White House slams Katie Couric for grilling Fetterman on Charlie Kirk

Journalist and podcast host Katie Couric spoke with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Thursday’s episode of her podcast “Subsequent Query,” by which she debated President Donald Trump and Turning Level USA founder Charlie Kirk — prompting a heated response from the White Home.

All through the episode, Couric appeared to strain Fetterman to disavow each Trump and Kirk, however the Pennsylvania senator stood his floor.

At one level, Couric requested whether or not he thought it was acceptable for Kirk’s physique to be flown house on Air Power Two, or whether or not he ought to have been posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom. She added that some critics felt the Trump administration’s tributes had been “excessive by way of mourning somebody like Charlie Kirk.”

Fetterman mentioned it was the administration’s selection earlier than Couric pressed him about Kirk’s previous rhetoric, which she mentioned some would label as “excessive.”

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Charlie Kirk’s casket is faraway from Air Power Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport on September 11, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Eric Thayer/Getty Pictures)

In response to Couric’s feedback, White Home communications director Steven Cheung criticized the podcast host on X in a publish Thursday.

“This washed up fool @katiecouric is an absolute creep. She is attempting to justify the heinous homicide of Charlie Kirk. Disgusting folks like Katie needs to be shamed and embarrassed endlessly,” Cheung wrote.

Fetterman and Couric had been discussing the tried assassination of Trump in 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, when the dialog shifted to Kirk’s homicide.

The senator famous that whereas he disagreed with most of the issues Kirk mentioned, it was “utterly acceptable” to permit folks to grieve and respect their area with out “taking that chance to underscore an argument or remind folks, ‘Hey, I disagree.” ”

“A father of younger youngsters was shot in public due to his political opinions, and that could be a tragedy and provides folks area to grieve,” he added.

Fetterman claimed that whereas he “disagreed with a lot of it,” Kirk’s rhetoric would “by no means justify what occurred” and that he selected to not “take the chance to argue his views after youngsters misplaced their fathers in essentially the most violent, public manner.”

After Fetterman added that “excessive rhetoric makes it simpler for or to justify excessive responses,” Couric countered by saying some would contemplate Kirk’s rhetoric “excessive.”

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Based on The Deseret Information, Kirk was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, whereas talking on the Turning Level USA occasion at Utah Valley College in Orem, Utah. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret Information through AP)

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Earlier within the podcast, Couric questioned Fetterman about his earlier declare that Trump shouldn’t be an autocrat as a result of his presidency is “the product of democratic elections.” The podcast host argued that “historical past has proven that even leaders who come to energy by means of elections can nonetheless govern in anti-democratic methods.”

“So I’ve to ask this when you think about a few of Donald Trump’s behaviors and insurance policies, resembling deploying federal troops in American cities, undermining the independence of the Justice Division, and attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Do not you thoughts?” she requested.

“In fact,” Fetterman responded, including that he strongly pushed again on Trump’s declare that Pennsylvania was not a “truthful and free election.”

“However I do not assume we’re in an autocracy proper now,” he continued. “We’re in a democracy and that’s the reason they had been capable of shut down our authorities. And that does not imply we admire what is going on.”

Senator John Fetterman and journalist Katie Couric mentioned President Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk on the “Subsequent Query” podcast on Thursday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Pictures; John Lamparski/Getty Pictures)

Couric continued to press Fetterman on Trump, asking if he thought the insurance policies the president is implementing are “anti-democratic.” She then requested if, even when he does not consider we dwell in an autocracy, he would a minimum of admit that “a number of the issues that [Trump] what he’s doing is clearly antidemocratic and presumably even unconstitutional.”

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As a “dedicated Democrat,” Fetterman acknowledged that the 2 have completely different opinions on whether or not Trump is an autocrat or not, however he does not name folks “fascists or Nazis or evaluate folks to Hitler.” He argued that these comparisons are “a part of the rationale why we misplaced our election final 12 months.”