On Sunday, millions of Americans tuned in to the televised memorial for Charlie Kirk.
Based on social media reactions, most were moved by the raw grief shared by Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk, in her eulogy, but many took issue with the opportunistic grandstanding of political figures like Stephen Miller.
One prominent conservative figure took the criticism much further in a social media rant in which he criticized both the participants and the event itself.
Milo Yiannopoulos calls out Nick Fuentes for Charlie Kirk criticism
Nick Fuentes is a far-right podcaster and social media personality who frequently criticized Kirk for being too moderate in his views.
Not long after the memorial, fellow far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos called Fuentes out for comments he’d made about the event on the messaging app Telegram.
“Nick Fuentes is too much of a fat coward to post this on X. But he’s spazzing out on Telegram about Charlie’s memorial, still seething with rage and envy 24 hours later,” Yiannopoulos tweeted, alongside a series of screenshots.
“Everything about that ‘memorial’ was weird and fake except for all of the earnest Americans who attended or watched online,” Fuentes’ rant began.
Sadly this is yet another example of how sentimentality is repeatedly weaponized against decent people to gain enough of their trust to betray them over and over again.
“This memorial is a giant, shameless political spectacle to promote the GOP,” he continued, adding:
“That was supposed to be a funeral for a 31 year old father who was graphically executed in front of 3,000 college students.
“And what you watched was each cabinet member of the Trump government walk out to pyrotechnics and talk about politics/audition for 2028.”
Fuentes concluded with a bizarrely personal shot at Kirk himself:
“It is also true that ‘Charlie would have wanted it that way,’ but it doesn’t make it less distasteful. Some things, like death, should be sacred,” Fuentes wrote.
“This entire spectacle seemed like a calculated play, basically a cynical excuse to put on an RNC.”
Fuentes’ remarks prompted widespread use of the famous “Worst Person You Know Just Made a Good Point” meme from others who found the ceremony exploitative.
But even among those who agreed with his broader message, many found the parting shot at Kirk himself distasteful.
A rift within the online Right
As Kirk and Fuentes were both supporters of Donald Trump, the feud between them might seem perplexing to casual observers.
But Fuentes is the founder of the Groyper Army, a group of far-right extremists who accused Kirk of being too moderate on topics like immigration.
The two factions achieved an uneasy truce ahead of the 2024 election, largely due to Kirk’s willingness to shift to the right to appease Fuentes.
But clearly, even that wasn’t enough to create a lasting peace.
It’s yet another reminder that the current US political climate is divided into too many factions to count. And while a lot of people are profiting from all that division, virtually no one seems interested in unity.