From Zapruder to smartphones: Assassination footage reshapes America’s view of political violence
When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, it took more than a decade before Americans saw the infamous Zapruder film. Today, the killing of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk can be replayed in dozens of high-definition clips across social media, reshaping how the nation confronts political violence in real time. “You’ll never have an assassination again that we don’t have footage of,” Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former secretary of Health and Human Services under the Bush administration, told Fox News Digital. “I have an image in my head of what Lincoln’s assassination might have looked like, but every assassination since the Kennedy era, or even assassination attempts, there’s generally going to be footage about it now, and that’s just a very difficult thing.” CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT The Zapruder footage of Kennedy’s assassination remained largely unseen by the public until 1975, when it aired on national television more than a decade after his death. Its grainy frames shocked viewers. Americans, at the time, were “much more dependent on what the caretakers of the culture would put on TV,” Troy said, and if a broadcast was missed, there was often no second chance to see it. “The gatekeepers controlled what you saw.” In the minutes after Kirk was shot in the neck on his “American Comeback Tour” at the Utah Valley University on Wednesday, graphic video clips captured by bystanders using phones flooded social platforms like X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Traditional outlets held back from airing the moment of impact, but social media users shared multiple angles — including real-time replays and slowed-down segments — many without content warnings or editing. YOUTH LEADERS MOURN ‘THE GODFATHER OF CAMPUS CONSERVATISM’ CHARLIE KIRK FOLLOWING ASSASSINATION “Desensitizing is the right word. … It’s not good for you,” Troy said when asked what the impact of such high-speed graphic footage could do to the public. “It’s not good for your soul. It’s not a question of not being available. It is available. Then you have to make an effort not to see it,” he said. Troy noted that in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing, some voices on the left appeared to rationalize or downplay the violence, while others rushed to frame the suspect’s background in ways that minimized political fallout for their side. He called the reaction “a ghoulish exercise.” PASTOR RECALLS LAST MOMENTS WITH CHARLIE KIRK: AN ‘AMERICAN MARTYR’ “There’s a horrible tragedy where this person who just wants to have political conversations was murdered with three young kids,” Troy said. “But this is where we are today. If there is political violence, they want to make sure it’s framed in such a way that it doesn’t bring their side down.” Kirk, 31, was killed Wednesday by suspected shooter Tyler Robinson while answering a question at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind his wife and two children, ages one and three.
PM Modi’s cheeky jibe at animal lovers: ‘Most of them do not consider…’
Prime Minister Modi’s remarks come days after a nationwide outrage over a Supreme Court order to remove stray dogs from Delhi’s streets and shift them to shelters. The court issued the order, citing an increase in dog bites and rabies cases.
FIR filed against Congress over AI video mocking PM Modi, his late mother
An FIR has been filed against the Congress and its IT cell for posting an AI-generated video, allegedly mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben. The complaint was filed by Sanket Gupta, the convener of BJP Delhi Election Cell.
PM Modi’s BIG message for Nepal interim PM Sushila Karki: ‘Confident that she will…’
Sushila Karki was Friday sworn-in as a caretaker prime minister of Nepal, days after a youth-led stir ousted the government of ex-PM KP Sharma Oli. Protests had erupted in Nepal at the beginning of this week over a ban on social media platforms and soon spiraled into an an anti-corruption movement.
Bad NEWS For Pakistan China: India to get 114 Rafale jets soon as Defence Ministry examines IAF’s Rs 2 lakh crore proposal, here’s all you need to know
The defence project, once completed, would be the biggest ever defence deal to have been signed by the Indian government. Read here to know more about this Rafale deal.
Bihar elections 2025: Expelled by RJD’s Lalu Yadav, son Tej Pratap Yadav floats new party, gets election symbol, announces fresh alliance with…
After Lalu Yadav expelled his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, “Teju Bhaiya”, Hasanpur MLA has formally announced the launch of his own political party, making a solid entry into Bihar elections. What are Tej Pratap’s political ambitions?
Meet woman, who once lived in slums, gave tuition classes to fund her own education, suffered from rare bone disorder, later cracked UPSC exam in 1st attempt with AIR…
IAS Ummul’s struggles were compounded by a rare bone disorder that rendered her bones extremely fragile, leading to 16 fractures and 8 surgeries by her teenage years. Read here to know about her UPSC journey.
Big Boost for Uttar Pradesh: Ganga Expressway to cut Meerut-Prayagraj travel time to 6 hours, set to open by…
In the Hasanpur area, road construction and street lighting are already complete. The 23.6 km stretch of expressway is expected to be fully finished soon. Work on a rainwater drainage pipeline has also been completed.
