"He rose to prominence during the first Trump administration through his podcast, cable news appearances and campus speaking tours. His views were often viewed as controversial. As an anti-abortion Christian, he routinely debated progressive liberals, Muslims, and the LGBT+ community, resulting in allegations of misogyny, Islamophobia, and homophobia.During the Covid pandemic, he denounced mask mandates. He referred to vaccine requirements as “medical apartheid” and also promoted Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” against him by a vast Democratic conspiracy. Kirk frequently adopted Trumpian talking points, blaming DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) hiring practices for flooding in Texas earlier this year, calling New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani “a parasite” and attempting to steer the national conversation away from Jeffrey Epstein by announcing he was “done” with the subject."