General Discussion

Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk once said some prominent Black women did not have "the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously."

Kirk was speaking on his show, "The Charlie Kirk Show," on July 13, 2023. He was talking specifically about television presenter Joy Reid; former first lady Michelle Obama; then-U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas; and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

After the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator and ally to U.S. President Donald Trump, a rumor spread that he had once said Black women like television presenter Joy Reid; former first lady Michelle Obama; former Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas; and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson did "not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously."

For example, a Sept. 11, 2025, post on X included a video clip of Kirk saying, "You have to go steal a white person's slot"