Today in Politics, Bulletin 205. 9/12/25

… Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah who grew up in a Republican family where guns of all types were prevalent, has been arrested and charged with the murder of Charlie Kirk. Since he failed to fit the narrative right-wingers had constructed over the past two days as they speculated wildly, they have shifted their focus to new theories to blame everything on Democrats.

… CBS: “The father of the 22-year-old charged in the Charlie Kirk killing saw the photos released by authorities and confronted his son. Robinson admitted to his dad that he was the person in the photos. His father urged him to turn himself in, but the son said he'd rather commit suicide. The father called a pastor who knows the son; the pastor called the US Marshals and other law enforcement agencies.”

… “CBS reports he is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. He briefly attended Utah State University. The father owns a business installing kitchen countertops and cabinets; his mother is a licensed social worker. The Robinsons are Mormon and active in the church. Tyler is the oldest of three.”

… Daily Mail: “In one image from Robinson's mother's social media from 2017, he was seen wearing a Donald Trump costume to Halloween. Other images also show Robinson using guns in his childhood, including one where he was posing with an M2 Browning 50. calibre machine gun.”

… Utah State subsequently issued a statement that Robinson was enrolled for a single semester in 2021 and dropped out.

… His grandmother Debbie Robinson: “My son, his dad, is a Republican for Trump. Most of my family members are Republicans. I don’t know any single one who’s a Democrat.”

… Trump made the first announcement of the arrest on Fox & Friends this morning: "I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in. They have the person that they wanted. So you have breaking news, don't you eh? You always have breaking news, Ainsley. Sean's gonna be very disappointed that we're not doing it on his show."

… Trump bizarrely suggesting that host Ainsley Earhardt’s finance’ Sean Hannity was going to be mad at him because he wasn’t given the exclusive. It’s just one big non-stop reality TV show to them.

… Earhardt actually dared to suggest to Trump that right-wingers also engage in political violence: Q - “We have radicals on the right as well. How do we fix this country? Trump: I'll tell you something that's gonna get me in trouble but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don't want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem.”

… Trump, the Great Unifier.

… Former Trump Dep. WH Dep. Press Secretary Sarah Matthews: “At a time when our country desperately needs to bring the temperature down, Trump does the opposite. In the moments that call for him to rise to the occasion, he always fails us.”

… He then complained that due process takes too long in the US because of our pesky Constitution: “We have to have quick trials. In China, they do have quick trials. They don't wait 6 years. They should have a trial the following day as far as I’m concerned.”

… Before the interview on his way out of the WH, Trump was asked by a reporter about Kirk: “My condolences on the loss of your friend Charlie Kirk. How are you holding up? Trump: I think very good. And by the way, you see all the trucks? They just started construction of the new ballroom for the WH, which is something they've been trying to get for about 150 years. And it's gonna be a beauty. It'll be an absolutely magnificent structure.”

… He obviously got over his grief very quickly.

… Now that he isn’t a trans antifa leader, the right had to come up with new narratives to blame Democrats for it. Two of them are currently being advanced by the usual suspects: 1) That he was a good kid from a nice Republican family who was subsequently radicalized by woke college professors; or 2) he was radicalized by liberals online.

… Dinesh D’Souza: “Tyler Robinson is every conservative parent’s worst nightmare. Send your kid to college where he is radicalized into a violent ‘antifascist’ by the sly, scheming leftist professors. We need to put radical academia on trial along with its cherished product, Tyler Robinson.”

… Fox host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Transportation Sec Sean Duffy: “You heard the family members say that this man became more political in recent years—what did he do in recent years? He went to college. That is where kids are getting radicalized. Not just online, our campuses are where a lot of radicalization, hate, and intolerance starts from.”

… Stephen Miller’s wife Katie responded to this MAGA activist’s take: “Tyler Robinson - his mom’s Facebook, they seemed like good parents. College brainwashed this kid.” Miller agreed, adding: “Higher ed is a scam.”

… I guess the woke radical marxist teachers in the electrical apprentice program at Dixie Technical College indoctrinated him after his Republican mormon parents did all the right things.

