Fact check: What were Charlie Kirk's exact words about Michelle Obama?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided suggest that Charlie Kirk made comments about Michelle Obama and other prominent Black women, questioning their intelligence and implying that they only achieved their positions through affirmative action ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. The exact quote from Charlie Kirk, as reported by multiple sources, is that these women "do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously" ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. It is also mentioned that Barack Obama responded to these comments, defending his wife's intelligence and emphasizing the importance of respectful debate in a democratic society ^{[5] [3] [1]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Some sources provide additional context, such as the date of the quote, which is mentioned as July 2023 ^[4]. However, other sources do not provide this specific information, which could be relevant for understanding the timeline of events ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Additionally, some analyses mention that Charlie Kirk's comments were not only about Michelle Obama but also about other prominent Black women, including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ^{[1] [2]}. It is also worth noting that not all sources provide direct quotes from Charlie Kirk, and some only mention that he made comments about Michelle Obama without specifying the exact words ^[5]. Alternative viewpoints are also presented, such as the idea that Charlie Kirk's comments were not just about individual women but also about the broader issue of affirmative action ^[2], and that Barack Obama's response was not just a personal defense of his wife but also a call for respectful debate in society ^{[3] [1]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement asks for Charlie Kirk's exact words about Michelle Obama, but it does not provide any context about the quote or the surrounding discussion ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. This lack of context could potentially lead to misinformation or bias, as the quote could be taken out of context or used to support a particular narrative. Additionally, some sources may have a bias in their reporting, such as presenting Charlie Kirk's comments as a personal attack on Michelle Obama rather than a critique of affirmative action ^{[1] [3]}, or presenting Barack Obama's response as a political statement rather than a personal defense of his wife ^{[5] [3]}. The sources that benefit from this framing are those that aim to polarize the discussion around affirmative action and race ^{[1] [3] [5]}, while those that provide more context and nuance may be seen as more balanced in their reporting ^{[2] [4] [3] [1]}.