Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared a viral social media post claiming that Arizona teachers were "glorifying a murder" with Halloween costumes allegedly referencing conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.
But school officials said the costumes were math-themed, predated the incident, and had no connection to any political figure, and shared a photo that they said supported that assertion.
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, whose X post DeSantis shared, later walked back his earlier assumption about the motive behind the costumes, citing the photo shared by the school official, and expressed relief that the situation may not be as sinister as first believed.
Newsweek emailed DeSantis' office for comment outside normal working hours, and asked Vail School District officials to provide original copies of the photographs.
Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of conservative student group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10 during a public event in Utah. Authorities have described the shooting as a targeted attack, though investigations into a motive are ongoing. Kirk’s killing prompted widespread reaction, with his supporters portraying it across conservative media as emblematic of escalating hostility toward right-wing figures. That political context has fueled heightened sensitivity online, with claims or incidents—like the Arizona teachers’ Halloween photo—quickly spreading as supposed examples of ideological cruelty.
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