‘Civil War’ Mentions Surge Online After Kirk Assassination
The term has increasingly been invoked on social media after major political moments, highlighting divisions among Americans.
Mentions of “civil war” on X
Data includes posts, reposts and replies from July 1, 2025, to 7:45 p.m. Eastern time on Sept. 11, 2025.Source: Tweet Binder by AudienseBy The New York Times
Sheera FrenkelStuart A. Thompson
By Sheera Frenkel and Stuart A. Thompson
Sept. 12, 2025, 5:03 a.m. ET
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Minutes after the shooting of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk in Utah on Wednesday, calls for civil war began appearing online.
The term “civil war” was mentioned on Wednesday more than 129,000 times on the social platform X, according to an analysis by The New York Times. On Thursday, it was mentioned at least 210,000 times. That was up from a daily average of around 18,000 in previous months. Many of the posts that included the phrase were reposted on other platforms, including Truth Social, TikTok and Instagram.
The talk of civil war came largely from Republican lawmakers, right-wing media personalities and conservative podcasters, according to a review by The Times. Some questioned whether America was already engaged in a civil war over its values, while others called for violence after Mr. Kirk’s death.
Among those who used the phrase were Alex Jones, the creator of Infowars, a right-wing media platform; Chaya Raichik, who is behind the prominent LibsofTikTok social media account, which frequently attacks the L.G.B.T.Q. community; and Andrew Tate, the right-wing influencer known for his misogynistic views.
“Civil war,” Mr. Tate wrote in a two-word post on X after Mr. Kirk was shot. It has been viewed more than 16 million times.
The surging use of the term highlights the divisions among Americans and continues a familiar pattern of inflammatory language. In recent years, civil war has been increasingly mentioned on social media after major political moments in the United States, especially those that involve President Trump, according to a Times analysis of data from Tweet Binder by Audiense, a social media analytics company.
Rising “Civil War” Rhetoric
Online conversation about “civil war” in America took off after several recent political moments, including the F.B.I.’s raid of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022, the assassination attempt against him in 2024 and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Two-day total mentions on X
Data includes posts, reposts and replies from July 1, 2025, to 7:45 p.m. Eastern time on Sept. 11, 2025.Source: Tweet Binder by AudienseBy The New York Times
After a 2022 F.B.I. raid on Mar-a-Lago, which was part of a Justice Department inquiry into Mr. Trump’s attempts to stay in office after the 2020 election, mentions of civil war on X rose to more than 118,000 over a two-day period. In July 2024, when a gunman tried to assassinate Mr. Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, more than 260,000 mentions of civil war appeared on X over the next two days, the analysis found.
Often, the phrase was used in warnings suggesting that right-wing Americans are being targeted in a civil war or goaded to start one. Other times, “civil war” was a call to action.
Jared Holt, a researcher at Open Measures, a company that monitors influence operations online, said mentions of civil war on major social media platforms show that the term is “not fringe.” Conversations on mainstream platforms increasingly resemble the kind of extremist content he sees on far-right social media sites, he noted.
“The real risk,” he said, “is that it creates a permission structure for threats and violence against perceived political enemies.”
What Charlie Kirk Predicted About “Assassination Culture” Will Chill You To The Core – by Michael Snyder, 12Sept2025 https://michaeltsnyder.substack.com/p/what-charlie-kirk-predicted-about
surveys have discovered that we have reached a point where literally millions upon millions of Americans think that politically-motivated violence is at least somewhat justified.
Fighting Nazis, a Zesty Form of Community Theater – by Chris Bray, 12Sep2025 https://chrisbray.substack.com/p/fighting-nazis-a-zesty-form-of-community
We’ve indulged an enormous amount of dimwitted cosplay from childish moral narcissists. You see the cost. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop tolerating this monstrous idiocy.
Charlotte Stabbing Suspect Reveals Reason for Crime, And Now He Wants His Body ‘Investigated’ https://americanjournaldaily.com/charlotte-suspect-reason-crime/
Stabbing Suspect Reveals His Insane Reason for the Attack – It’s the Nuttiest Excuse Ever So…totally bonkers.
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via Miguel Gonzalez from Miguel’s Substack miguelgg@substack.com, 12Sep2025
The finger that pulled the trigger is down…. https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/the-finger-that-pulled-the-trigger
…………………..
Fighting Words – by Divemedic, 12Sep2025
video – 00:01:55 – https://x.com/OldStateSaloon/status/1966157740801405287 https://areaocho.com/fighting-words/
Fighting words are: “Words which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace.”
