UPenn Stands By Top Professor Who Shared Post Calling Charlie Kirk ‘Head Of Trump’s Hitler Youth’

The University of Pennsylvania appears to be standing by a prominent professor who shared a post calling assassinated conservative Charlie Kirk the “head of Trump’s Hitler youth,” in addition to other controversial posts.

In the wake of the 31-year-old’s targeted murder, UPenn professor and administrator Michael Mann posted and reposted a slew of negative comments about Kirk and any sympathetic reaction to the assassination. His most damning repost called Kirk the “head of Trump’s Hitler Youth.”

After much backlash, Mann deleted the post and said he “overlooked” the remark about Kirk being called the head of Trump’s Hitler youth.

“I reposted this earlier today,” he wrote. “I was simply agreeing w/ the (widespread) criticism of Ezra Klein’s claim that Kirk was ‘practicing politics the right way’. I do NOT approve of the inappropriate & inflammatory language used to describe Kirk (which I’d overlooked). Have deleted.”

Mann is one of the university’s most prominent, and controversial, faculty members. He is one of the most famous climate scientists in the world, responsible for the infamous “hockey stick” graph that showed a drastic spike in global temperatures, feeding the global warming frenzy. Critics, however, say Mann used flawed data to create a non-scientific graph that fed his political ideology,

Mann has notably limited replies to the post, which was just one of many political posts from the professor.

I reposted this earlier today. I was simply agreeing w/ the (widespread) criticism of Ezra Klein’s claim that Kirk was “practicing politics the right way”. I do NOT approve of the inappropriate & inflammatory language used to describe Kirk (which I’d overlooked). Have deleted. pic.twitter.com/7dUlLGb5EK

— Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) September 12, 2025

Additionally, seeming to downplay the assassination, Mann wrote about Kirk’s murder, “The white on white violence has gotten out of hand.” A repost also falsely claimed that Kirk had “direct involvement in Jan 6 planning and incitement.”

Senior administrator at the University of Pennsylvania Michael Mann is on an unhinged generational run on X, reposting comments calling Charlie Kirk the “head of Trump’s Hitler Youth.”

Mann also wrote: “The white on white violence has gotten out of hand.”

Does UPENN agree with… pic.twitter.com/YQy3mfyqxD

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 11, 2025

Mann’s posts received attention from Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick (R), who wrote, “This is despicable behavior. This dangerous rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated. I unequivocally condemn this behavior and demand UPenn to take immediate, decisive action.”

This is despicable behavior. This dangerous rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated. I unequivocally condemn this behavior and demand UPenn to take immediate, decisive action. https://t.co/mn4M9soX5f

— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) September 12, 2025

Commenting to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Mann scolded McCormick for making “inflammatory demands.”

“It is very disappointing that Senator McCormick has mis-portrayed me in this way, let alone made such inflammatory demands,” he said.

The Daily Wire reached out to UPenn’s media team and UPenn President J. Larry Jameson but have failed to receive a response. Other outlets have reached out to UPenn about Mann’s social media posts, too, and have similarly failed to receive comment.

It appears the university is standing by Mann.

Notably, in 2024, UPenn received more than $1 billion in federal taxpayer dollars.

Moreover, the jarring political social media posting seems to be a pattern with Mann. Back in 2024, Mann reposted a fake headline that called on then-President Joe Biden to “drone strike Donald Trump.” He captioned the post, “I agree with the multiverse NYT editorial.”

Trump has been the target of numerous assassination attempts, including one that tragically killed one of his supporters, Pennsylvania man Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who died shielding his family from gunfire.

Screenshot: X

GOP communications director Zach Parkinson said that Mann is “part of the Democrat establishment,” and a former Hillary Clinton advisor, which can be found on Mann’s website.

“Mann isn’t some random lefty Twitter troll,” Parkinson said. “He’s a part of the Democrat establishment. He’s been repeatedly invited by Democrats to testify in front of Congress, was an advisor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, and is regularly featured by Democrats at political events.”

Mann isn’t some random lefty Twitter troll. He’s a part of the Democrat establishment.

He’s been repeatedly invited by Democrats to testify in front of Congress, was an advisor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, and is regularly featured by Democrats at political events. https://t.co/yQF43ymyJ4 pic.twitter.com/uV9iiPHP7N

— Zach Parkinson (@AZachParkinson) September 12, 2025

Related: Charlie Kirk, The Perfect Embodiment Of Salt And Light