A debate on racism, sexism, and in-context quotations erupted Tuesday over a bill that would make Charlie Kirk only the second person — after Ronald Reagan — to be comemmorated in Florida statute.
Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin would memorialize Kirk’s birthday, Oct. 14, as “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance.” It comes three months after Kirk, a 31-year-old podcaster and right-wing debater, was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University.
It would slate him alongside Reagan as the only two people to have a special observance day in Florida law. Unlike holidays, observance days don’t allow for time off from school or work, and are generally just a day of recognition for a figure or event.
“I think that anybody who saw the video of Charlie Kirk getting — at his last speech, his last rally … ” Martin said before the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee, appearing to get choked up as he took a lengthy pause and cleared his throat. “… Would agree that it’s important to remember somebody who lived a peaceful life.”
He continued, “I think that Ronald Reagan would be 100% OK with a Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day in the state of Florida.”
Following Kirk’s assassination on Sep. 10, Vice President J.D. Vance canceled his 9/11 memorial visit to fly out west. A week later, President Donald Trump and top Cabinet members spoke at his memorial service, held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The political ramifications were massive. Teachers nationwide were suspended or fired for either applauding Kirk’s death or publicly claiming he was hateful. Some in the Trump administration, along with all of the Florida Cabinet, supported visa revocations for visa holders celebrating his death.
In Florida, pro-Kirk bills flooded in. Aside from Martin’s legislation, Rep. Kevin Steele — a candidate for chief financial officer — is sponsoring a measure to rename a road at every state university after Kirk. Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez and Rep. Juan Porras have proposed a “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue” in Miami-Dade County. And Rep. Yvette Benarroch is carrying an identical form of Martin’s bill in the House.
Although Martin emphasized that his bill was designed to signal to Floridians that political violence is wrong, Democrats raised serious concerns about some of Kirk’s comments — which Martin claimed were “spliced” and out-of-context.
They included quotes deriding Michelle Obama, Joy Reid, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson as lacking “the brain processing power” to be taken seriously; claiming “prowling Blacks” target white Americans; questioning whether certain Black people received a job because of affirmative action; asking Taylor Swift to “submit” to Travis Kelce; and suggesting some gun deaths might be worth it to keep the Second Amendment “to protect our other God-given rights.”
“If you have to go through such mental and verbal gymnastics to explain away what this man said, how does he deserve a day of remembrance?” Sen. Tina Polsky asked.
“He was a provocateur. He was a podcaster. He did go on these college campuses, and it’s great that he was debating with people — that’s what we do all the time, that’s fine. But he’s still responsible for his own statements, no matter how you try to justify it,” she continued. “He does not deserve this honor.”
The bill passed along party lines, and will advance to the Education Postsecondary Committee.
“I went back and watched the debates,” Martin said. “If you look at the context, there’s not a single thing that he said that would disgust any reasonable American. … I don’t arrive at the same conclusion that those in the media that were trying to attack Charlie arrived at.”