What happens in the US affects most corners of the world. And so when something catastrophic happens, the reaction that follows often affects parts of the world far away from the US. This was true for the US reactions after September 11, 2001. This is true of the closure of USAID, and this has been true of Trumps recent Trade tariffs.

Yesterday evening a controversial Republican figure and well-known Trump ally named Charlie Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University, in Utah. He had been on a tour (The American Comeback Tour – note at the publishing of this article the website had not been amended yet to reflect this tragic incident), and was shot while sat under a branded gazebo type tent talking to students who had come to hear him speak.

Sky News has a clip here, showing what happened

Donald Trump said it was a “dark moment for America”. Below is the full clip of the video Trump released after news broke of Kirk’s assassination:

But Kirk, who was only 31 years old, was a hugely divisive figure, and built his career on antagonizing liberals, progressives, and the political left in general – through his work with Turning Point USA (which he founded) and relentless attacks on campus culture, identity politics, and Democratic policies.

But despite his beliefs, no one deserves to be killed because of what they believe. So this political assassination must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. US authorities say that the assailant is still at large.

Nevertheless, while this death is a tragic loss of life and a callous form of violence, the problem now is that Kirk’s death, will cause greater divisions in US society. It most definitely will embolden the Trump administration to further encroach on civil liberties, and on democratic institutions and electoral processes. Already Trump in the video above seems to be blaming the Radical Left for his death. Thus, what his administration does next will be telling as to how this tragic incident further fuels the already deeply polarized culture wars in the US.

Further, since the violence is most likely going to be blamed on the Left it is likely that militant Far Right groups and other anarchist gangs may take advantage of what has happened to try and cause further destabilization and violence in the US. They may start targeting democratic party supporters, minority groups, or people who they believe contributed to this tragic incident.

• Who was Charlie Kirk (Al Jazeera)