Trump and Kirk: A Summary

Editor’s Note: Hi there! Justin Drewer here. This article is not an opinion piece. I neither necessarily support nor oppose the viewpoints reported below. I intend to report the gist of what was said, plain and simple, without infusing my personal beliefs.

This past Tuesday, in a homecoming of sorts, Eric Trump (MSB ’06), joined by TPUSA Founder and President Charlie Kirk, spoke to Georgetown students in Lohrfink Auditorium at the invitation of the Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR) and The Georgetown Review.

In the days leading up to the event, Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD), along with other student groups (“H*yas for Choice, GU-ACLU, GU Pride, Hoyas for Immigrant Rights, March for Our Lives GU, and all others who oppose prejudice and bigotry at Georgetown,” per the GUCD statement) campaigned to boycott the event.

However, approximately thirty to forty protestors from Hoyas for Immigrant Rights (HFIR) attended the event, wearing matching orange t-shirts with the words “Unstoppable,” “Undeniable,” “Undocumented,” and “Unafraid” on the front. Just a few minutes after the event started, the HFIR-affiliated protestors left the event, not disrupting Trump and Kirk, but depriving other students, ones who wanted to attend the event for its entire duration, of seats. The Georgetown Review reached out to HFIR for comment on this demonstration but has not heard back at the time of this post.

As the protestors were leaving, Trump criticized their demeanor, saying, “If you want anybody in life to take you seriously, put on a suit, put on a nice shirt, put something together that’s legible […] and make a point in a real way, and then you see people dressed in orange jumpsuits like they came out of prison. And then you look at all of you in here,” as he gestured to members of GUCR and staff of The Georgetown Review, among other unaffiliated audience members who did not leave. “Look how well you’re dressed, you’re here to learn, you’re here to contribute to a conversation, probably on both sides. […] The lesson in life is, if you want to be taken seriously, act like a serious person.”

Trump and Kirk took several opportunities to praise the Trump administration on key campaign talking points, such as low unemployment, a strong economy, and increased energy production, while taking shots at Democrats in Congress, liberalism on college campuses, and Sen. Bernie Sanders and his socialist ideology.

Addressing the divisive politics in America and in daily discourse, and noting the Trump administration’s accomplishments in growing personal prosperity, Kirk said, “Only one side [Democratic members of Congress] is refusing to stand and applaud when the lowest ever black, Latino, Asian American, and disabled unemployment is announced. Only one side sits and looks angry because we have the lowest ever black poverty rate in the history of our country.”

Kirk went on to say, “The fact that ten million Americans, most of which are black Americans, are no longer on food stamps, and they’re able to get higher-paying jobs for a greater equivalent of wages than they were getting in government benefits, should be something that should unify the entire country, but they [Democratic members of Congress] were standing, applauding when President Obama gave a State of the Union Address and said ‘we expanded food stamps in our country.’ No, that’s not something we should applaud. We should applaud when people get off government assistance, not when people get on government assistance. When people are self-reliant, that means stronger families and stronger communities and lower crime and a better opportunity and prosperity for our country.” Overall, Trump and Kirk emphasized self-reliance and personal industry, in line with their conservative stances.

Using the recent GUSA referendum on fossil fuel divestment as a jumping-off point, Kirk lauded President Trump’s support of fracking and the fossil fuel industry, saying we should “use energy that we have at our disposal with this amazing blessing from God, so that we don’t have to buy our oil and natural gas from medieval theocratic dictatorships.” It is worth noting that, for the first time in nearly a century, America is a net exporter of petroleum products.

Trump pointed out that his father’s campaign was able to capitalize on partisan bickering, as “We [the Trump campaign] raised $117 million, and guess what? And this was a pretty short span of time. This was a couple months. We had 1.6 million new donors who have never contributed to a campaign who have come into the party. These are people who have never contributed to a Democrat, have never contributed to a Republican. That’s how pissed off this nation was at the sham that just occurred in Washington, D.C., so every speech, I like to thank Nancy Pelosi. She is the gift that keeps on giving. She is going to get my father re-elected, and I am thrilled that she exists in this city.”

