Charlie Kirk plans to tarnish Martin Luther King Jr. on King's birthday
From once praising him to now labelling Martin Luther King Jr. 'awful,' Charlie Kirk plans to reveal his controversial truth on King's birthday.
Charlie Kirk, the conservative leader and founder of Turning Point USA, has undergone a dramatic shift in his views on Martin Luther King Jr. From calling him a "hero" in 2015 and a "civil rights icon" in 2022, Kirk made a sharp turn at America Fest in December 2023, declaring, “MLK was awful. He's not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn't believe.”
This about-face extends to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, closely associated with King. Kirk now views it as a mistake, claiming it created a “permanent DEI-type bureaucracy” and ultimately aims to “re-found the country” and “get rid of the First Amendment.”
This perspective finds resonance within the right wing, but critics like scholar Jonathan Rauch find it alarming. “If that isn't racist, I don't know what is,” Rauch says. “This is the federal law that ended segregation.”
Kirk's personal attack on MLK isn't limited to a single event
The Turning Point USA founder plans further attacks on King's birthday, stating, “We're gonna be hitting him next week...on MLK Day. We're gonna do the thing you're not supposed to do. We're gonna tell the truth about MLK Jr.” This “truth,” according to Kirk and his collaborator Blake Neff, involves portraying King as linked to violence after the Civil Rights Act.
Turning Point USA has even profited from King's image, selling merchandise featuring him before removing it following inquiries. This shift highlights a broader trend, according to Nick Surgey, who studies TPUSA.
“Kirk used to avoid hot-button issues...He now seems totally unrestrained, aligning with people like Blake Neff who exist in a particular subculture on the right. This is not dog-whistle politics, it's blatant and intended to cause outrage.”
Whether Kirk and TPUSA's tactics will attract new voters or further alienate them remains to be seen. However, their efforts to rewrite history and demonize a central figure in the Civil Rights movement are undeniably a significant development in American politics.
