Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down last week during an outdoor speaking appearance at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a conservative activist, which prompted a mixed reaction to his death. That is crazy to me. No one deserves this. American, Delta and United airlines have all suspended workers over inflammatory Charlie Kirk comments and posts.
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, told staff in a memo obtained by xJonNYC on X (Twitter): “Whether we’re in uniform and on the clock, online or out in public, our colleagues, customers and communities expect us to reflect Delta’s values of integrity, care and servant leadership that we hold dear. This week we were made aware of Delta employees whose social media content related to the recent murder of activist Charlie Kirk went well beyond healthy respectful debate. These social posts stand in stark contrast to our values and our social media policy, and these employees have been suspended pending an investigation. Violations of our social media policy can carry meaningful consequences including termination. Remember that we all represent Delta at all times in any forum. It’s essential that we act in ways that uphold our shared values and the human connection that defines us. Thank you for all you do every day to take care of our customers and each other.”
Delta Airlines:
we’re gonna be hearing quite a bit over next few hours/days about employee suspensions (including some pilots) all– far as I can tell– related to current events— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) September 13, 2025
Jon was right in saying in his caption: “we’re gonna be hearing quite a bit over next few hours/days about employee suspensions (including some pilots) all– far as I can tell– related to current events.”
American Airlines was also quick to take to social media to condemn any of their employees’ negative posts, especially after a pilot was called out with screenshots of his posts and his LinkedIn profile linking him to the airline. American wrote on X, “American Airlines condemns violence of any kind. Furthermore, hate-related or hostile behavior runs contrary to our purpose, which is to care for people on life’s journey. Any such behavior is unacceptable and we have already initiated action to address this with our team.” Here’s AA’s social media policy.
Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) retweeted it with this message: “American Airlines pilots who were caught celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk have been immediately grounded and removed from service by @AmericanAir. This behavior is disgusting and they should be fired. Any company responsible for the safety of the traveling public cannot tolerate that behavior. We heal as a country when we send the message that glorifying political violence is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!”
American Airlines pilots who were caught celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk have been immediately grounded and removed from service by @AmericanAir.
This behavior is disgusting and they should be fired.
Any company responsible for the safety of the traveling public… https://t.co/nq2B3G84hu
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) September 13, 2025
Unfortunately, I’m not surprised because I find that social media and the internet can bring out the worst in people. It doesn’t matter who dies … there are almost always negative posts about that person. I don’t know what it is that makes anyone want to mock or celebrate someone in death.
What I do find surprising is that it appears to be people on the far right who are opposed to cancel culture that are trying to get all of these people fired. As my friend and colleague Gary Leff from ViewFromTheWing writes: “He [Kirk] was vehemently opposed to ‘cancel culture’ and argued it prevents free and honest open debate. He compared canceling people to retreating from discourse, urging confronting controversial views in conversation rather than silencing or ostracizing them. And his killing was literally an attack on free speech.” And that “Kirk’s supporters wouldn’t have been fans of cancel culture when they were on the receiving end. They shouldn’t be resorting to it now.”
As one person posted on Facebook: “What happened to freedom of speech? As long as airline employees did not make the remarks in uniform or on work sites or equipment, they should be left alone.”
It will be interesting to see if Elon Musk makes good on his 2023 promise, when he wrote, “If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know.”
But the moral of the story is: Be mindful of what you post on social media. It could cost you your job.
