TikTok "Kirk Assassination Audio" Outfit Videos Draw Backlash: Turning Point USA Condemns Trend on Saturday and Calls for Removal; TikTok Says It Has Taken Down Content
A trend of outfit-transition videos circulating on TikTok in recent days has drawn backlash for using audio referencing the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA. According to Fox News Digital, Turning Point USA issued a statement on Saturday condemning the trend and calling for the audio to be removed from the platform.
The statement said: "Turning Point USA condemns in the strongest terms the TikTok audio trend that uses or references the assassination of our founder, Charlie Kirk, for entertainment." It added that the trend trivializes violence: "Charlie Kirk was the victim of a real act of political violence. Turning that into viral content is grotesque and dehumanizing." It concluded: "This has no place on TikTok. Or anywhere. This audio needs to be removed."
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the audio and related content violated its policies and that enforcement action had been taken: "This does violate our policies, the audio does, and of course, the video. We've taken steps to remove them, and any kind of repostings or any other content using that audio." The spokesperson said the platform does not allow content that glorifies violence.
Criticism on social media came from across the spectrum, including conservative activist Riley Gaines and progressive journalist Taylor Lorenz, both posting on X. Turning Point USA declined to provide additional comment to Fox News Digital. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated in September 2025.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 手机与社交平台（资料图）。Smartphone and social media (file photo). Photo: Jernej Furman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
