A Sickness Spreads

Erick Erickson on Apr 17, 2026

After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, podcaster Candace Owens turned her wrath on Mr. Kirk's widow, Erika. Owens began perpetuating conspiracy theories about Mrs. Kirk with a heavy implication that Mrs. Kirk was somehow tied to Israel, which itself was tied to Mr. Kirk's assassination.

Meanwhile, in Utah, Tyler Robinson is standing trial for Mr. Kirk's murder. His parents and his partner will be witnesses for the prosecution. Robinson left a trail of evidence and confessions behind. He had been radicalized into transgender politics and wanted to kill Mr. Kirk because of his views. A potential witness for the defense is President Donald Trump's former counterterrorism director, Joe Kent, who went down conspiracy theory rabbit holes with Owens to conclude perhaps outside agents had killed Mr. Kirk.

Owens has been excused by podcasters Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson and amplified by comedian-turned-podcaster Theo Von, who, like Kelly and Carlson, has some newfound antagonism towards Israel. Von has become an antisemitic conspiracy theorist who is friends with Owens.

So it was notable that, on Tuesday night, Vice President Vance recommended young people listen to Theo Von. The Vice President did so at a Turning Point USA event that Erika Kirk could not attend because of threats against her from those who have gone down the rabbit hole Candace Owens opened, and Theo Von amplified. It was also notable that the vice president did not recommend Tucker Carlson, who is a close friend of his and whose son works for him.

Carlson has turned on President Trump, referring to him as a slave, words echoed by Owens, as they subtly suggest that the Jews control the president. Carlson has begun praising Islam, denying that Muslims are killing Christians and claims Islam believes in Jesus. Islam actually rejects Jesus as the Son of God and, in the Middle East, Muslims will kill converts to Christianity.

If this all sounds like a soap opera, it is, but it is also a sickness spreading that has ensnared a very hyper-online Vice President of the United States who cannot seem to put clear distance between himself and those infecting the American right with antisemitism. But the sickness is not just on the right.

On the Left, Democrats are championing Graham Platner, a communist candidate for the Senate in Maine who, as a self-declared history buff, got a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo on his chest. The symbol was tied to the SS as it engaged in the Holocaust. But much of the national press has insisted, like CBS News, that the tattoo "resembles" the Totenkopf. It resembles it because it is the Totenkopf. Platner now blames "military culture" for getting the tattoo.

In the past, Platner defended Hamas tactics that led to the killing of ten Israeli soldiers. He has told rape victims to wear "Kevlar panties." He has defended urinating on corpses. He is the leading Democratic candidate for the Senate in Maine.

Around the country, Democrats are campaigning with a live-streamer named Hasan Piker, who they see as a way to connect to young people. Piker has called for people to assassinate Republican candidates and engage in other acts of violence. He has laughed about rape victims, mocked victims of communist violence, praised Mao, praised the Chinese Communist Party, lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union and expressed his contempt for the United States of America. Democrats are lining up to campaign with him.

A recent study showed that Piker and white nationalist live-streamers Nick Fuentes and Clavicular (don't ask) get between 16,000 and 33,000 views on their livestreams. But people on social media are overwhelmed with their clips. Piker gets over 700,000 views of clips on social media, while Clavicular gets 251,000 views. The social media algorithms are amplifying the extremists.

Unfortunately, the Vice President of the United States and many of his supporters and the Democratic Party have all embraced varying forms of antisemites, conspiracists and extremists because they have interpreted the algorithm as reality. The result is that the wife of a murdered man struggles to go out in public and the Democrats are elevating to federal office candidates who openly support killing Jews. The sickness is spreading.

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To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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