New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson swatted away criticism he received for expressing his condolences to the family of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, demanding detractors “unfollow” him on social media.
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New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson swatted away criticism he received for expressing his condolences to the family of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, demanding detractors “unfollow” him on social media.
Robinson received some backlash from predominately lefty fans after sharing a photo of Kirk’s wife Erika and their two children and writing, “I feel bad for his family” following the assassination of the Turning Point USA co-founder Wednesday.
The shotblocker then doubled down on Thursday.
“I’m never the type to get into the political field,” said Robinson, according to a post by New York Basketball on X, “but I just don’t get how people get so sensitive and offended about someone else’s opinion or beliefs.”
“I respect your mindset and beliefs but it’s not gone change what I believe and stand for you don’t have to like me you can unfollow, unfriend me whatever you have to do to never see what I do or say I could care less about what you do or think of me!” he added.
“I don’t care if you black, white, green, or have stripes like a damn zebra or even like the same gender, I respect you either way!” Robinson said. “As a father myself, no kid should have to grow up without their father or mother at the end of the day!….I don’t do the things I do for attention or clout…Again, I could care less what people think of me…the ones that know me already know what I stand for!”
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck Wednesday while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. He was rushed to a local hospital before he was pronounced dead.

After a connection to ‘trans ideology’ was retracted, suspect’s background and politics are being pored over
After a connection to ‘trans ideology’ was retracted, suspect’s background and politics are being pored over
Though the suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was revealed by authorities on Friday, questions surrounding his identity and motivations have exacerbated intense US political debates in the aftermath of the shooting.
Authorities revealed Kirk’s suspected killer to be Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man who grew up in Washington, Utah, along the state’s south-western border.
In absence of a clear motive for the slaying, reports have tried to piece together information about Robinson and his background. He is a third-year student in an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in the state. Both of his parents are registered Republicans, though his personal political beliefs remain unclear. Now-deleted pictures on social media show Robinson and his family posing with guns.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Saturday, Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox, said: “It’s very clear to us and to investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” Cox cited the findings of the ongoing investigation into Robinson and his possible motive but did not provide any further details about how officials arrived at that conclusion.
Those remarks from Cox were published a day after he delivered a speech following Robinson’s arrest where he had a candid moment about Robinson’s identity as a Utahn.
“Bad stuff happens, and for 33 hours, I was praying that if this had to happen here, it wouldn’t be one of us,” Cox said. “That somebody drove from another state, somebody came from another country. Sadly, that prayer was not answered the way I hoped for.”
He went on to explain that it would have been “easier on us” if the suspect weren’t from the community.
“Just because I thought it would make it easier on us to say, ‘Hey, we don’t do that here.’ Indeed, Utah is a special place, we lead the nation in charitable giving, we lead the nation in service every year,” Cox said, tears welling in his eyes. “But it did happen here, and it was one of us.”
After Robinson’s identity was revealed, some conservatives have softened their attacks against Kirk’s alleged murderer as an individual – but continue to leverage anger toward liberals as a group.
Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina tweeted on Wednesday that “it’s time to bring back the death penalty” following Kirk’s murder.
On Friday, Mace said that Kirk “would want us to pray for such an evil and lost individual like Tyler Robinson to find Jesus Christ”.
“We will try to do the same,” she wrote.
She later doubled down on the death penalty, saying: “Some crimes are so evil, the only just punishment is the death penalty.” But, referring to the way the suspect’s father reportedly had a role in turning him over to authorities, she also said: “We are sending prayers and our high regards to Tyler Robinson’s father for doing the right thing.”
Cox’s speech has largely been praised as highlighting unity during a divisive moment, providing a stark contrast to Donald Trump, who considered Kirk a close ally. The president on Friday appeared on Fox & Friends and was asked by host Ainsley Earhardt, “How do we fix this country? How do we come back together?”
“The radicals on the right are radical because they don’t want to see crime,” Trump said. “The radicals on the left are the problem – and they are vicious and horrible and politically savvy. They want men in women’s sports, they want transgender people, they want open borders. The worst thing that happened to this country.”
Conservatives had latched onto reports – that have since been retracted – that the casings for bullets found with the gun that police suspect was used to kill Kirk were engraved with markings indicating “trans ideology”.
