Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan issued a sobering warning following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, stating that America’s descent into political violence has moved from gradual decline to sudden crisis. In a Wall Street Journal column, Noonan wrote that incidents like Kirk’s murder and the 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump represent a terrifying escalation of targeted violence.
Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck during a live appearance at Utah Valley University. His killing shocked the conservative movement and underscored what Noonan calls a “slow drift” into chaos that has now become “sudden and shocking.” Noonan used the phrase “gradually, and then suddenly,” quoting novelist Ernest Hemingway, to describe how fast political stability can unravel once violence becomes normalized.
Noonan warned that this level of political aggression cannot continue without tearing the nation apart. She stated that the line from rhetorical hostility to actual violence has grown dangerously thin, and that America is in a “very precarious place.” Political discourse, once governed by debate and dissent, now teeters on the edge of volatility, with public figures increasingly becoming targets of deadly attacks.
Noonan did not lay blame on any one party but emphasized the urgent need for national reflection and restraint.
