March 2, 2026
Charlie Kirk Called College A ‘Scam,’ Now He’s On A DOE Building Next To Booker T. Washington
His image on the department’s headquarters sent shockwaves across social media
In preparation for America’s 250th celebration, the Department of Education (DOE) hung banners featuring some of the country’s most prolific—and controversial—educators, such as Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher, and, oh, Charlie Kirk.
His image outside the department’s headquarters sent shockwaves across social media, with some seemingly calling the agency out for having Kirk in the same category as what they call “heroes in American education.” Social media reminded users that Kirk is a college dropout, having dropped out of Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Illinois, according to Yahoo! News. He also wrote a book, “The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth.”
During an interview with Fox News, Kirk once said, “What is that piece of paper really going to do for you?” “He dropped out of community college. Told a ninth grade girl who asked the pros and cons of going to college for political journalism to forget about learning stuff that’s she’s going to college to get married. Because that’s what’s important,” @lqlana wrote on X.
“That’s the guy that has a banner on a federal building, the Department of Education. You can’t make this sh*t up.”
Before being assassinated in 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University, Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, doubled down on his stance about higher education, advising men to “skip the four-year degree entirely.” Now, his likeness is sitting next to the founder of the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University in Alabama, known as one of the most important HBCUs in U.S. history. Booker, born into slavery, dedicated his life to making sure Black Americans had expanded access to education during a time when America tried to deny it.
Other banners featured the likenesses of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also an HBCU grad, and Benjamin Franklin, the founder of Philadelphia’s first public library and a supporter of educating both enslaved and free Black children.
Despite the backlash on social media, DOE Press Secretary Savannah Newhouse defended the banners, saying the federal agency is “proud to honor visionary leaders whose contributions have shaped the future of education for generations. As our country marks a historic 250th milestone, this moment invites us all to join in the pursuit of fostering educational opportunity that empowers every learner to rise, contribute, and help shape a brighter future for generations yet to come,” she continued, according to The Hill.
This isn’t the first time the DOE building had controversial images on its building. Besides Kirk, in early 2026, an image of President Donald Trump draped over the building drew side-eyes.
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