'Quite a claim': Observers stunned by MAGA's 'delusional' claim about Charlie Kirk's life

Observers slammed the claim that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk is a martyr, a claim that multiple MAGA politicians repeated during Kirk's memorial service on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.

Several high-profile MAGA members spoke at Kirk's memorial, such as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and MAGA podcaster Benny Johnson. Some of the speakers compared Kirk to Stephen, who is the Christian religion's first martyr.

The claims stirred intense debate on social media.

"Benny Johnson, who has a history of plagiarizing & passing along fake news, compares Kirk to Stephen the 1st Christian martyr by claiming Kirk & Stephen were the same age," Baptist minister Brian Kaylor posted on Bluesky. "Quite a claim since we don't actually know Stephen's age."

"It’s perfect that the first MAGA martyr is a ghoulish mediocrity comprised of nothing but hate and grift," journalist Dorian Lynskey posted on Bluesky. "Instead of trying to invent a noble, decent Kirk that didn’t exist, they should lean into that quintessence of MAGA."

"Did Saint Stephen call for executing a political foe, as Charlie Kirk did with President Biden in 2023?" journalist David Corn posted on Bluesky.

"These people have never heard Kirk's abusive attacks on others or they are people with very bad values and characters," Victoria Johnson, professor emerita of politics and history, posted on X.

"The normies, the majority, can spot a dangerous cult," leftwing writer Wajahat Ali posted on X. "That's what MAGA has become."

"Charlie Kirk was killed by a white man from a Christian family deep in MAGA land," consultant Hashim Mteuzi posted on X. "And somehow these folks call him a martyr. These people are delusional."