“To the surprise of literally no one,” Megyn Kelly said on her show earlier in the aftermath of Kirk’s killing. “There’s one particular group that’s been running around killing Americans in the name of ideology, and it’s transgender activists or individuals, or those who proclaim that they are.”
Once Robinson’s identity was revealed, Kelly speculated that Robinson must have been radicalized after going to college.
“This kid got radicalized, and obviously had a psychotic break … I am disturbed to see that he appears to have come from a loving, intact family,” Kelly said. “If you look at the family social media profile, it looks like a happy family. It looks like a loving mom, and a loving dad. He had two younger brothers, there’s lots of family photos of them going on vacations and family dinners.”
Kelly noted that while authorities will be seeking the death penalty, it is ultimately a “mental health issue” that underpins the “radicalization” of young people who go to college.
Meanwhile, white nationalist Nick Fuentes sought to shut down speculation that Robinson may have been a “Groyper”, a nickname for a follower of Fuentes, after reports on the engravings on the bullets of the alleged killer’s gun led to theorizing on his ideology.
Groypers had long criticized Kirk and trolled speakers at his events because the former perceived the latter to be too politically moderate.
While Fuentes claimed in a social media post that he and his followers were “currently being framed for the murder of Charlie Kirk,” he also said in a streaming video: “I pray to God there is no further violence.”
“To all of my followers, if you take up arms, I disavow you,” Fuentes said. “I disown you in the strongest possible terms.”

The president hit out at « radicals on the left » following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, shared on social media on Friday some of what he described as « violent and graphic threats » that he said his office received after calling on President Donald Trump to join « level-headed Republicans in condemning political violence, not inciting it further. »Why It Matters
On Wednesday, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative commentator, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University (UVU) campus. Police on Friday arrested 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson and said they recovered bullet casings inscribed with anti-fascist messages as well as a gun from near the scene.
Over the past 15 months, the United States has seen a spate of attacks aimed at politicians or other public figures. This has included the fatal shooting of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota in June, the fatal attack on two Israeli embassy employees in May and the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December 2024.
Trump, then the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July 2024 after being shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks and prosecutors allege 58-year-old Ryan Routh made a second attempt two months later in September, though he has pled not guilty to related criminal charges. What To Know
On Friday, Moulton shared a series of hostile messages he received on various social media platforms via his X account.
« My office has received an extraordinary number of violent and graphic threats yesterday and today from right-wing individuals online and over the phone—directed toward me, my family, and my staff—after I pointed out the simple fact that President Trump should join Speaker [Mike] Johnson and other level-headed Republicans in condemning political violence, not inciting it further », the congressman wrote.
Moulton continued: « Republicans need to condemn violence committed by the right, just as I and many other Democrats condemn violence by the left. »
In a Wednesday address from the Oval Office following Kirk’s assassination, Trump said, « For years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now. »
Meanwhile, comments sent to Moulton on social media, which the congressman shared, included one person commenting: « I hope you’re ready for the civil war this is coming. you WILL LOSE AGAIN. »
Another said: « You are a coward piece of ****. I hope your daughters go thru what Charlie’s daughters are. »
A third wrote: « I hope you and your family get what you deserve. »
On Thursday, Moulton appeared on CNN where he condemned the shooting of Kirk and also urged Trump to speak out against violence against the left. A clip of the interview was shared on Moulton’s X profile where it received over 1 million views.
« I’m happy to stand here as a Democrat and absolutely condemn the violence on the left, I have no hesitation in doing so, but people like [House Republican] Warren Davidson and Donald Trump need to condemn the violence on the right as well », Moulton said while appearing on CNN.
He added: « Not defend the attackers on January 6, not lower the flag across the nation for conservative activist Charlie Kirk but refuse to lower the flag when a Minnesota lawmaker was murdered in her home. »What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on Friday morning during an appearance on Fox News’ Fox & Friends: « I tell you something that is going to get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less.
« The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime.The radicals on the left are the problem—and they are vicious and horrible and politically savvy. They want men in women’s sports, they want transgender for everyone, they want open borders. The worst thing that happened to this country. »
Former President Barack Obama wrote on X following Kirk’s assassination: « 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. »
Former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on X: « Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence. »What Happens Next?
Political tensions in the nation are likely to remain high following last year’s presidential election in which both main candidates suggested the other was a threat to democracy. Meanwhile, police and the FBI will be working to try and ensure these tensions don’t spill over into more violence.