Trump vs Kimmel: A Sharp Contrast in Perspectives
On September 21, 2025, it was astonishing to witness Erica, the crying widow of Charlie Kirk, telling America that she loved and forgave the man who shot her husband. In a moving speech she expressed forgiving and loving your enemy is where the solution lies for all. (Forgiveness is oftentimes a necessity, as ISF referenced in our September 16th newsletter, article: What Happened to the Waterbuck. This was our response following the Kirk shooting.)
Then what followed? Trump took to the podium. Trump addressed the crowd, by first acknowledging how wonderful and loving both Charlie and Erica were. Then he proceeded to announce to America, “this is where I disagree with Charlie, but I hate my opponent! And I don’t want the best for them, and I am sorry Erica!” Funeral attendees were presented with an antithetical message by initially telling Kirk’s White Evangelical Christians supporters, they are good loving Christians while proceeding to give an endorsement of hate towards others! Indeed, Trump and even Steven Miller were encouraging violence and exploiting of Charlie Kirk’s death for their own nefarious motives. They compared Charlie Kirk to Moses and talked about him being a ‘holy martyr’. These two incongruent messages conveyed to anyone listening, that in America, violence and anger are permissible if you are (white) Christians and Trump supporters.
Contrast Trump’s message with that of Jimmy Kimmel’s September 26th return to late-night television. The broadcast got over 32.3 million views between digital and broadcast viewership. Jimmy provided viewers with a tearful monologue in defiance of the Trump administration's tyrannical attempts to suppress speech. Kimmel expressed:
His views of their attempt to silence him as government overreach; as "anti-American”.
He clarified he was not making light of Charlie Kirk's killing, but rather was placing the blame on a "deeply disturbed individual".
He praised Erika Kirk's act of forgiveness and cited it as an example for others to follow.
He thanked those who reached out to him in support of free speech; even surprisingly some from The Right reached out to him as well.
Jimmy emphasized, "This show is not important," Echoing refrains from across the country of our fundamental American right to free speech: "What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
Many of us are keenly aware of the importance of messaging, whether discreetly through symbolism, (e.g., red MAGA hats), or broadcast studio stage (e.g., Jimmy Kimmel). The manner of delivery and/or how and what is conveyed can be used as either a weapon to divide or as inspiration towards peace and unity. We need to oppose harmful messages with the truth. Trump desires to inflame tensions by targeting blue cities, most recently his wanting our military to use “full force” during their deployment of National Guard in Portland. (Likely won’t happen, as the military swear an oath to The Constitution, not to a personality.)
Trump since the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests has kept Portland in his sights and continues to push out the lies that Portland is plagued with lawlessness and is a “war zone”. Untrue. We see how Trump and others manipulate their supporters, and we will not allow their rhetoric nor anger to manipulate us to respond in kind. We believe our resistance brothers and sisters, wherever they are, will follow in the footsteps of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., continuing to do as we have always done, by responding in nonviolent ways.
And we will not permit this Trump regime to triumph by escalating hate and division. There are ways to dampen and even defeat their efforts; not only through peaceful street protests but by using the power of the internet. It was demonstrated when a surge of Americans across the country responded, “no” to the firing of Kimmel by taking various actions. We witnessed the strength in numbers from internet activism! Trump deploys troops; we employed the internet, in this case, towards a fundamental right and protection of our freedom of speech!
With or without a Trump Administration in power, we can continue moving forward to elevate awareness. Raising awareness will likely require incremental steps. The Media Accountability, Balance and Protection group will soon be launching a new video series on the ISF YouTube channel. A "Rhetoric or Not” playlist will be developed to help people understand the importance of communication so that we can gain power. Without power, we cannot achieve our necessary goals. The first video in fact will be a short analysis of some of Charlie Kirk’s statements; so look forward to that. And in case you missed it, we recently touched on rhetoric’s impact on our politics in our August 27, 2025 issue: The Rhetoric Game: A Guide to Messaging and Debate Part 1: The Focus of Rhetoric.
Individually we each have impact, collectively, we wake a sleeping giant. The power of the people did that! And this is just the beginning. There are ways, even what are seemingly small ways where collective action can continue to raise awareness of issues that matter to us; to the country! Be sure to check out this week’s call-to-action here.
Relevant Reading:
Disney reportedly lost 1.7 million subscribers during Kimmel's suspension
https://mashable.com/article/kimmel-disney-subscriber-boycott-numbers
Nexstar Media and Sinclair lift boycotts on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Disney talks
https://www.c21media.net/news/nexstar-media-and-sinclair-lift-boycotts-on-jimmy-kimmel-live-after-disney-talks/
What happened to the Waterbuck?
https://indivisiblesf.org/blog/2025/9/16/what-happened-to-the-waterbuck
Watch: Trump speaks at Charlie Kirk's memorial service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY-sVq9pWCA
Trump says 'I hate my opponents' at Charlie Kirk's memorial
https://youtu.be/pJzfp8QyiNw
Stephen Miller delivers heated remarks at Charlie Kirk's memorial service: 'We are the storm'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MLRcf3diso
Trump hails Charlie Kirk as martyr to thousands at memorial service
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgee0x9p40o
Jimmy Kimmel’s Late Night Return Scores 6.3 Million Viewers on Broadcast, Monologue Gets 26 Million Views Across YouTube and Social
https://www.thewrap.com/jimmy-kimmel-live-ratings-return-episode-after-abc-suspension/
Trump says he will send troops to Portland in latest deployment to US cities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOb6Ul_PV3
Military Personnel Swear Allegiance to the Constitution and Serve the American People, Not One Leader or Party
https://theconversation.com/military-personnel-swear-allegiance-to-the-constitution-and-serve-the-american-people-not-one-leader-or-party-225161
Why Donald Trump is obsessed with Portland
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/27/donald-trump-portland-military-protest-00583423
Portland ranks top 50 on cities considered the safest in the US, says new study
https://www.koin.com/news/portland-ranks-top-50-on-cities-considered-the-safest-in-the-us-says-new-study/
'We vote with our dollars': People are boycotting Disney and canceling their streaming subscriptions
https://www.businessinsider.com/cancel-disney-plus-boycott-hulu-espn-jimmy-kimmel-suspension-2025-9#:~:text=Multiple%20Reddit%20threads%20about%20canceling,they%20wrote%20%22Jimmy%20Kimmel.%22&text=Actor%20Tatiana%20Maslany%2C%20who%20starred,also%20soared%2C%20per%20Google%20Trends
Indivisible SF YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@IndivisibleSF
The Rhetoric Game: A Guide to Messaging and Debate
Part 1: The Focus of Rhetoric
https://indivisiblesf.org/blog/the-rhetoric-game-a-guide-to-messaging-and-debate