Montana GOP Rep Ryan Zinke calls assassination of Charlie Kirk a ‘watershed moment’
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a “watershed moment,” stressing that Americans should be able to have political disagreements without engaging in violence. Zinke made the comments on Friday during an appearance on NewsNation’s show “The Hill,” when he cited earlier remarks by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox as he expressed disappointment that differences in political viewpoints have led to violent attacks. “We should look and reflect,” Zinke said on Friday. “This is, you know, as the governor pointed out, a watershed moment. So, the watershed moment depends on what this country does.” “Are we going to continue this?” the congressman continued. “Are we going to continue to not be able to have dialogue and talk to your neighbor?” TURNING POINT USA ANNOUNCES MASSIVE PUBLIC MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR CHARLIE KIRK AT ARIZONA FOOTBALL STADIUM Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated by a gunman on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead. The alleged gunman was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whose family persuaded him to turn himself in after a multi-day manhunt. During a news conference on Friday, Cox called for civility and for people on both sides of the political aisle to de-escalate and to step away from political frustrations and “choose a different path.” “This is our moment: Do we escalate, or do we find an off-ramp? It’s a choice,” Cox said. VIGILS HELD ACROSS US AFTER ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK: ‘WE MUST HEAL’ “For the last 48 hours, I have been as angry as I have ever been, as sad as I have ever been … and as anger pushed me to the brink, it was actually Charlie’s words that pushed me back. Charlie said, ‘When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence,’” Cox added. Zinke similarly urged people to engage in political dialogue without turning to violence. He also said statements he has seen on social media were “disheartening” after recent instances of political violence this year. “You see, you know, an assassination attempt,” Zinke said on Friday. “You see a political assassination in Minnesota. You see one with Charlie Kirk. You know a father. You know a great patriot, a loving husband. You know, assassinated. And ironically, his assassination was over his message, which was, ‘Let’s have a dialogue. Let’s talk.’” “In our country, the strength is that, you know, we may agree or disagree, but disagreement should never result in violence,” he continued. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Zinke referenced an incident in June for which Vance Boelter was charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, her husband, Mark, and their dog at their home in Minneapolis. Boelter was also charged with shooting Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, and for attempting to shoot their daughter, Hope. Other acts of political violence in recent years include President Donald Trump surviving assassination attempts last year and Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., being attacked with a hammer in 2022. Zinke’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump claims FBI deployment reduced Memphis crime as city faces potential National Guard intervention
President Donald Trump on Saturday said the “only reason crime is somewhat down” in Memphis, Tennessee, is because he sent the FBI and other federal officers to address the “absolutely terrible crime numbers” over the past five months. In a Truth Social post, Trump added he has done the same in Chicago and Los Angeles. “But the real work by us has barely begun,” Trump wrote. “That happens after we make the official announcement that WE’RE COMING, and when we do that, as we did in now VERY SAFE WASHINGTON, D.C., the no crime “miracle” begins. ONLY I CAN SAVE THEM!!!” TRUMP EYES FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF BLUE CITY WITH HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATE IN US: ‘DEEPLY TROUBLED’ The post comes after Trump on Friday said Memphis is the next city he is eyeing for a potential deployment of National Guard troops to address crime. Memphis, which borders the Mississippi River, had the highest violent crime rate and third-highest murder rate in the U.S. in 2024, according to data provided by the White House. So far this year, nearly 150 homicides have been reported in the city. MEMPHIS REP TORCHES ‘TRUMP SHOW 2.0’ WITH NATIONAL GUARD, SAYS DC ISN’T SAFER AFTER LAST CRACKDOWN Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in an X post he is “grateful for the president’s unwavering support and commitment to providing every resource necessary to serve Memphians.” “I look forward to working with local officials and law enforcement to continue delivering results,” Lee wrote. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., added Trump had “answered [her] call” to make Memphis safe again, noting she supports the deployment of National Guardsmen following his “tremendous success” in reducing violent crime in the nation’s capital. CHICAGO CRIME, NATIONAL GUARD PUSH MOVE TO FOREFRONT OF TRUMP’S WEEK While Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he supports focused federal initiatives, other local officials have been less than optimistic. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris previously told Fox News Digital on Friday the announcement was “disappointing, anti-democratic and violates American norms and possibly U.S. laws.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “In the short term, the president’s incursion will likely cause confusion and fear in many of our communities, particularly the most vulnerable ones,” Harris said. “In the long term, the mark of Tennessee communities being occupied by federal forces will hurt our state’s reputation for generations.” Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand, Charles Creitz and Peter Burke contributed to this report.