The speaker chosen to deliver the commencement address at the university where Charlie Kirk was assassinated posted about the “harm” of his words shortly after he was killed. 
Backlash is building after Utah Valley University <a href="https://www.uvu.edu/news/2025/sharon-mcmahon-2026-commencement-speaker.html">announced</a> last month that the supposedly “non-partisan” author Sharon McMahon would be speaking at graduation this year, drawing criticism from conservative students over her social media posts after Kirk’s death. Kirk was gunned down on September 10, 2025, while holding one of his popular campus events at the university in Orem, Utah. 
McMahon, who dubs herself “America’s Government Teacher,” is an educator who frequently focuses her criticism on the Trump administration and conservatives. Shortly after Kirk&#8217;s assassination, McMahon posted a series of out-of-context quotes from Kirk to explain why “there is so much backlash to posts eulogizing his death,” claiming that Kirk “was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses” if you were black or Muslim. 
Local outlets have <a href="https://kutv.com/news/local/backlash-at-uvu-follows-selection-of-speaker-tied-to-posts-about-charlie-kirk">reported</a> on the posts, which have since been deleted from social media. 
“It’s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words and the ensuing actions his followers took,” McMahon wrote, according to a local CBS affiliate. 
After the university announced that McMahon would be speaking, the Turning Point USA chapter at Utah Valley University <a href="https://x.com/TPUSAatUVU/status/2042340596761997695">released</a> a statement calling the move disappointing. 
“Hours immediately after Charlie’s assassination, Sharon McMahon posted a now deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy, rather than offering condolences or condemning political violence,” chapter president Caleb Chilcutt said.
“There are countless better alternatives, and the fact that the university is choosing McMahon is entirely disappointing to all of us still reeling from his loss. I couldn’t be more disappointed in this university for such a hurtful and callous decision,” he added. 
Utah Senator Mike Lee weighed in on the issue, <a href="https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2042774342396973415">writing</a> on X, “Who else thinks UVU should find another commencement speaker?”
The university did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire, but previously <a href="https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/04/08/uvu-commencement-speaker-sharon-mcmahon-controversy-charlie-kirk-comments/">told</a> Deseret News that McMahon’s selection was “overwhelmingly positive” and “well received.” 

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University Where Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated Taps Speaker Tied To Sick Posts

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University Where Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated Taps Speaker Tied To Sick Posts