What exactly did Charlie Kirk say about Juneteenth and when did he say it?
Executive summary
Charlie Kirk repeatedly said Juneteenth “should not be a federal holiday” in public remarks and social posts; multiple outlets and social posts attribute the line to him around June of years when Juneteenth was debated or observed (sources include a Threads repost and a Black press piece reporting a June social media post) [1] [2]. Kirk also aired a longer critique of Juneteenth on his podcast “The Charlie Kirk Show,” framing the holiday as politically motivated and harmful to national unity [3].
1. The quote, in plain terms
The most consistent short formulation attributed to Kirk in the available reporting is: “Juneteenth should not be a federal holiday.” That sentence appears in social-media reposts and in commentary by Black press outlets recounting Kirk’s public stance, which say he posted the line on social media in June [1] [2]. The statement is presented as a direct, unequivocal opposition to Juneteenth’s status as a federal holiday [2].
2. Where he said it: podcasts, posts and appearances
Kirk’s criticism appears in at least two formats in the sources provided. He ran a full segment on his own program, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” titled “What’s the Matter with Juneteenth?” in which he “digs into what’s really behind this ‘holiday’” and argues it threatens the country’s fabric — a longer-form media treatment of his objections [3]. Separately, social-media reposts and commentary pieces quote a shorterline — “Juneteenth should not be a federal holiday” — attributed to Kirk on social media in June [1] [2].
3. What he argued in longer form
On his podcast, Kirk framed Juneteenth as politically motivated and as part of a culture-war argument: he described it as “another federal holiday, another day off,” questioned what lies behind it, and said it “threatens the fabric of our country” [3]. One secondary account characterizes his argument as claiming Juneteenth “lacked historical clarity” and was being used to fuel racial division rather than unity [4]. That longer critique treats the holiday as a site of political contest rather than as a purely historical commemoration [3] [4].
4. Timing and context reported by sources
The available sources place the short social-media formulation in June around the holiday itself; the podcast episode title and description suggest he aired a critical segment shortly before or during Juneteenth observances [3] [2]. One commentator’s piece (a Medium retrospective dated 2025) explicitly dates a similar statement to June 2023 on his show, though that specific item is outside the immediate evidence in other sources here [4]. The clearest documented timeline in the supplied material is that he made public June-focused comments and social posts criticizing Juneteenth in June of years when the holiday was being observed or debated [3] [2].
5. Public reaction and how outlets framed it
Repost threads and Black press pieces presented the remarks as part of a pattern of Kirk’s controversial, often racially charged public commentary; the Black Wall Street Times framed the line as one among several instances where he “denounced” Juneteenth and questioned the holiday’s legitimacy [2]. A social-media post collection repeats the short line alongside other incendiary quotes attributed to Kirk, underscoring how critics used the remark to illustrate a broader critique of his rhetoric [1]. At least one international outlet’s later profile summed up his public posture as “staunchly opposed the enactment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday,” linking it to his broader conservative activism [5].
6. What the sources do not show
The supplied materials do not include a full verbatim transcript of the podcast segment, an original social-media post with date and platform metadata, or on-the-record rebuttals from Kirk’s organization directly defending or clarifying the single-sentence formulation (available sources do not mention a full transcript or the original dated social post) [3] [2]. The more detailed claim that he said Juneteenth “lacked historical clarity” and was being used to advance division comes from an interpretive Medium piece rather than a primary transcript in these sources [4].
7. Bottom line for readers
Multiple provided sources consistently attribute to Charlie Kirk the clear statement “Juneteenth should not be a federal holiday” and document a longer critique of the holiday on his own show; the exact moment-to-moment wording and a primary dated social-post record are not supplied in these files [1] [3] [2]. Those who need the precise transcript or the original social-media timestamp should consult Kirk’s episode archives or the original social post, which are not included in the current reporting (available sources do not mention the original dated post or full episode transcript).