This comes from the Supreme Court case Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942). The Court held that certain “well-defined and narrowly limited” categories of speech are not protected by the First Amendment—including fighting words. Just being offensive isn’t enough. The speech has to be:Directed at a specific individual. Likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction.
Motives Unknown – 12Sep2025 https://areaocho.com/motives-unknown/
…the MSM is saying that no motive is yet known for the shooting, and they don’t know if it was political or not,
Winning Hearts and Minds – 12Sep2025 https://areaocho.com/17566-2/
If we have entered a phase where people who talk are being silenced through assassination, the time for talk is over. The blog has to go, and it will be time for other tactics. If people aren’t having discussions, they are fighting.
Warning Sign – 12Sep2025 https://areaocho.com/17560-2/
I have been saying since 2020 that one of the signs that a revolution is nearing its completion is the disappearance of people who can make trouble for the revolution. It’s a sign that the revolution is beginning to eliminate those who can make trouble for them.
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CAUTION CONSPIRACY ZONE – cum KILO salis
Did Someone Close To Charlie Kirk Give A Signal To The Assassin That It Was Time To Take The Shot? – by Michael Snyder, 11Sep2025 https://michaeltsnyder.substack.com/p/did-someone-close-to-charlie-kirk?
Charlie Kirk ASSASSINATION CONSPIRACY THEORIES Go Viral
video – 00:03:21 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU5HXGNukoY
Civil War 2.0 Weather Report: Mass Deportation Is The Moderate Position – by John Wilder, 08Sept2025 https://wilderwealthywise.com/civil-war-2-0-weather-report-mass-deportation-is-the-moderate-position/
The Wilder Countdown to Civil War II™.
1) Things are going well.
2) People begin to create groups.
3) People begin to look for preferential treatment.
4) Opposing ideology to the prevailing civic ideology is introduced and spread.
5) Those who have an opposing ideology are considered evil.
6) People actively avoid being near those of opposing ideology. Might move from communities or states just because of ideology.
7) Common violence. Organized violence is occurring monthly.
* 8) Common violence that is generally deemed by governmental authorities as justified based on ideology.
9) Opposing sides develop governing/war structures. Just in case.
10)Open War.
* where we are now
I have kept the Clock O’Doom to 8., given the open support of criminality in Blue cities becoming clearer by the day with their own words. They feel the violence in Chicago and Baltimore and New York and Los Angeles is justified
Submit or Die. – A Liberal view of what to do with others. – by Miguel Gonzalez, 08Sep2025 https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/submit-or-die
(WATCH the videos – they want you DEAD – They will try to kill you. – Believe what they are telling you, it is nolonger just hysterical words – whitness the increase in mass shootings done by TDS diven liberal leftis – jlr)
Imam Warns Store Owners To Stop Selling Pork, Alcohol, Lottery Tickets, Threatens Consequences – By Pamela Geller, 08Sep2025 https://gellerreport.com/2025/09/sharia-in-texas.html/?lctg=92233992
A Muslim iman in Houston, Texas is warning store owners there that they have 30 days to stop selling alcohol and pork, or face repercussions.
No coverage from the sharia-compliant media, of course.
Trump Calls for Death Penalty After Ukrainian Refugee Murdered on Charlotte Train by Repeat Offender by By Noah Stanton 10Sep2025 https://istandforfreedom.com/trump-penalty-refugee-charlotte/
The federal government is now pursuing charges that make Brown eligible for execution. The Department of Justice has classified this as an act causing death on a mass transportation system—terrorism charges, essentially.
Watch: House Democrats Loudly Object to Moment of Prayer for Charlie Kirk https://www.westernjournal.com/watch-house-democrats-loudly-object-moment-prayer-charlie-kirk/
video – 00:00:56 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1965886297140244838
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The Weatherman: Some Brief Thoughts – by Chris Bray, 10Sep2025 https://chrisbray.substack.com/p/the-weatherman-some-brief-thoughts
First, the murder of Charlie Kirk is just the next level up the behavioral chain from the way Robert F. Kennedy was just treated in front of a Senate committee. (See #8 of The Wilder Countdown to Civil War II™. above)
Second, the transition to radical violence is a reflection of the events that followed the death of the radical dream of the 1960s New Left. After the hippies, the Weatherman and the Symbionese Liberation Army.
I know this message will seem strange in this moment, but the violent lashing out isn’t a sign of strength. It’s the sign of cultural death, and evidence that the people who want to destroy disagreement are deeply, painfully aware that they cannot convince.
There will be more infliction of pain as they face that collapse.
