Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz engaged in a fiery on-air clash with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday night over the suspected motive of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last week.
Cruz and Collins repeatedly talked over each other on The Source on Tuesday night, as Cruz attempted to argue that Robinson was a “left-wing activist,” who was motivated to carry out his attack by leftist ideologies.
Collins pushed back and attempted to clarify the facts, including that law enforcement has not yet confirmed Robinson’s motive for killing Kirk. “We don’t have a motive yet, we don’t know yet, we’re still waiting,” she said.
“We don’t have a motive yet? Really? That’s CNN’s position? He just happened to fire the gun in celebration,” Cruz said, mockingly.
Utah prosecutors offered the closest indication of motive yet on Tuesday after releasing texts from the suspect after charging the 22-year-old with capital murder charges. “Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson said.
On CNN, the pair continued to talk over each other as Cruz argued that authorities had disclosed a motive and CNN was engaging in “misinformation.” Collins repeatedly tried to correct the record and continue the interview.
“Senator, that’s not what I said,” Collins replied. “I said law enforcement hasn’t laid out a direct motive. They’ve laid out a lot of evidence here of the messages and what has been said.”
“They said he was a left-wing activist who hated Charlie Kirk,” Cruz retorted.
Collins paused, clearly agitated, “Senator, with all due respect, you know exactly what I’m saying. I’m not arguing with you politically; I’m saying that law enforcement has not put a specific motive. You know that there’s a difference in what they’re putting in a legal argument than what you’re talking about.”
Cruz repeated that Collins’ statements were false, much to the frustration of Collins.
“You’re putting a lot of statements that I did not say,” Collins argued. “We just laid out the facts in the opening of this show… and we just spoke to the deputy attorney general,” Collins countered.
As Cruz accused CNN of publishing misinformation, Collins shot back, “they did not set a concrete motive of exactly what it was, they laid out every evidence that we know so far… it’s not misinformation, senator.”
Cruz continued to interrupt, “So you’re not going to answer my question?”
“Senator, I’m the one asking questions here,” Collins shot back.
After more back and forth and interruptions between the pair, Collins was able to ask Cruz if he believed right-wing groups should also be investigated.
Cruz agreed but then blamed the left “for overwhelmingly celebrating this.”
In the days following the shooting of 31-year-old Kirk at Utah Valley University, people have sought to make sense of Robinson’s motive. Several messages scratched onto bullets found near the scene that contained references to internet culture and memes have spurred intense public interest.
Republicans were quick to paint Robinson as a left-wing activist, with President Donald Trump threatening a major investigation into “agitators” on the left, and Cruz calling for “antifa” to be designated as a terrorist organization earlier Tuesday.
Speaking to Collins, Cruz said that the government should go after “anyone funding acts of violence,” but repeatedly argued that this was “overwhelmingly” a “left-wing problem.”
“There is some violence on both sides, but it is the left that overwhelmingly celebrates this,” Cruz argued.
He also dismissed Collins’ attempts to spotlight other instances of political violence that have targeted Democrats, like the murders of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, calling their killer a “deranged lunatic” who was not “a right wing assassin acting on a political motive.”
“There are deranged lunatics who attack people both right and left. But if you look at murders carried out for political agendas, they are overwhelmingly on the left,” Cruz told Collins.
“Can I ask a question here?” Collins interjected, before Cruz carried on. A clearly exasperated Collins sighed and said “OK,” before closing out the conversation.
“Senator, I don‘t think that anyone should celebrate someone’s murder regardless of what that person believes in,” she said, as Cruz began to interrupt again.
“If you celebrate it, I think that’s wrong and I think that’s evil and Senator Ted Cruz, I thank you for your time.”
Cruz shot back with a laugh before Collins cut Cruz off. “Senator Ted Cruz, thanks for your time tonight.”
Cruz later posted about the interaction on X: “We obviously know the assassin’s motive.He was a left-wing activist who hated Charlie Kirk.”
We obviously know the assassin’s motive.He was a left-wing activist who hated Charlie Kirk. pic.twitter.com/aLIou8n8nj
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 17, 2025
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