Veterans Demand to Trump, Political Leaders: Restore Calm and Common Ground After Charlie Kirk Shooting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2025
“…we are calling on President Trump and political leaders of every party to meet this moment with clarity: political violence has no place in America. There is a real human cost to fanning the flames of division.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As veterans and military families, Common Defense and its membership knows the dangers of division and unchecked violence. In response to the heinous act of political violence that resulted in the assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday and the horrific assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband earlier this summer, we are calling on President Trump and political leaders of every party to meet this moment with clarity: political violence has no place in America. There is a real human cost to fanning the flames of division.
To no one’s benefit, our nation seems to be at a crossroads. In his latest Truth Social post, President Trump rightfully expressed grief, but chose to identify the “radical left” as culprits for this act despite the motive still being unknown. Leaders can choose to continue down a path of rage, blame, and hostility or they can choose to lower the temperature of the current political climate and collectively call this nation back to a sustainable state of civility and reconciliation. At a time when tensions are currently running high, Americans desperately need restraint in rhetoric, thoughtful leadership, and responsibility from those in power. Now is not the time to recklessly alienate others or lean into anger as the nation needs its leaders to work towards unity.
As veterans who have served in conflict zones, we understand what happens when societies devolve into conflict. We’ve seen it up close, and we are determined not to see it here. Division isn’t a strength – it’s surrender. Real strength is the courage to come together, to keep building as a country. And we have the power to reject the game extremists and politicians play when they try to pit us against one another.
Instead of centering around political parties or ideology, leaders in this moment should be focused on preserving the fabric of this nation from being ripped apart. Our democracy cannot withstand normalized violence. Our democracy depends on leaders choosing healthy dialogue over division, real accountability over excuses, and peace over any form of violence.
The choice at this present moment is clear: reconciliation or ruin. As veterans and military families we demand accountability. We demand bipartisan responsibility in this matter. We demand peace.
###
Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.