Professor Cornel West abruptly left a panel discussion on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Monday during a segment focused on the political assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
The exchange quickly grew contentious after comments about the role of political rhetoric in fueling violence.
Host Piers Morgan opened the discussion by criticizing what he described as the rhetoric of the “woke left” toward President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Morgan said the repeated comparisons of Trump to figures such as Adolf Hitler and labeling his supporters as Nazis or fascists have created an environment where violence becomes more likely.
“There is little doubt to me that the constant rhetoric on the left, the woke left — let me be specific to where I think a lot of the blame lies — ever since Donald Trump came into power in 2016, has been this relentless use of the phrases ‘Hitler,’ ‘Nazis,’ ‘fascists’ about Trump and about Trump’s supporters,” Morgan said.
He added that this language has been repeated so often that it influences younger individuals who may believe they must act against what they have been told is the threat of another Hitler or fascist regime.
“Do you agree that this language, this relentless, in my view, woeful misuse, particularly of the word ‘Nazi,’ towards Trump and his supporters, is part of the problem?” Morgan asked West.
This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year
West responded by broadening the conversation.
“Well, I think part of the deeper problem though, brother Pierce, is that the organized greed and weaponized hatred and routinized indifference toward the vulnerable has come together in such a way that it has eroded the sources of character formation, so that integrity, honesty, decency and self-critical sensibilities in of individuals and groups is more and more disappearing,” he said.
West said that hatred is “promiscuous,” arguing it can be found in all political groups.
He emphasized that the danger comes from how such qualities become lethal in a polarized environment.
Andrew Wilson, co-host of the “Whatever” podcast, then challenged West directly, claiming that West himself had used terms such as “neo-fascist” when describing Trump’s administration.
“Yes indeed, you’re absolutely right,” West admitted, which led to a heated exchange as the two raised their voices.
Wilson pressed West, arguing that rhetoric like that contributed to Kirk’s assassination.
West pushed back, denying the claim and asserting that “there are such a thing as neo-fascists.”
As the argument escalated, West criticized Morgan for how the panel was being moderated, saying the host was more focused on creating television drama than facilitating an honest discussion.
West said that while he recognized Kirk “as having been made in the image of God just like any other human being,” he objected to the way the debate was being handled.
“It’s a joke, man! It’s not worth it!” West said as he stood and began to leave the set.
When pressed again about his remarks on Trump, West cited Kirk’s criticism of the Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr. as examples of why he believed the term “neo-fascist” applied. He then exited the stage.
After West’s departure, Morgan told viewers it was “farcical to quit a debate where we’re literally debating about the importance of free speech and being able to listen to each other’s opinions.”
The segment added to the growing national debate about the impact of political language following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which has triggered widespread discussions about the role of rhetoric and responsibility in shaping political violence.
Read the full article here