There’s no doubt that the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has thrown the U.S. for a loop. The public and politicians alike are grappling with everything from the gruesome videos of the shooting to the ramifications of posting about Kirk on social media. Plus, conservatives and leftists have accused each other of fanning the flames of political violence. Amid the chaos, Katie took the time to sit down with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who gave unique insight into the calamitous situation. After all, Beshear isn’t a stranger to stepping across party lines to emphasize unity: In 2023, he won reelection by five points in a state that Donald Trump carried by 30.
In this comprehensive chat, he and Katie dig deep into the rhetoric that’s dividing the left and right, including how Beshear would have responded to the shooting if he were president. Beshear also explains how he would feel if the National Guard were sent to his state — plus, he explains what the Trump administration could learn from George W. Bush’s reaction to 9/11. Read some of the highlights below and watch the full video for more.
Katie Couric: When terrible things like this happen, they provide a moment for a president to exhibit true leadership. I’m curious how you would have addressed the nation following Charlie Kirk’s assassination and what you would have said to the American people at that moment.
Gov. Andy Beshear: I would have condemned all violence to make sure that we put this in human terms, because we have to see each other as human beings. We’ve got so much dehumanizing going on in politics [and so many] attempts to see portions of our population as less than human, less than deserving, maybe just less than. I think one of the ways that we have to address a situation like this — but also the current state of our country — is to humanize everyone. To recognize [that] you can argue all you want, but that is another human being.
On the other side of the table, my faith helps me make decisions. And the golden rule that you love your neighbor as yourself has no asterisks, no exceptions. It’s challenging, but my belief is that’s what we’re called on to do. It’s how I try to respond in circumstances.
I think one of the reasons we see a little more unity in Kentucky is because we’ve been through more natural disasters than any other state in the last five years. We’ve seen hardships, but we’ve never addressed or responded to any of them as Democrats or Republicans. We’ve just responded to them as Kentuckians. So if I had been in this position, I would have been calling on all of us as Americans to be better, to protect each other, to put our lives and well-being above the politics. And to remind people that there are a lot of things, like going home to your kids at night, that are a lot more important than our current arguments.
VP JD Vance and other senior administration officials announced a crackdown on liberal groups who Vance said were responsible for Kirk’s death — even though officials say that this individual acted alone. As The New York Times put it, they spoke in vague and menacing terms about far-left groups that they said facilitated the violence. What’s your reaction to that?
They’re missing the moment. They’ve got a moment to show true leadership, true statesmanship, to be the very best of who we are. To live out our faith and our values, and not to respond to this in a way that creates more “us versus them.” The fundamental concern that I have for our country right now is this intentional division where you try to turn one part of the population against another.
It’s against everything that we talk about being as Americans. I think about the Pledge of Allegiance, where we actually pledge — and we have our kids pledge — to keep the country indivisible. We say that word in the middle of the pledge. So, everything can’t be about blaming this group or that group or putting half the country into a bucket and telling the other half that they should be upset with them.
We’re all so much more nuanced than just being left or right, Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. We all have different views based on our life experiences. And so this attempt to blame it on a group instead of an individual who created a horrific act, and use it to turn people against each other…I think it’s the wrong approach. A tragedy like this should remind us how important life is and how much we care about each other, not make us care about each other less.
We just recognized 9/11. And I know that’s very personal to you, having been on the air during it. The fire chief of Lexington talked in our ceremony about how 9/11 was a day of tragedy, but 9/12 was a day of unity. I think, regardless of how you view George W Bush and his views, that day was a moment of unity. He stepped in and supported people who were hurting. That’s an example from a Republican president that I wish our current president and vice president would see.
