Charlie Kirk marked the end of affirmative action by ranting against various Black women in power.
“Three weeks ago, if we would’ve said that Joy Reid, and Michelle Obama, and Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson were affirmative action picks, we would’ve been called the racist,” Kirk said Thursday on his talk show.
“But now they’re coming out and they’re saying it for us,” the far-right commentator continued. “They’re coming out and they’re saying, ‘I’m only here because of affirmative action.’ Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously.”
He added: “You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.”
Late last month, the Supreme Court declared affirmative action programs at public and private colleges and universities unconstitutional. The decision, which is expected to have a tangible impact on Black and Latino students, has already spurred activism and outcry.
Reid, Obama, Jackson Lee, and Jackson ― an MSNBC host, former first lady, U.S. representative, and Supreme Court justice, respectively — have all expressed strong disagreement with the ruling.
Kirk’s racist tirade was followed by footage of Jackson Lee stating that although the Texas Democrat was “a clear recipient of affirmative action, and particularly in higher education,” she graduated on her own merits. The point appeared lost on Kirk.
“It’s very obvious to us that you were not smart enough to be able to get in on your own,” he said.
The diatribe was met with warranted disgust on Twitter by the likes of award-winning journalist John Harwood and former White House aide Keith Boykin. A clip of Kirk’s remarks went viral after being shared by the Twitter account PatriotTakes, which describes its purpose as “exposing right-wing extremism.”
Those familiar with Kirk presumably weren’t surprised by his latest rant. The right-wing media personality has previously called white privilege “racist” and “a lie,” and he has urged Texans to deport Haitian immigrants.
Naturally, he has also espoused conspiracy theories about Donald Trump’s failed presidential reelection bid in 2020. Kirk once revealed his ignorance of basic U.S. politics when falsely claiming that the number of counties a candidate wins is more important than the number of votes.
Meanwhile, Kirk’s nationwide organization of student Republicans, Turning Point USA, has revealed itself as a bastion for racists and extremists. A former national field director named Crystal Clanton, for instance, once texted a colleague: “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like fuck them all.”