Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is facing criticism for her response to Charlie Kirk’s death, where she mocked the idea of his commitment to civil political discussions.

During an interview, the progressive ‘Squad’ member laughed off tributes to Kirk, labeling his beliefs as ‘f***ed up’ and accusing him of fostering hatred for years.

While speaking with Zeteo, Omar poured scorn on the very idea that Kirk had championed civil political dialogue. 

“Many people claim he merely wanted to engage in civil debate,” Omar remarked with a sneer. “These people are full of s***, and it’s crucial to call them out while we express our anger and sadness.”

Her comments came a day after Kirk was fatally shot by a sniper near Utah Valley University, an event that has intensified partisan divides and sparked polarizing responses from various public figures, including some elected Democrats who seemed to celebrate his passing.

Omar highlighted Kirk’s controversial social media posts and public statements, noting his repeated belittling of George Floyd, his opposition to Juneteenth, and his suggestion that efforts to honor African American historical figures were part of a ‘neo-segregationist’ movement.

“I know for certain that Charlie once claimed guns save lives in the wake of a school shooting. He was also someone who trivialized George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police,” Omar stated.

‘He would downplay slavery and what black people have gone through in this country by saying Juneteenth should never exist and I think there are a lot of people out there who are talking about him just wanting to have a civil debate.

‘There is nothing more f’ed up than to completely pretend that his words and actions haven’t been recorded and in existence for the last decade or so,’ Omar laughed.

Kirk, 31, was one of the most visible and controversial figures in the conservative movement. 

He rose to national prominence as the founder of Turning Point USA, which sought to galvanize young Republicans on college campuses through fiery speeches and unapologetically provocative events.

But many on the left saw Kirk not as a thought leader but as a lightning rod for division. 

His repeated attacks on racial justice movements and particularly his caustic rhetoric on George Floyd and Juneteenth have been cited by critics as evidence of bigotry and radicalization.

In 2021, during a live appearance, Kirk dismissed Floyd as a ‘scumbag’ and repeated falsehoods that Floyd’s death was due to a fentanyl overdose, despite the autopsy ruling it a homicide caused by police restraint. 

He accused Floyd of ‘illegally counterfeiting currency’ and said he had ‘put a gun to a pregnant woman’s stomach.’

In a 2023 Instagram post, Kirk blasted Juneteenth as a ‘race-based ‘holiday,’ writing ‘Juneteenth isn’t about emancipation, which was one of America’s great moral achievements. It’s about creating a race-based ‘holiday.’

On a 2024 podcast, he escalated the claim further, ‘The push to elevate Juneteenth is not about unity or justice. It’s about anti-Americanism and replacing the Fourth of July.’

And just months before his death, in June 2025, he posted bluntly on X, ‘Juneteenth should not be a federal holiday.’

Kirk, who supporters have hailed as a ‘martyr’ for conservative ideals, had an outsized influence in US politics.

He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, with his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.

Kirk used his enormous audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.