… Steve Bannon: “Charlie Kirk was assassinated in cold blood by a left-wing Antifa-aligned radical.”

… Robinson’s messages are cryptic and subject to a lot of different interpretations. He was clearly very online and deeply immersed in gamer culture. Many who monitor these sites or are involved in similar online activities to Robinson assert that his messaging is consistent with the white nationalist groyper movement - which has been deeply critical of Kirk in the past as not being far-right enough for them.

… Personally, I am choosing not to speculate until we get more information on his motives from law enforcement - perhaps after a full confession or statement by Robinson to the police. But others have speculated on that premise - arguing that the FBI and/or Utah investigators will cover up any statements he might make that would suggest he was a right-winger. I am still going to wait and see and just report what is being said.

… Robert Downen with Texas Monthly: “I'm actually shocked how few people know that Charlie Kirk has for years been among the most reviled people on the planet by white supremacists, many of whom were radicalized by sustained campaigns painting him as an anti-white fraud. in extremism spaces, the Charlie Kirk Hater to Nazi pipeline is canon. Nick Fuentes literally built his movement attacking Kirk from the right. They turned him into a caricature of all that they detested: Faux-populism, Zionism + anti-white policy, astroturfed by billionaires and establishment elites who would sell out their race for political power.”

… “And Kirk hatred was also crucial to their growth: At TPUSA events they’d grill him on Israel, immigration etc, never going mask-off but subtly injecting their invective into more mainstream GOP conversations. And this would inevitably peel off a few sympathizers in attendance. The ‘Groyper War,’ as they call it, is literally how Nick Fuentes became Nick Fuentes. It's how a generation of angry young men took their first step into the fascist rabbit hole. For many, it was as simple as starting to question why Kirk wouldn't say XYZ about ABC.”

This Bulletin isn’t as lengthy or varied as most for a few reasons. First, the Robinson news broke this morning and that consumed most of the news cycle for the day. I also had to engage on social media going after right-wingers who had posted hateful false narratives over the past few days while I stayed mostly quiet until a suspect was arrested and we had some facts. But that also resulted in some attacks on me from people with huge right-wing followings - and when they attack you that means you get it from all their followers too. So I had to deal with all that for a while.

In the middle of that I had my annual physical today at the VA with a new primary doctor so that took a big chunk out of the middle of my day. Off tomorrow as we are heading out to see the new Downton Abbey grand finale movie. My wife is a huge fan. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Next one will recap the weekend on Sunday night.

Since this one is shorter than normal, I made the entire column available to free subscribers.

… Several gamers chimed in to argue that FBI investigators may be misinterpreting things Robinson said/did/wrote because they don’t understand gamer culture or terminology.

… Zaid Jilani: “This is going to expose me as a gamer but both the arrows and the fascist reference they mention for the shooters ammo are direct references to the video game Helldivers 2 and are common memes. Meaning extremely online gamer type, less so political manifesto. I assume some FBI boomer saw these and doesn’t play video games and thought to himself oh that must be a transgender, antifa thing and that’s how we got the WSJ story.”

… Jilani: “I’m not saying he doesn’t have any political ideology but if I had to guess the fact he scrawled internet memes on his stuff puts him more into the online nihilist camp and any politics is secondary. I’m just saying if those bullets said “gotta catch em all” then I think that would’ve been mentioned as an important detail. This cat is deep into gamer culture whoever he is. I don't think video games make people violent. Disturbed people probably spend a lot of time indoors doing lonely activities though and so it became a cultural means for him to express his violence.”

… Leila Claire: “I don’t want to be the first person to point this out, but to gamers ‘Bella Ciao’ was not a song sung by ‘anti-fascists’ but a collectible and the background music in a main quest in Far Cry 6, which is probably REAL relevant given his other gaming references.”

… X user Slush Fund Millionaire: “Tyler Robinson was probably a fan of Nick Fuentes and a member of the so-called ‘Groyper Army’, which had been waging the ‘Groyper Wars’ against mainstream Republicans, including specifically Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA. A photo surfaced today of Tyler Robinson, from his mom's Facebook page, wearing a costume of a Groyper meme for Halloween.”

