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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk on How DEI Policies Are Contributing to Rising Crime in Washington DC
Charlie Kirk examines the case of Washington DC Police Chief Pamela Smith, who previously served as the department's Chief Equity Officer before becoming the top cop. When asked about the chain of command during a press conference, Smith's response raised serious questions about competency in leadership positions. Kirk argues this represents a broader pattern where diversity quotas override merit-based hiring, ultimately harming the very communities these policies claim to help. With crime rising in the nation's capital, he contends that prioritizing identity over qualifications has real and dangerous consequences for public safety.
In Washington DC, Police Chief Pamela Smith found herself at the center of controversy when she appeared unable to answer a basic question about chain of command during a press conference. Smith, who joined the Metropolitan Police Department in May 2022 as the Chief Equity Officer during what Charlie Kirk describes as "all the DEI craze," was assigned to the executive office of the chief of police where she led the department's efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
When asked a straightforward question about the chain of command structure between the President, Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Mayor, and herself, Smith's response was puzzling. "What does that mean?" she asked, before offering a vague answer about the executive order and the home rule charter outlining the process. For Kirk, this moment crystallized everything wrong with prioritizing diversity initiatives over merit-based qualifications.
A Pattern of Incompetence
Kirk points to what he sees as a disturbing pattern across multiple high-profile positions:
A Supreme Court Justice who, when asked to define "woman," responded "I don't know what a woman is"
The Washington DC Police Chief who doesn't understand chain of command
A fire chief in Austin, Texas, described as a DEI pick following an Obama-era DOJ investigation, who allegedly didn't understand reimbursements
Kirk emphasizes this isn't about race, but about the consequences of abandoning meritocracy. "This is the death of meritocracy on full display," he argues. His concern centers on the real-world impact of these appointments, particularly on the communities they're supposed to serve.
The Human Cost of DEI
Kirk doesn't mince words about what he sees as the ultimate consequence of diversity-based hiring: "This is why black death is increasing in Washington DC." He directly connects incompetent leadership to rising crime rates, asking pointedly, "You don't know what chain of command is? Well, do you know what a dead black kid is?"
He anticipates criticism and addresses it head-on, instructing media outlets covering his comments to quote him precisely: "DEI is contributing to black death in Washington DC and major cities across the country. It's not the only reason, but DEI is indisputably making it worse."
Kirk argues that asking a police chief about chain of command should be as straightforward as asking a surgeon about a scalpel—it's fundamental to the job. When leaders in positions of public safety lack basic competency, he contends, people die.
Examples Beyond Law Enforcement
Kirk extends his critique beyond Pamela Smith to other prominent figures. He mentions Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, calling her "arguably the worst of the nine" and claiming legal observers find her briefs laughable. He also references Michelle Obama, stating she only got into Princeton because of affirmative action, citing Christopher Hitchens' criticism of her senior thesis as nearly incomprehensible.
In another clip, Smith delivers what Kirk describes as a "Kamala coconut tree" moment, saying: "I'm just a branch off of an old tree and I'm just that branch that's still standing. And as the leaves fall off, that's all I am. Just I'm just a tree. And you know what I like about being a tree? I'm glad God has chosen to use this tree."
Kirk's bewilderment is evident: "I don't even know what that means."
The State of the Nation's Capital
While Kirk can make light of the absurdity, his underlying message is serious. He describes the nation's capital as "dirty," "dangerous," and "murderous." With the number one cop unable to articulate basic police department structure, he sees a direct line between diversity-based hiring practices and the deteriorating safety conditions in Washington DC.
His conclusion is stark and uncompromising: "When you hire people based on diversity quotas and explicit or implicit DEI, you get incompetence, corruption, and lower standards." And for Kirk, the evidence is mounting that these policies aren't just ineffective—they're deadly.
