Donald Trump. Referring to the widow’s words, who said she forgave her late husband’s killer, the president reacted by saying, “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.” In his speech, Trump also talked about how Charlie’s attack can be considered an attack on every conservative.
“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.”
This narrative, as we will see, is similar to how Prime Minister Orbán phrases the attack. Both leaders highlight how Kirk’s assassination should be a deterrent example of what is coming for everyone on the political right if they let the “other side” win. This type of description, however, contributes greatly to the already high polarization in society. The “us vs. them” characterization further divides people and widens the gap between citizens. Constructive debate in this world seems to be increasingly difficult, as reality differs for individuals.
Ironically, this is exactly what Charlie Kirk aimed to tackle. Though his ideas were often at extremes, he sat down to talk with people who thought exactly the opposite of him. Donald Trump, by creating an exclusive group that he represents, stands in opposition to Kirk’s idea of debate and deliberation and thus fails to honor his one true legacy, with which perhaps everyone agreed. By speaking out only on behalf of MAGA Americans, he rejects everyone who thinks differently, thus failing to serve all citizens in his role as president.
The Trump administration’s distaste for differing opinions became visible when they began to silence more progressive voices in the media (a model very familiar to Hungarians). The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS earlier in July was seen as a politically motivated act against the late-night show host, who was known for criticizing the president. Following Kirk’s assassination, another outspoken host, Jimmy Kimmel, also found his show in danger of cancellation. He was punished for “disrespectful” comments on the incident. Though his words were harsh, his criticism was aimed at MAGA politicians and had no disrespect toward Kirk or his family:
“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it”
The cancellation has brought great outrage from both Democratic and Republican actors, many highlighting that this would be crossing a line and endangering the right to free speech. Republican Senator Ted Cruz accused the FCC chairman of acting like a “mafioso” and reminded people that this could easily backfire if Republicans lose the White House in the future. Following the criticism from both sides of the aisle, Jimmy Kimmel was eventually put back on air.
It is thus apparent that Kirk’s passing was a political opportunity for MAGA to rally their supporters, attack those with a different opinion, and incite further fear of the “radical left.” Is this reaction similar in the small nation of Hungary, thousands of kilometers away? How has Orbán, a long-term ally of President Trump, dealt with the news?
Hungarian Reactions
As expected, the narrative of the issue was mirroring that of its American counterpart. Viktor Orbán commented the following on his social media platform:
“Yesterday, we lost a true defender of faith and freedom. Our deepest condolences go to the Kirk family and to the American people. Charlie Kirk’s death is the result of the international hate campaign waged by the progressive-liberal left. This is what led to the attacks on Robert Fico, on Andrej Babiš, and now on Charlie Kirk. We must stop the hatred! We must stop the hate-mongering left!”
The uncanny resemblance of the leader’s rhetoric is visible in multiple instances. First, both Orbán and Trump describe Kirk as a martyr who died as a role model of a Christian conservative life. Second, they immediately blamed “the left” for the assassination, even before there was any factual information about the identity of the shooter. Third, by accusing the liberal left, they frame everyone belonging to that political group as violent, extending the blame from one person to a widespread political belief system that they define as wrong.
This perfectly fits into the campaign that the Fidesz party is running on. Claiming that “the other side” wants to kill them, push them into war, and hurt their economic well-being is exactly what Orbán has been telling his voters. Hungarian media, being predominantly in the hands of the Fidesz government, echoed this belief.
Origo, a media outlet close to Orbán’s circles, used Charlie Kirk’s death to discuss the rise in support for socialism over capitalism among university students in the U.S. Mandiner, in their article titled “Blood is on the hands of the left! Is this what awaits us in Hungary too? – Charlie Kirk’s funeral”, also used the opportunity to portray the Hungarian opposition as a threat to the lives of right-wing voters. They connected Kirk’s funeral to the non-partisan protest “for free public spaces and clean public discourse” in Budapest happening at the same time, saying it is “especially exciting that the progressive political forces are demonstrating, whose provocation could have caused Kirk’s death.”
In a different article, Mandiner also managed to draw another parallel between current Hungarian politics and the death of Charlie Kirk, by connecting it to the gun ownership of Ruszin-Szendi Romulusz, former Commander of the Hungarian Armed Forces and now close ally and member of the new opposition party, TISZA. Other pro-government advocates, such as Dániel Bohár, blamed Antifa for the murder, following Trump’s commonly named “enemy”.
Zsolt Bayer, a right-wing journalist and co-founder of Fidesz, organized a local memorial for Kirk in front of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. He wore a T-shirt with the writing “White Lives Matter” and gave a speech about how he believes Christian conservatives are “persecuted the most” and saying “it’s enough with Black Lives Matter, cancel culture, woke, and LGBTQ”. His far-right views, though not condoned by governmental actors, show the demand for extremist messages in modern-day Hungary.
On the opposition side of Hungarian politics, reactions had lower intensity. Among others, Edina Pottyondi, political influencer, and Márton Szabó (Csoki) both emphasized that there is no place for violence in politics.