… After bumbling this investigation for days putting out false information to try and appease the MAGA mob calling for blood, FBI Director Kash Patel was fortunate that Robinson’s dad bailed him out by solving the case for him. Just hours before Robinson contacted the police to surrender, authorities said they had “no idea” who committed the crime.

… Despite have nothing to do with solving the case, Patel took full credit: “This is what happens when you let good cops be cops. Thanks to full weight of the federal government and leading out with partners in state of Utah and Governor Cox, the suspect was apprehended in a historic time period.”

… Ridiculous. All they did was put out photos of the suspect and his dad turned him in. Two days later when these people are usually captured or killed at the scene or immediately thereafter. They did nothing else to solve this and put out false info multiple times.

… And all Patel had to do was be normal for 5 minutes and take credit for something he had nothing to do with, but he couldn’t even pull that off: "To my friend Charlie Kirk - rest now, brother. We have the watch. And I'll see you in Valhalla."

… Curios. These were the final words from the Farewell Letter posted by the Christchurch mass murderer: “If I don’t survive the attack, goodbye, godbless and I will see you in Valhalla.”

… The Atlantic: “Patel’s X posts were practically a model of what not to do. They created confusion among the public and potentially among law-enforcement officers as well—which could undercut the effectiveness of an urgent and fast-moving investigation. They could also risk undermining trust in the FBI’s work. The next time Patel announces that someone is in custody, will people believe him?”

… One federal law enforcement officer: “Can’t overstate the incompetence. The guy is a click-bait chaser and that is no way to conduct comms in the initial chaotic phase of an incident.”

… “Theoretically, Patel could simply stop posting, keep his head down, and let the FBI do the important work of finding the killer. But he and his deputy, the conservative podcaster Dan Bongino, have built their reputations as right-wing firebrands, and they seem desperate to stay in MAGA’s good graces.”

… NYT: “On Thurs morning, a day after hastily suggesting the person who gunned down Charlie Kirk was in custody, Kash Patel convened an online meeting with 200 agents around the country to discuss the manhunt. It was a tense affair. Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, made it clear they were under intense pressure to catch the killer. They expressed themselves with such fierce urgency that, in the view of some participants, it hinted at another motive: to prove they were up to the task.”

… “The director wasted no time before calling out subordinates that he said failed to give him timely information and was incensed that agents in Salt Lake City waited nearly 12 hours to show him a photo of the suspected killer. Patel said he would not tolerate any more ‘Mickey Mouse operations’. It was one of his few utterances without profanity.”

… “The killing of Kirk not only posed a challenge to agents racing to find the shooter, it also represented a grave leadership test for Patel. His swift pronouncements about the inquiry have revived concerns about his lack of experience, obsession with social media and purge of some of the bureau’s most experienced investigators.”

… Christopher Rufo with right-wing Hillsdale College: “I'm grateful that UT authorities have captured the suspect in the Kirk assassination, and think it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI. He performed terribly in the last few days, and it's not clear whether he has the operational expertise to investigate, infiltrate, and disrupt the violent movements—of whatever ideology—that threaten the peace in the US.”

… “We would be wise to take a moment and ask whether Kash Patel has what it takes to get this done. I've been on the phone the last few days with many conservative leaders, all of whom wholeheartedly support the Trump Admin and none of whom are confident that the current structure of the FBI is up to this task.”

… Yesterday, Rep. Nancy Mace was ranting and raving on the steps of the Capitol claiming the shooter was a trans person: “This shit needs to end! Enough is enough. It sounds like the shooter was a tranny or pro-tranny. Just because I want to protect women now I have to worry about getting murdered? Are you fucking kidding me?”

… Naturally, she never apologized when it turned out to be a straight, white guy from a Republican family in Utah.

… Laura Loomer: “Tyler Robinson must be put to death during the Trump admin or the next Democrat President will pardon him and give him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

… Eric Trump has been using the Kirk shooting to promote his new book: "Two days after I announced this book, and we see exactly what happened to Charlie. That is us being under siege. That is our party, that is our movement, that is God being under siege, that's our Constitution being under siege, that's our American flag being under siege, that's the family unit in this country being under siege."