Ally is in tears. I’m angry. I haven’t been this angry since somebody tried to take my kids from me 15+ years ago.
We are seeing a breakdown of our societal norms. We are no longer a high-trust society. As the Magic Eight Ball used to say, “All signs point to yes.”
My father used to say that he was made colorblind by an act of Congress. By this he meant that as an officer in the US Navy, he was legally bound to ignore race when interacting with those that reported to him.
In my entire life I believe I’ve only seen one reaction from him or my mother that was race-based.
In 4th grade I asked my parents if my friend from school could come over. They agreed. The parents were in contact with each other, and Mom and I went to pick up my friend.
He climbed into the car, and we had a great playdate. Afterward my parents said something about, “We weren’t expecting a black kid.”
In all my descriptions of my friend, I never mentioned his race.
I feel like I remained colorblind until middle school. In high school I was exposed to N* for the first time. They enjoyed picking on the white kids. They were crass, rude, mean. I hated the bus ride, I hated school, and I hated everything to do with the N*s. But here’s the thing: I use that word today; I didn’t at the time. Those monsters destroyed my opinion of black people. It took years before I recovered.
I did recover. I was able to look beyond race and judge people by their actions. I didn’t see racism until I was at University and was introduced to the term “Oreo” by a friend. He was describing how N*s described him.
Even when I was living with Section 8 people, the people were people. The N*s dealing drugs across the street from me and my family? Not so much.
The other day, an evil monster with black skin was riding the light rail when he decided to murder a young white woman. He took a lockblade from his pocket. He opened it. He then prepared to leave the car at the next stop.
As the train stopped, he stood, took a step to his right, leaned forward, and stabbed Iryna 3 times, murdering her before walking off the train saying, “I got that white girl.”
I have been seeing videos claiming that Iryna deserved it, because she was white. There are images out there of this evil black monster with a crown on his head and red glowing eyes praising his actions.
And I’ve seen videos made by blacks calling the white people that refuse to sit in front of them “racist.”
I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being told that I’m evil and uncaring and attempting to silence people who are saying everything they think out loud and in public.
I’m not willing to make a fuss or call them on their hate-filled screeds. It isn’t worth it.
Charlie was willing. Charlie was very good at it.
He would debate anybody who came to talk with him. Ben Shapiro is good at winning debates. He isn’t nearly as good as Charlie was at bringing people to the right.
Ally watched more of Charlie than I ever did. I didn’t watch because I can’t stay that calm in the face of such idiocy.
Today we lost Charlie.
And I’m scared. There are people from the middle that are running from the far left loons as fast as they can. They aren’t conservatives, they are not right leaning, but they sure as hell aren’t with them.
I don’t know who shot Charlie. I’ll wait to find out. I am passing judgment on the reaction of the “left.” I’m passing judgment on the rhetoric of the left, of how they constantly use the language of violence against the right.
I don’t hate them; they are not worth my energy. They say they hate me.
What am I scared of? I’m scared the light switch has been flipped in far too many people.
The left treats violence as a dimmer switch; they turn it up until it starts to look like it might be too much, then they turn it down. They use it to keep things at a low boil without things boiling over.
Unfortunately, the response isn’t on a dimmer switch. It is on a toggle switch to 20,000 volts.
It is the people who are comfortable taking 300 yard shots with Grandpa’s old hunting rifle. It is the people who walk into a place and understand egress planning as well as sight/shot lines. It is people that respond without thinking to threats as if they had been in dance class together.
These are the people who go silent while they make target lists. These are the people who will spend the time and effort to plan every part of their operation to the final degree.
And that target list is huge. It would include people who wouldn’t dream they would be on someone’s target list. They are just a talking head on MSNBC or CNN or any of the other outlets that spew hate and lies. It includes all the low-level politicians who aren’t relevant enough to be on a target list.
There is a powerful scene in Unintended Consequences where two hunters are out deer hunting. They look across the river into the backyard of a politician. They decide that they want to become part of the resistance. So they line up to take the shot, just as if it was a deer. It was an easy 250-yard shot.
They then just walked out of the woods, another pair of hunters.
How many opportunities will present themselves over the coming months to people who have had the switch flipped?
I pray for all of you to do the right thing. Stay strapped; keep your head on a swivel. Stay away from stupid people. Stay away from stupid places. And don’t be there at stupid times.