International Narrative
What we have seen, therefore, is a situation that is largely similar to the reactions across the Atlantic. Less than a year before the parliamentary elections in Hungary, the killing of Charlie Kirk fit into the Fidesz narrative perfectly. The number one picture Orbán has been trying to paint is that the liberal left is trying to kill the other side. This political campaign relies on the most powerful emotion, fear, to reinforce its points. Fear of the unknown, fear of immigrants, and “the left” that, according to Fidesz, wants to ruin everything, let in criminals, and take the country to war.
Although political violence is not one-sided, MAGA and Fidesz politicians seem to have a louder voice when it comes to attacks. Charlie Kirk’s assassination received much bigger publicity and feedback in the U.S. than, for example, the murder of Democratic politicians Melissa Hortman or Clementa C. Pinckney. Not to mention the hundreds of children who have died of school shootings in the past 10 years, who are also victims of gun violence.
Political violence is not a partisan issue, not one side attacking the other, but rather something that comes from all types of hateful rhetoric. Instead of further dividing and pointing at the “other side”, politicians need to clearly state that no matter the victim, they condemn all violence. Each loss of human life taken for political motivations is a projection of the words of politicians and those private actors who choose to amplify them. To address the root of the issue, we need to start treating the opposing side with respect and refraining from playing a game of blame and accusations.
To answer the questions posed in this article, we can see how an American situation has clear implications for Hungarian domestic politics and could influence the results of the upcoming elections. As the leaders of both countries apply similar rhetorics and have similar interests, their reactions have greatly aligned. Though Charlie Kirk’s tragedy has provoked empathy in most people, the political objectives his loss was later used for made him into another piece in the political playbook of power and fear.
References:
24.hu (2025): Pottyondy Edina Charlie Kirkről: Ez az indulat, ez a gyűlölet itt van Magyarországon is. https://24.hu/szorakozas/2025/09/12/charlie-kirk-halala-pottyondy-edina-reakcio/
BBC (2025): Senator Ted Cruz says US broadcast regulator acted like ‘mafioso’ on Jimmy Kimmel. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/21/politics/takeaways-charlie-kirk-memorial-service-trump-erika-kirk
CNN (2025): Charlie Kirk desperately wanted Elon Musk and Donald Trump back together. He succeeded. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/22/tech/donald-trump-elon-musk-charlie-kirk
CNN (2025): School shootings in the US: Fast facts. https://edition.cnn.com/us/school-shootings-fast-facts-dg
CNN (2025): Takeaways from Charlie Kirk’s emotional memorial service. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/21/politics/takeaways-charlie-kirk-memorial-service-trump-erika-kirk
Mandiner (2025): KETTŐS MÉRCE: Ruszin-Szendi Romulusz fegyverbotránya? Tök okés! Charlie Kirk elleni merénylet? Messze van! https://mandiner.hu/video/2025/09/kettos-merce-ruszin-szendi-romulusz-fegyverbotranya-tok-okes-charlie-kirk-elleni-merenylet-messze-van
Mandiner (2025): Vér tapad a baloldal kezéhez! Ez vár ránk Magyarországon is? – Charlie Kirk temetése. https://mandiner.hu/belfold/2025/09/elo-ver-tapad-a-baloldal-kezehez-ez-var-rank-magyarorszagon-is-charlie-kirk-temetese-trump-beszedet-mond
Origo (2025): „Elhallgattatni erővel is lehet” – mit gondolnak valójában az amerikai egyetemisták? https://www.origo.hu/kulpol/2025/09/charlie-kirk-amerikai-egyetemistak-felmeres
Origo (2025): Antifák szidalmazták a Charlie Kirkre emlékezőket. https://www.origo.hu/belpol/2025/09/antifa-provokacio-charlie-kirk-megemlekezes
Politico (2025): Trump lionizes Charlie Kirk, warns of dangers to America. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/21/trump-lionizes-charlie-kirk-warns-of-dangers-to-america-00574586?fbclid=IwY2xjawNBzUBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHiJ1r1YKLR0_Pto1cXGvMdlFPHidi3xCRXLs7xLDo8fwq5RUm8TKlVkyG2C2_aem_AgXoAFjq9zH1_IxPAexGZw
Telex (2025): „Mi vagyunk a legüldözöttebbek, a keresztények, konzervatívok” – megemlékezést tartottak Charlie Kirkért. https://telex.hu/belfold/2025/09/18/charlie-kirk-halalara-emlekeztek-az-amerikai-nagykovetsegnel-bayer-zsolt
Telex (2025): Sorra reagálnak a fideszes politikusok Charlie Kirk lelövésére. https://telex.hu/belfold/2025/09/11/fideszes-politikusok-reakcio-charlie-kirk-meggyilkolasa
The Guardian (2025): Charlie Kirk in his own words: ‘prowling Blacks’ and ‘the great replacement strategy’. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-quotes-beliefs