… Eric also posted a link to his book while talking about Kirk and promised to donate “a portion of the proceeds” to his TPUSA organization.

… The Hill: “Teachers, firefighters, elected officials and even a cable news contributor have lost their jobs or are under investigation after comments they made about the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. Reports of teachers and school administrators around the country being put on leave proliferated Thursday less than 24 hours after Kirk’s death. School employees in Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio were all being investigated for posts made on social media.”

… Trump also announced he is sending the National Guard to Memphis, TN next instead of Chicago: “We're going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled, the mayor is happy, Democratic mayor. Mayor is happy and governor of Tennessee is happy. It’s deeply troubled. We're going to fix it like we did DC. I would prefer to go to Chicago, we’d love to save Chicago, but they don’t want us. We don’t want to go into a hostile area.”

… I’m not sure Memphis mayor Paul Young exactly agrees with what Trump said. It sounds to me what he really wants is more resources not troops: “I was informed that the Governor and the President were considering deploying the National Guard and other resources to Memphis. I am committed to working to ensure any efforts strengthen our community and build on our progress. We agree with Gov Lee that effective support for Memphis comes through focused initiatives that deliver results like we have seen with the FBI, state troopers, and other law enforcement partnerships.”

… “What we need most are financial resources for intervention and prevention, additional patrol officers, and case support to strengthen MPD’s investigations. Memphis is already making measurable progress in bringing down crime, and we support initiatives that help accelerate the pace of the work our officers, community partners, and residents are doing every day.”

… Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for Gov: “Today, President Trump answered my call to do whatever it takes to Make Memphis Safe Again, and I applaud his decision to send the National Guard to Memphis following his tremendous success in reducing violent crime in DC. Time and time again, President Trump has stepped in to restore law and order in blue cities that refuse to protect their own citizens, and I will continue working alongside the Trump admin to hold left-wing officials accountable for the consequences of soft-on-crime agendas.”

… When Trump was asked for the first time last night about Russian drones flying deep into Poland’s airspace until they were shot down, this was his take: "It could have been a mistake.”

… That’s the same thing he says whenever he is asked why Putin keeps bombing apartment buildings and hospitals.

… Polish PM Donald Tusk responded: "We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn't. And we know it."

… Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk: "I think this is a message that should reach President Trump today: there's no question of a mistake - this was a deliberate Russian attack."

… Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski: “No, that wasn’t a mistake.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE): “One drone may be a mistake. 19 Russian drones flying over Poland is not a mistake. We expect more spine from our President.”

… Seems like Bacon has now found a little bit of his spine after announcing his retirement. But he still won’t sign the Epstein petition.

… Trump was asked about it on Fox by Brian Kilmeade, who is pro-Ukraine: Q - “What does clamping down on Putin look like? Trump: It will be hitting hard with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs also. But I've already done it, I've done a lot.”

… Kilmeade is pro-Ukraine but also very afraid of Trump. So he didn’t follow up or call him out for his lies - since it is well known to everyone on the planet (especially Putin) that he has done absolutely nothing except bloviate.

… WSJ chief foreign affairs correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov: “Putin’s first military probe of NATO elicited a public shrug from the White House. This all but guarantees escalation by Russia.”

… A reporter confronted Trump on his claim that he ended the war in Congo: “This week, Mr. President, I witnessed more than 60 people in DRC Congo were killed. Various people affiliated with ISIS are taking advantage because of the situation going on because of the war. Trump: It's a very violent place. It's been going on 30 years, 35 years. But we are going to handle it. Thank you.”

… He then walked away.

… WH pool report from the Yankees game last night: “President Trump was out of our sight for 46 minutes. He got up from his seat at 8:09 and walked inside, returning at 8:55. Closed doors made it impossible to peer in for most of the missing period. There are no new guests in the box and Trump is again sitting next to Yankees President Levine. We have no information on what he was doing.”

… Trump was asked why he has been trying to get Republican nominee for NYC mayor Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the race against Mandami: “I'm a Republican, but Curtis is not exactly prime time. He wants cats in Gracie Mansion. We don’t need thousands of cats there.”

… The real reason is to help Andrew Cuomo. But for some reason he had to blame Sliwa’s cats.