Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy isn’t known for mincing words. But even his fans were stunned this week when he bluntly said President Trump played “a huge part” in the killing of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, just 31, was gunned down in front of a live audience at Utah Valley University while delivering a speech on his “American Comeback Tour.” The FBI says the assassin, who fired a single fatal shot before leaping off a campus roof and vanishing, is still on the run.
Portnoy used his podcast, The Unnamed Show, to push back against right-wing leaders who are blaming “the left” for political violence. Instead, he turned the spotlight back on Trump.
“It’s shocking, but not surprising, and that’s the saddest part,” Portnoy told listeners. “Politics has a huge part in it. Trump—just his face, his presence—it’s so divisive. People hate him so much. He can’t be left out of this conversation.”
Kirk’s murder has already been weaponized by MAGA influencers who say progressive rhetoric is to blame. But Portnoy joined a growing chorus pointing to Trump’s presidency itself as gasoline poured on the fire.
Mary Trump, the president’s estranged niece, said in her newsletter: “The fire was started by the Republicans. Donald and his enablers are responsible for this atmosphere.”
The parallels are impossible to ignore. Just last year, Trump himself survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. For a few hours afterward, both sides of the political spectrum called for civility. Then the rage machine switched back on.
Portnoy noted: “There’s a three-hour period where everyone says, ‘let’s tone down the rhetoric.’ Then it’s right back to boiling over. That’s the country right now.”
Though Kirk was a lightning rod for controversy—sparking outrage on campuses for years—Portnoy admitted he respected the activist’s willingness to put himself in harm’s way.
“The thing I do respect the most about him: he knew he was in danger,” Portnoy said. “Standing out there in an open-air rally, knowing how much hate there is toward him—it’s dangerous in today’s world. And he did it anyway.”
Kirk’s allies insist he was targeted for his beliefs. But critics say the tragedy reflects a broader national crisis under Trump’s leadership, one in which everyday citizens and public figures alike live under a constant threat of violence.
Utah authorities and the FBI continue to hunt for the shooter, while the White House has so far declined to comment on Portnoy’s remarks.
But the fallout is clear: in 2025, with Trump back in the Oval Office, America’s political climate is more combustible than ever. And as Portnoy put it, “That’s really sad.”
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Just lost a lot of respect for Portnoy.
Portnoy created BarStoolSports Gambling… sold it to Penn Gaming for $1/2+Billion… Penn screwed it up and sold it back to Portnoy for $1 !!! He has all that dough in his pocket, the only reason people listen to the idiot!
The Democrat junkies murder 75 people daily, Charlie Kirk was one of them. I’ve been trying to get that stopped for years… even most MAGA/GOP don’t care…
🖕YOU!!! Sent from my iPhone
Same here!
Portnoy is SO wrong!
The divisiveness was instigated by Obama!
This Leftist Idiot Portnoy is a complete moronic Socialist and refused to accept the Leftist Democrat Party and brainwashed education system is responsible for this assassination!!
Leftists kill and it’s the right’s fault…for existing, and for being blunt rather than coddling snowflakes?
Remember, whatever the left blames the right for, they’ve already done, if not worse.
No other person is to blame but the killer. Everyone has an opinion and do not deserve to be killed for it alone.If they apply physical force to us to achieve their will that is another issue and should be delt with properly .
Everyone has a choice to make. Tyler made his by acting out in anger and rage. He took a life that didn’t belong to him, Charlie Kirk. The morning after quarterbacks are showing their lack of intelligence and stupidity. President Trump isn’t to blame. Apparently the Democrats and the Fake news media ideology, has alot to do with what happened to Charlie. Stupid is as stupid does. Fie. Democrats appear to want a civil war and the media is helping feed that ideology. Shameful, crime is rampant in America and apparently the Liberals think thats OK. Really?
They call the Republicans Nazis…but just look whose doing the shooting…Dems. They want all of us dead so that they can control this country to socialism.
Portnoy could not be more wrong. To place blame on anyone but the k*ller himself is to place the blame on the wrong person. It is high time to start placing blame 100% on the ones that commit the crime! Nobody else pulled the trigger, there was only one. Nobody else made the decision to actually do the deed, only one. Charlie Kirk was someone who debated ideas, he did nothing more than that. He did it respectfully and with class. Anyone who says otherwise did not actually pay attention to him, they only payed attention to MSNBC headlines of Charlie Kirk that spewed lies of what he said. Charlie was a class act and never deserved what happened to him. I pray that they apprehended the actual person who pulled the trigger and if there are any additional co-conspirators, I hope they find them all and h*ng them all publicly and make a spectacle of them for what they did. Until we begin publicly punishing these acts they won’t stop! Just my 2 cents.
Wrong! The lying Democrats/LSM warped that once fine young man’s mind! Evil Democrats’ Party should have been banned in 1865!
I think that Trump Derangement Syndrome played the largest part.
You look but you don’t see. You listen but you don’t hear. Typical. You’re an idiot.
