Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk is known for adding a layer of casual racism to any political conversation in the name of conservative values, and he reportedly doesn’t plan to take the day off on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
Kirk has been teasing that he will release “the truth” about the Civil Rights icon on his birthday, with hopes to prove “MLK was awful.”
Well, we call cap.
“We’re gonna be hitting him next week,” Kirk stated last week on his podcast. “Yeah, on the day of the Iowa caucus, it’s MLK Day. We’re gonna do the thing you’re not supposed to do. We’re gonna tell the truth about MLK Jr. You better tune in next week. Blake has already been preparing. It’s gonna be great.”
Last month at America Fest—which was organized by Turning Point USA—Kirk also used his platform to go after King. “MLK was awful,” he stated. “He’s not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn’t believe,” referring to judging people by the content of their character and not skin color.
“I have a very, very radical view on this, but I can defend it, and I’ve thought about it,” Kirk continued. “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”
Of course, Kirk also allegedly wants to get rid of a law that bans racial discrimination by saying it causes a “permanent DEI-type bureaucracy.” “The courts have been really weak on this,” he said. “Federal courts just yield to the Civil Rights Act as if it’s the actual American Constitution.”
Even though Kirk insisted the Civil Rights Act was “a way to get rid of the First Amendment,” it wasn’t that long ago that Turning Point USA was capitalizing off of King’s image. According to WIRED, the organization’s website sold a $55 T-shirt with MLK’s name as well as stickers of King that contained the phrase “Let freedom ring.”
After WIRED called them out, the products were removed from the Turning Point USA store.
Teasing these big reveals is completely on brand for Kirk, who was among the conservatives outraged that Chick-Fil-A hired a vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. However, what’s “ringing” loudly here is the blatant hypocrisy.