Note from Allyson: We were calling this The Daily Dump, but due to r/l things, JLR doesn’t have the ability to write every day. So we’ll take ’em as we get ’em, because they’re good! Enjoy. 🙂
British Court: Migrants Officially Supplant Natives in ‘Hierarchy of Rights’ – by Benjamin Bartee,05 Sep 2025 https://armageddonprose.substack.com/p/british-court-migrants-officially
… so-called “asylum seekers” (read: economic migrants) do enjoy superior rights to British people in Britain because… something, something “non-derogable fundamental human rights” as defined by the European Convention on Human Rights.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derogability)
“Avoid crowds – Get Out of the Cities. – NOW. A year too soon is better than a day too late” – John Wilder @ https://wilderwealthywise.com/
“God created all men, but Samuel Colt made them equal.” – Unknown
“A Smith & Wesson does more for empowering women than Feminism ever could” – Greg Gutfeld 29 Jul 2017
Don’t Do: stupid sh*t, with stupid people, in stupid places, at stupid times. – paraphrasing John Farnam, firearms instructor
“An armed society is a polite society” – Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” ― Robert A. Heinlein
“People sleep peaceably in their bed at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – Eric Arthur Blair (AKA – George Orwell)
“If your plan is to come to my house when things get bad, you need a better plan”- like being invited, having a useful skill, bringing food, or ammunition – jlr76380
“On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” – https://www.zerohedge.com/
It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. The story:
At a Phillies game, the batter hit a home run to the center field grandstands. A gaggle of people were there attempting to catch or get the ball. A father picked the ball up off the ground, took it over to his son, and placed it in his son’s glove.
Standard feel good moment at baseball games. The sort of thing that leaves a lasting memory for a young man.
Except these aren’t normal times.
Karen took offense because the ball had touched her fingers. In her mind this made the ball hers. She came over to the family—father, son, and mother—and got in Dad’s face, screaming at him that the ball was hers. Dad argues for a moment, then takes the ball from his son to give to the lady to make her go away.
This woman has no idea how her life is about to change
This was on the big screen and broadcast on NBC. She was instantly Internet Famous.
The team saw what happened, and a rep came over to give the kid a different home run ball and some other stuff. After the game, the family was invited to meet the players in person, where the son was able to get his home run ball signed.
Nice outcome.
How famous is she?
Well, she got booed out of the stadium. Other fans berated her. And the Internet did its thing.
She has been identified by name. My unconfirmed information is that she is a teacher. Again, unconfirmed, her Facebook feed and the school’s Facebook feeds have exploded with people expressing their displeasure with her attitude and behavior.
Maybe she will be a little less self-entitled in the future?
< democrat spin >
It’a all Trump’s fault – If he had just been civil, and not outlawed transgender, transgender migration of minor children, and . . . well everything – none of this would have happened.
< /democrat spin >
“Avoid crowds – Get Out of the Cities. – NOW. A year too soon is better than a day too late” – John Wilder @ https://wilderwealthywise.com/
“God created all men, but Samuel Colt made them equal.” – Unknown
“A Smith & Wesson does more for empowering women than Feminism ever could” – Greg Gutfeld 29 Jul 2017
Don’t Do: stupid sh*t, with stupid people, in stupid places, at stupid times. – paraphrasing John Farnam, firearms instructor
“An armed society is a polite society” – Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” ― Robert A. Heinlein
“People sleep peaceably in their bed at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – Eric Arthur Blair (AKA – George Orwell)
“If your plan is to come to my house when things get bad, you need a better plan”- like being invited, having a useful skill, bringing food, or ammunition – jlr76380
“On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” – https://www.zerohedge.com/
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
— U.S. Const. amend. IV.
This is where your right to privacy is protected. This protects you from needing to “show your papers.” There is no place in the United States that I know where you are required to have “your papers.”
If you choose to drive on public roads, if you are stopped for cause, you can be required to identify yourself. Driving on private land? No need for ID.
If you choose to enter a secured, private location, you can be required to show identification. For example, entering a military post/base.
So what happens if the cops show up at your doorstep and “demand” to see ID?
The first thing you need to do is realize that what you hear as a demand might not legally be a demand or order.
Police officers are trained to ask questions in such a way as to give the impression that they are ordering you to do something when they are not authorized to make that demand or give that order. “What’s your name?” is just a question. Under the Fifth Amendment, you are not required to answer that question.
You are not required to answer questions. You can choose to answer questions.
“Hello, we got a report of shots being fired. Were you shooting?” You are not required to answer. It doesn’t matter what they say until they make that magic statement, “You are required to answer.” If they do say you are required to answer, they might end up in a lawsuit.
Here is another magic one: “Do you have ID?” Many people will automatically reach for their ID when they hear this question, even though the cop didn’t even ask to see it. You assumed they took advantage of you.