Why not! The Communists fascists are never happy with what the Orange Guy has accomplished, in only a few mere months he’s put the country back on its feet. And more accomplished than the Commies ruined in four full years, not including the eight years of the great impostor by the way. So point your pointy fingers and make all the racists comments you want because life is more important now.
if you are a Trump hater..YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM..he is a good man trying to get our country back after years of obama biden bush. taking us down with drugs.trans.gays.teachers who teach what they believe instead of the lessons.I think of the gospel where Jesus was blamed for everything bad when he was doing God’s work.
but never fear we will rise above this because God is on our side .he knows the story.You should help instead of talking bad..I could not stand obama and his man wife. but I would never hurt or kill if someone talked good about him. or even bad I would not agree. just walk away .let it go.the truth will come out in time.
I AGREE! TRUMP INCITED THE INSURRECTION ON OUR CAPITOL AND HE INCITES VIOLENCE WHEN HE SENDS OUR MILITARY TO OUR STATES WHEN WE HAVE POLICE WHO ARE VERY CAPABLE TO KEEP PEACE & UPHOLD OUR LAWS. TRUMP GOES BEYOND & HE INCITES CRIMES. TRUMP INCITES HATE!! HE NEEDS TO STOP BECAUSE HE BRINGS OUT FASCISTS IDEAS! HE IS CRUEL, UNTRUSTWORTHY, LIES, & HYPOCRISY!
100% correct. also, records show violence on the right is responsible for 2/3 of all of it.
Stop lying, Democrat controlled police/judges aren’t allowed to stop crime…
So you are telling me that because of me this good choir boy shot Charlie? All because I voted for President Trump? Just explain these questions for me if it was republicans or democrats over the past 30 years.
Antifa
BLM
Weaponized government
Russia hoax
Corruption in our government
Rigging elections
Attacking their opponent
Lie to the American people
Bribed other countries
Stole my social security
Stole my Medicare
Killed Americans cause they could
Help import fentanyl to kill off people
Attacked us with a virus to kill us
Allowed illegals to steal what was mine
Falsifying records out of hate and revenge
Lied under oath
Lied to a sitting President
Bought off people to do their dirty work
Took my free speech away from me
Censored my voice
Stole my vote
Brought criminals into this country to control us
Lied about birth certificate
Lied about Benghazi
Lied about jobs report
Undermined a sitting President
Falsely imprisoned people because of who they support
Gave money to have a crowd show up for their rallies
Faked documents to destroy opposition
Bought judges to help destroy an opponent
Raided opponents home and plant documents
Treated Americans like terrorist while catering to illegals
Wouldn’t help republicans in disaster’s
Try to assassin a candidate
Killing people at rally
Indoctrinated students
Laundered money
Stole money
Illegally stock traded
Committed treason
Attacked people and got released to do it again
Mandated vaccination while allowing illegals to cross no problem
Locking us up while releasing prisoners
Assassinated an ally of President Trump
Swatted republicans
Attacked with harm to elected officials
Put Americans in food lines
Allowed four day funeral for a criminal yet no one could hold one for grandma
Isolated families from each other
Attack religion
Punished people for knowin truth about virus
Lie about masks and six feet apart
Lie about calling for another’s murder
Laughing about someone getting shot
Telling people you will pay them to go after President Trump and his supporters
Do I need to say any more?
So please tell me who is to blame?
I don’t think some of you have learned a darn thing. I understand juju because they get paid to trash anything republicans. But you really? Seems to me some people can be bought that you never thought could be.
Sorry but you better start doing some research and sole searching because anyone who blames this on the one person who has been attacked since day one. Set up to look bad. False conviction all because he knows where bodies buried. Attack him because he don’t play with them and their corruption. President Trump has done more Americans and America while in office then any other Presidential in my life. Now you want to blame him for all of this crap. Wrong move dude. I see juju saying this crap because he is a loser. But my respect just got thrown out the window. Disrespecting Charlie like that is down right unforgivable. So don’t blame the left just blame President Trump is what he is saying. Tell me just what have the democrats did for me over the last 30 years? Not a damn thing except take what was mine. I am sick and tired of the bashing President Trump while the left sits there and blames him and his supporters. My family members have fought for our country to be free along with so many others and democrats don’t give hoot for them or anyone else. They want to destroy us all because we didn’t vote like good little puppets for them. Power and money is all they care about. President Trump is just the opposite. Democrats divided us for reason and who ever buys into it are brainwashed period. Take a look at who all these people like the shooter are. Rich white families. Look at who was marching for BLM. Rich white kids. Look at Luigi, a rich white kid. How many things that have happened over the past 50 years that the government and democrats didn’t set up? Funny how democrats always say no one is above the law yet they have broken every law on the books with the help of government officials, judicial system and people they could pay to do their dirty work not to mention getting the media to lie for them. No the only people who aren’t above the law is republicans. I can’t believe you all saying this was because of President Trump. He didn’t start this mess yet he is trying to clean it up. Just how much did you get from democrats to say this? I hope it was worth it.