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MSNBC fires Matthew Dowd for saying what we all know [1]

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Date: 2025-09-11

The spinelessness of the American media was on display again today when MSNBC fired commentator Matthew Dowd for expressing his opinion about today’s political environment. I’m no fan of the former George Bush strategist, but at least he was a Republican who recognized the dangers Donald Trump represented not only to his party but to the country.

So yesterday in a discussion of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Katy Tur asked Dowd to summarize “the environment in which a shooting like this happens” and he said:

“Yeah, and again, I just want to emphasize what you just emphasized, we don’t know any of the full details of this, that we don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration, or so, we have no idea of this. But following up with what was just said, he’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures, in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech, or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to hateful thoughts, lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions, and I think that’s the environment that we’re in, that people just... you can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have, and then saying these awful words, and then not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”

Last night the network apologized for Dowd’s comments then this morning they fired him. For what? For saying what we all know?

First Dowd said “we have no idea” who shot Kirk or why. MAGA and people like Jesse Watters and even Donald Trump are blaming Democrats and calling for retribution, but others on the far-right, like Nick Fuentes and Laura Loomer, were not fans of Kirk either. It’s also possible the shooting had nothing to do with Kirk’s political views. So we don’t know, which is what Dowd said.

The final two paragraphs point out that Kirk trafficked in hate speech and anyone who operates in that arena should not be surprised if they are visited by hate themselves. Kirk’s beliefs are easy to find with an online search, so I won’t regurgitate his disgusting and divisive words about women, gays, trans, blacks, Islam, or just plain Democrats, who he said stand for everything God hates. (Did you know that about yourself?) Remember how he laughed about Paul Pelosi getting hammered and said the attacker was a hero. Kirk was a provocateur and his provocations were often expressed, as Dowd said, in “hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”

All over the internet today pundits are talking about the dangerous political climate we find ourselves in, which Dowd called “unfortunate.” He didn’t celebrate it or its outcomes but simply acknowledged its existence, which has led to a lot more shootings than the one yesterday in Utah.

This morning Matthew Dowd apologized for his “tone and words” but I’m not sure why.

In the comments DRo screenshots a post that points out none of the eulogizing about Kirk includes clips of him speaking, and it’s not hard to figure out why. I noticed the same here in Phoenix, where Kirk lived and where Turning Point USA is headquartered. The Arizona Republic and Arizona State University stories celebrate him for being a “conservative firebrand” without quoting him at all. Nor does the ASU article even mention TP-USA goons assaulted a gay professor on campus. The whitewashing begins.

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