Kirk added, addressing a Sen. Sanders supporter in the audience, “I actually feel sympathy for Bernie Sanders supporters, because Bernie Sanders is an exploitationist. He looks at you as his way to get relevancy and power because he has no skills to be able to do anything except promise stuff he can’t deliver on, so I really feel sympathy for you.”

Trump responded, “You’ve got to hand it to a guy who’s in government for forty years and names two post offices,” referencing the Senator’s lackluster record of getting his drafted legislation passed.  Trump also noted, “If you go back, and you just rewind the tapes, and you look at Bernie Sanders twenty years ago, he was saying that the American government should be modeled after Venezuela. The American government should be modeled after Venezuela. It’s kind of interesting. The average Venezuelan citizen has lost, Charlie? Nineteen pounds! Nineteen pounds in the last year-and-a-half. I mean, they can’t eat. […] This is not the system we want to be modeled after. We have the greatest democracy in the world, by far. We have the greatest capitalistic system in the world, by far. America has more opportunity. If you are an American, you have more opportunity than any country in the world, and it’s not even close.”

Kirk went on to note the hypocrisy in being a socialist Georgetown student. “I hear about white privilege. I hear about all this privilege, and yet I never hear about Georgetown privilege. Every single one of you are part of a country club. […] You are unbelievably privileged to go to this school, and you probably deserve it, because I believe in hierarchies, and you are lucky to be here, and I hope you know you are lucky. But don’t tell me, all of a sudden, you want other people across the world to start to pay for your privilege. Don’t tell me, all of a sudden, you want higher taxes to eradicate your student loan debt. […] But don’t gallivant around and say, ‘we’re anti-hierarchy.’ You’re part of a hierarchy here at Georgetown University, one of the most elite schools in the world. […] However, it is unbelievably hypocritical to be a socialist while you go to an elitist institution that is going to give you an extra level of advantage, favor, and, yes, privilege, that the person at Hagerstown Community College is never going to have for the rest of their life.”

Kirk—acknowledging the historical issue of slavery, racism, and other forms of discrimination in America—said, “The flaws of this country are universal [to all nations]. The [opportunities offered in America] are unique.”

Addressing a common trope from the left, that President Trump is the sole source of political animosity in America, Kirk said, “So don’t give me this nonsense that, ‘Oh, Donald Trump is the reason why we’re so bitterly divided.’ Okay, he talks a little un-PC. Get over it. He’s delivered results for our country. […] I think that your [the left’s] hatred of the president far exceeds any love that you [they] claim to have for the country.”

Trump and Kirk responded to every audience member who interrupted them (all of whom were protestors), rather than ignoring them and continuing with their conversation. The most notable response—and arguably the most controversial or inflammatory thing said during the event—was Kirk’s firing back at an audience member who inquired if the pair had ever been to Denmark, assumedly referencing Scandinavia’s high marks on quality of life, and wondering why the region’s principles could not be applied to America.

“Norway, Sweden, Denmark are ranked more economically free than the United States of America. This lie that, somehow, those countries are the socialist model [is false]. In fact, I think we should embrace one thing from those countries—their immigration policies. It is the hardest country in Europe to immigrate to. High standards. You have to come with wealth, speak the language, and assimilate. I wish our country had more immigration policies like the countries that Bernie Sanders pretends to support. Bernie Sanders is an open-borders socialist. It is absolutely contrary to the countries he pretends to want to emulate,” Kirk said.

On a lighter note, Trump emphasized the importance of not limiting yourself, of letting your life take you wherever it is meant to go and expose you to interesting things, people, and experiences, while also maintaining the personal strength and resolve to not crack under pressure. He noted he never expected to be on reality television or in politics, but the flow of life took him there, and he has enjoyed the ride.

Also, on an even lighter note, Trump imitated Sen. Warren’s 2019 awkward livestream from her kitchen, and Kirk poked fun at Sen. Sanders’ general feistiness. This article will be updated with timestamps for various talking points when the full recording by Georgetown University is uploaded.

Justin Drewer (COL ’23) is an Editor-in-Chief of The Georgetown Review.