Charlie Kirk's 'Black Pilot' Remark Sparks Fury

Charlie Kirk, founder and president of the conservative Turning Point USA, faced online backlash after he admitted he would question the qualifications of Black pilots.

"If I see a Black pilot, I'm gonna be like 'boy, I hope he is qualified,'" the activist and host of the The Charlie Kirk Show said.

He later added it was "not who I am, that's not what I believe," but said he was being made to react that way because he felt policies adopted by major companies regarding ethnic minorities meant less-qualified people were being given jobs with significant responsibility, including airline pilots.

Kirk's producer, Blake Neff, blamed left-wing politics for Kirk's comments, saying it was the "reality the left has created."

On his weekly panel discussion, ThoughtCrime, Kirk was discussing what he felt was the negative impact of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, which are designed to encourage people from ethnic minorities to pursue careers in industries that are not representative of them. Opponents argue that DEI gives favoritism to people based on race that undermines a meritocratic system in which only the most qualified are able to pursue roles.

Kirk, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has caused controversy before. On his show and social media this month, he attacked the "myth" surrounding the civil rights activist the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

Tuesday's comments prompted a number of concerned ripostes, including from Black pilots. On X, formerly Twitter, Alex Cole said: "I'm a black pilot, I am qualified and Charlie Kirk is a racist!"

Dushane Trill said: "As a black pilot myself, I've always been the most qualified in the room but because of melanin I'm not regarded as a mid or senior level candidate. So for your information @charliekirk11 we are the most qualified.

"Do more research before you let s*** fly out of your mouth."

Newsweek reached out to Trill and Cole on X and LinkedIn, respectively, for comment.

The video went viral on X after a clip was posted to PatriotTakes, an account that says it pursues "dedicated research monitoring and exposing right-wing extremism." At the time of writing, the video had been viewed more than 7.6 million times.

Newsweek reached out to Kirk via LinkedIn and through his website for comment.

Despite Kirk trying to justify his comments as being a product of the policies of other people, he made a similar statement during the show in which he said he wouldn't want a Black, lesbian surgeon.

Kirk's comments come as comedian Rob Schneider said he will no longer fly on United Airlines in an X post directed to CEO Scott Kirby.

"I regret to inform you that I will no longer allow my family to fly on your airline as you have clearly placed 'diversity' of pilot hiring above safety of passengers and crew," Schneider wrote.

Schneider attempted to back up his statement by referencing a flight, UA1722, that suddenly dove after takeoff. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board put the incident down to a "crew failure" to "manage the airplane's vertical flight path, airspeed, and pitch attitude following a miscommunication about the captain's desired flap setting during the initial climb."

Newsweek reached out to United Airlines and Kirby via email for comment.

A statement from United Airlines in August 2023 said "pilots voluntarily reported this event and United fully cooperated with the independent investigation so that insights could be used to enhance the safety of the entire industry," Reuters reported.

The plane, which was carrying 71 passengers and 10 crew, landed safely after the flight captain recovered the situation.

In an interview with Axios on HBO this month, Kirby said that "50 percent of the classes" taught by United "will be women or people of color."

He added that United has "just 19 percent of its pilots who are women or people of color" but that it was an industry high.