Although Trump officials insist their focus is preventing violence, critics see an extension of the president’s campaign of retribution against his political foes and an erosion of free speech rights.

Xu said she made the comments about Kirk after being given five minutes for “hot takes” during her “Revolution, Socialism and Reform in China” class.

Untangling how much one side is to blame for political violence is tricky. The suspect in Mr Kirk’s murder does indeed seem to have been motivated by politics. Court documents quote texts from Tyler Robinson,

In the days since the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on “the radical left,” whom he blames for his friend’s death and broader political violence.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump talked about the Charlie Kirk assassination, criticized "a radical left group of lunatics" and called for Democratic donor George Soros to be jailed.

The White House-directed campaign, which is likely to face legal challenges, defies past GOP rhetoric condemning the label “hate speech” as a pretext for political persecution.