Conservative Tries to Claim MLK Was a Republican; Angela Rye Is NOT Having It

On the Nov. 22 edition of CNN’s “At This Hour,” political commentator and Democratic bullhorn Angela Rye demoralized conservative commentator Carl Higbie for claiming that the Republican party was supported by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Initially, in the short clip, Rye and Higbie both agree that President-elect Donald Trump’s appeal to white nationalists is problematic for the nation.

Over the course of a few days, media members have been quick to point out Trump’s tepid dismissal of Richard B. Spencer’s white nationalist support. However, Higbie believes that the president-elect’s response and denouncement was sufficient.

“These people are idiots,” Higbie starts. “Donald Trump has said this. He said, “I don’t endorse these people and in fact, I denounced them.’ … And if he wants to run around every single time some moron throws up his right hand and says ‘I’m for white America,’ he is going to spend his entire presidency trying to respond to stupid people. Let’s move forward.”

Rye quickly dissects his argument, stating that Trump has shown more fervor denouncing NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” or “Hamilton the Musical” than white supremacists.

But it’s after after Higbie claimed the Republican party was the party of MLK that the segment quickly went from 0 to 60.

“These people are morons. They’re idiots. But we are the Republican party. We are the party that freed the slaves. We’re the party of Martin Luther King…,” he says.

At this point, Rye interjects and the two exchange quick barbs about knowing history before Rye goes into a rant.

“My history is clear. Your history is ass backwards!” she exclaims. “The Republican Party is not the party of the 13th and 14th and 15th amendment [anymore]. Your party is the one who helps ensure that Shelby v. Holder would gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Your party is the one in Pennsylvania where a GOP legislator said these laws were put in place to ensure that Republicans would win back the House, the Senate, the presidency. Let’s be clear.

“Your party is living and thriving off of oppression.”

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top