When I’m presenting to 4th and 5th grade-aged children, I will sometimes ask, “Can I have your name?” or “Will you give me your name?”
When they say their name, I will thank them and then say, “My name is now *the name they gave*. What should we call you?” Many (most) get it. It one of my ways of teaching to listen to the question that is actually asked.
Can A Cop Walk Onto Your Property
The answer is a qualified “yes.” If they have a warrant to search the location, then they absolutely can enter. If they have a warrant to arrest somebody, they can enter under limitations, which I don’t remember. Lacking a warrant, they can only enter as far as the public is allowed.
This means that they can drive into your driveway, park, get out, knock on your door, and ask you questions.
On the other hand, if there is a gate or some other indicator with proper signage to stop the public, then they must stop there as well. They can park in front of your gate and yell at you, but they can’t enter without your permission.
If you are sitting on your doorstep smoking a cigar, they can come up to talk to you. In some areas, Ally says D.C. is one, your doorsteps are considered part of the “public space,” and there are regulations forbidding smoking or drinking in public.
Because you are breaking the law by smoking in a public space, the cops now have a reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime being committed. This broadens their authority to ask questions.
The regulations I found for D.C. indicate that failure to identify yourself is not an arrestable crime. It is a crime, but it cannot be used to justify an arrest nor to escalate the level of suspicion the cop has. I.e. If he suspects you of doing bad things, your refusing to identify yourself cannot be used to justify his suspicion of you doing bad things.
Consentual Contact
If you walk into the police station and ask to talk to a police officer, you are initiating a consensual contact. You are free to end that contact at any time and walk away. Likewise, It is possible that your talking to the police officer has moved this from you having a consensual contact to you being detained.
Consider the situation where a child has gone missing. The police request help from the public. You saw something suspicious, and you called the tip line. A day or so later you get a call from the detectives asking you to come in to speak with them. You do so.
While you are talking to them, you say something that confirms their suspicions that you are the person that done did it. They are not required to tell you when that happens. They are free to let you keep babbling.
You get tired of their stupid questions and accusations, stand, and ask, “Am I free to go?” If the answer is no, you are being detained. If the detention lasts more than a reasonable time, that detention turns into an arrest.
If the cops flashing lights are on behind you when you are pulled over, you are detained. If you are in handcuffs, you are detained. There are times when you should know you are detained even if the cops haven’t told you.
Reasonable articulable suspicion
Reasonable suspicion is a legal standard used to determine if the cops can legally search you.
If an officer stops someone to search them, the courts require that the officer have either a search warrant, probable cause to search, or a reasonable suspicion to search.
Reasonable articulable suspicion is the legal standard that empowers cops to conduct an investigation without a warrant.
This is a balancing act. We are balancing the need of the authorities to perform their police work with the Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections of The People. Without the power to investigate suspicious behavior, cops would not be able to deal with crimes in progress.
Consider the following: the cops are driving by, they hear shots fired, and they see a man wearing a ski mask exit the bank with a gun in his hand and a heavy bag in the other.
If the cops have a reasonable suspicion that this person has just committed a crime. They can articulate that suspicion.
Now consider this version: a call has gone out that the bank two blocks over has just been robbed. The cops see a man running down the road. He’s wearing a ski mask in 90-degree heat. They still have reasonable suspicion.
Or this: The call of a bank robbery has gone out. The cops see a black man walking down the sidewalk. That is not reasonable suspicion.
Once law enforcement has that reasonable suspicion, they can investigate. The articulable requirement means that they have to be able to put that suspicion into words. If they can’t put it into words, it is not good enough.
Police Investigations
If the police are talking to you, they are likely doing an investigation. Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law.
The cops walk up to you as you sit in your front yard; they are investigating something. If they do not have that reasonable suspicion, they can ask questions in an attempt to gain reasonable suspicion.
Consider this scenario: you are driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. The flashing blue and whites come on and you pull over. The very polite officer walks up and asks, “Do you know how fast you were going?”
You respond, “I was doing 50 or so.”
You have just admitted to the crime of speeding. The officer now has all the justification needed to continue his investigation.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?” Same thing. You don’t have to answer the question.
They walk up to you in your lawn chair, “How are you doing, sir?” “What’s going on?”
These are questions designed to elicit a response. They hope that the response will lead their investigation someplace. “Did you know smoking in a public space is prohibited?”
Answer that one, and you are answering mens rea questions.
In general, don’t answer questions. Furthermore, don’t be me; don’t be an asshole.
