This Trump Nominee Was Asked To Define “White Culture,” And Things Got Awkward So Quickly

Donald Trump’s State Department nominee Jeremy Carl recently answered questions before the Senate and had several awkward moments after his past comments about “white culture” were brought up.

One interaction in particular went viral after Senator Chris Murphy asked Carl to define “white identity.”

Person in suit talking, gesturing with hand, in formal setting reading name plate "Mr. Murphy" visible. A camera is in the foreground

Anadolu / Getty Images

Here’s Carl’s awkward response:

@ChrisMurphyCT / Via Twitter: @ChrisMurphyCT

You can see the full interrogation here.

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“Certain types of um, Anglo-derived culture that comes from our history,” Carl replied.

A man in a suit speaks during a hearing, sitting at a panel table with a nameplate reading "Mr. Jeremy Carl."

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“Like what?” Murphy asked again.

A person in a suit and tie speaks at a formal event, sitting at a table with a marked nameplate "Mr. Murphy."

Carl paused and said, “Um, let me think about this.”

A man in a suit speaks and sits with a serious expression during a formal hearing. The name card reads "Mr. Jeremy Carl."

“Uh, you know, Senator, I would say if you were to look at the book by one of your Senate colleagues, “Born Fighting,” the kind of Scots-Irish military culture. Certain, you know, pride that went with that. That would be one example,” Carl continued.

        @ChrisMurphyCT / Via Twitter: @ChrisMurphyCT

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Murphy interjected, “Now you’re retreating to ethnic identity. You don’t talk about ethnic identity, you talk about white identity. So tell me the values ​​that bind together ‘white identity,’ and make it different from Black identity?” he asked, firmly.

A man in a suit and tie speaks energetically, gesturing with one hand at a formal event. The nameplate reads "Mr. Murphy."

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“I would say that the white church is very different from the Black church in terms of its tone and style, on average. Um, ways of eating can also be different. The music can be different,” answered Carl.

A man in a suit and tie speaks passionately during a hearing. The nameplate reads "Mr. Jeremy Carl" as a nominee for a role of Secretary in International Organizations

“And those are being destroyed?” Murphy asked.

A person speaking at a formal event, wearing a suit and striped tie, sitting at a table with a branded nameplate "Mr. Murphy."

“Well, if you look at the Super Bowl halftime show, that wasn’t in English this year,” Carl replied.

A man in a suit appears twice in a split image. Both cases show him sitting in a panel or hearing. Plate reads "Mr. Jeremy Carl."

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“So our ability to access white churches, or white food, or white music is being erased?” Murphy asked, chuckling.

A person in a suit speaks at a podium in two similar images, probably at a formal event or meeting, with a nameplate visible

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Carl, visibly uncomfortable, then said: “I’m concerned with the majority of the common American culture that we’ve had for a while, which through mass immigration particularly, I think has become much more balkanized, and I think it’s weakened us… I’m not apologizing for it.”

A man in a suit and tie is speaking at a formal hearing, labeled as "Mr. Jeremy Carl," sitting at a table with microphones

“I think you’re struggling to answer this question, right, because underlying your belief is a feeling that white culture is simply better,” Murphy pointed out.

A man in a suit and tie is talking animatedly during a meeting, sitting at a table with a visible nameplate

The people in the answers are like:

Comment from Stuart day guitars: "This is painful to watch."

“I can’t believe how incredibly stupid this country has become.”

        @chrismurphyct via TikTok / Via tiktok.com

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Another person praised Senator Murphy’s line of questioning that pressed Carl on the issue.

Tweet from Molly Jong-Fast: "It is so important to dispel these ideas so that you can reveal how profoundly stupid they are."
@MollyJongFast / Via x.com

“Put this clip in a museum,” said another person.

A tweet about online people, describing a person struggling to defend themselves face-to-face, highlights a disconnect between online and real-life behavior
@billybinion/ / Via x.com

And finally, this person said, “Racism is mostly an emotional reflex. Trying to rationalize it in front of intelligent people doesn’t go well.”

Tweet discusses how nativists struggle to rationalize concerns about the Great Replacement, noting racism as an emotional reflex

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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