New York Times White House Correspondent Peter Baker said that the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has become “a symbol of the toxic culture we’re in.”

Baker joined a panel discussion moderated by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, and while he did concede that Kirk was often willing to walk into places where conservatives were not often welcomed, he also suggested that riling people up was a part of Kirk’s “style.”

WATCH:

NYT’s Peter Baker: Charlie Kirk Said A Lot Of Things That Riled People Up, “A Symbol Of The Toxic Culture We’re In”

Read his remarks: https://t.co/KoGFydLGC5 pic.twitter.com/dYj1bkJhwC

— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) September 13, 2025

Goldberg began the discussion by introducing Baker and the rest of his panel, and then jumped right into the conversation.

”Let’s start at the beginning. Peter, and I want everybody to jump in this, let’s talk a little bit about Charlie Kirk, who he was and what role he played in the broader Republican ecosystem and the broader political ecosystem.”

”So, Charlie Kirk was a 31-year-old we call influencer, I guess, these days, provocateur would be another word, he — out there galvanizing young voters, particularly on the right, to support Trump,” Baker began. “He actually was not originally a Trump supporter, but became one of his most —“

“That’s not unusual,” Goldberg interrupted.

“That’s not unusual in modern conservative politics,” Baker agreed. “But at age 31, he had become, you know, a pretty significant force in young people’s politics. And he became a friend not only of Trump, but Donald Trump Jr., J.D. Vance, in particular. J.D. Vance was so moved by this event that he ripped up his schedule, flew out to Utah to personally have the casket brought home on Air Force Two to Arizona.”

Baker went on to note the scope of Kirk’s influence — saying that despite never having run for or held any elected office, the TPUSA founder had certainly made his mark among young voters and Republicans.

“Now, he said a lot of things that got a lot of people riled up, right? And that was part of his style about race, about gender, about affirmative action and Islam and things like that,” Baker continued. “But he also enjoyed going to college campuses like the one he was at. Even though he knew an audience there might include people who didn’t agree with him, and he liked to mix it up. And he’s, you know, become in this last few days, I think, a symbol of the of the toxic culture that we’re in right now, [in] politics.”

Performer Bob Vylan celebrated the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a performance, shouting vile insults from the stage as he referred to the Turning Point USA founder as a “piece of s***” and worse.

Vylan — who recently made headlines for chanting “Death to the IDF” from the stage at Glastonbury’s famed music festival — trashed Kirk from a stage adorned with a Palestinian flag, saying he’d deserved to get shot.

WATCH:

BOB VYLAN CELEBRATES DEATH OF CHARLIE KIRK

Calls Charlie “An absolute piece of sh!t”

“Pronouns Was/Were”

“Coz if you chat sh!t, you get banged.” Followed by a gun gesture.
pic.twitter.com/rBSkNloxcG

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) September 14, 2025

“I want to dedicate this next one to an absolute piece of s*** of a human being,” he began, pacing back and forth across the stage.

“The pronouns: Was/Were,” he said, prompting cheers from the audience. “‘Cos if you talk s***, you will get banged. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk, you piece of s***.”

He made a shooting gesture with his hand and then proceeded to dance around the stage as the crowd cheered some more.

Vylan prompted backlash after his Glastonbury performance when he led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death to the IDF” during the show in June. Police in the United Kingdom even considered formal charges against him at the time.

“We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon,” Avon and Somerset Police said in a post on X. “Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”

Festival officials rebuked Vylan in a statement, saying, “We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”