The governor of Utah struggled to find the right words to describe the question so many have been asking: What is happening in America?
The silence lasted nearly 10 seconds. He looked down. He opened and closed his mouth.
“Our nation is broken,” Spencer Cox finally said, hours after the public assassination of Charlie Kirk. The governor described violent attacks on both Democrats and Republicans, including the killing of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, and the firebombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence.
His words stood out not just for the stark language about America’s troubles but for his sober acknowledgment that the violence spans the political divide.
It can be hard to remember all the scenes of political violence in just the past few years: Butler, Pennsylvania, the Minneapolis suburbs, San Francisco, New York City, West Palm Beach. And more. Taken together, they are enough to make Americans wonder: Is there a way forward? What might it look like?
“Nothing I say can unite us as a country,” said Cox, a Republican. “Nothing I can say right now will fix what is broken.”
A Troubled Nation
Many people, of course, feel America is broken. You can hear about the country’s many troubles — its ideological divides, its anger, its lack of civility — from conservatives and liberals, from socialist firebrands to evangelical preachers, from Democrats to Republicans. It is, perhaps, one of the few beliefs that unites Americans right now.
So many seem to genuinely want those divides to be mended, for the country to be knitted back together. But the question of why America is broken, who is to blame, and how to repair it? That’s where things get complicated.
Because no matter what you believe, today — in both the myriad reactions to Kirk’s violent public death and in general — you can choose the America you want. You can see a president systematically removing the rights of Americans or one standing up for a forgotten middle class.
When Cox spoke mournfully about America’s predicament, he clearly hoped Kirk’s death could help bring America together. More likely, though, the killing could drive the wedges deeper.
A Divided Society, A Divided Reaction
In the hours immediately after the shooting, officials from both parties appeared anxious to show restraint and decorum, expressing their grief, support for Kirk’s family, and their repulsion at political violence.
“Words cannot describe the shock and horror I felt today,” said Arizona Republican chair Gina Swoboda, asserting that America “must never condone or excuse acts of political violence.” He emphasized that “Differing views — regardless of who holds them and how much you may detest them — should never be met with violence,” stated Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills.
Soon, though, even with only the barest facts known about the shooting, anger erupted. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed hope that “this country rises up and ends this.” Trump quickly declared Kirk a martyr, blaming “radical left” rhetoric for the killing. Democratic leaders, seeking to avoid firing up tensions, remained more measured in their responses.
Online, however, the commentary was more visceral. Some left-wing commentators saw Kirk not as a victim but as a participant in the violence he had incited.
The Country’s Politicians Strive to Balance It All
Politicians are often called to guide their supporters in moments like this, emphasizing the importance of calm. Unlike Trump, former Presidents Biden and Obama used more measured tones, praying for Kirk’s family and referring to the need for national civility.
As they sought to remind people of the principles that bind America, Cox implored, “Is this it? Is this what 250 years has wrought on us?”
“I pray that is not the case.”
