Daily Wire host Michael Knowles’ speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has outraged the Left for the second consecutive year — this time for his remarks on marriage.
Knowles took the CPAC stage on Thursday, where he gave a speech focusing on America’s “identity crisis” and illegal immigration, among other topics. The speech came a year after his remarks at CPAC triggered backlash from leftists when the Daily Wire host said that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life.” Some media outlets falsely reported that Knowles called for the eradication of trans-identifying people when the host had instead focused his speech on ridding society of trans ideology.
During his speech this year, Knowles touched on another social issue and once again sparked the leftists’ rage.
“They can’t really turn a couple of men or a couple of women, or three men and a billy goat for that matter, into a marriage,” Knowles said. “That’s just not what marriage is. No disrespect is intended to anyone. Some people don’t want to get married — okay, there’s no obligation, but marriage has a meaning.”
“Marriage is and always has been the union of a man and a woman, ordered toward the procreation and education of children” Knowles continued. “If you don’t like that, don’t blame me. I didn’t set the rules. It wasn’t the mean old conservatives who did this; we did not invent marriage. Marriage is a natural institution.”
“The Left will slander us as hateful for observing this fact,” Knowles added.
Shortly after Knowles made the comments on marriage, President Joe Biden’s campaign team posted on X: “Top Trump advocate at CPAC echos MAGA’s Project 2025 plan to go after marriage equality during a second Trump term: Marriage is a man and a woman.”
Top Trump advocate at CPAC echos MAGA’s Project 2025 plan to go after marriage equality during a second Trump term: Marriage is a man and a woman pic.twitter.com/uEn3uBnGjE
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) February 22, 2024
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) also commented on the Daily Wire host’s remarks, writing, “The @GOP are telling us who they are. We should listen.”
Knowles responded to the Biden campaign on X, pointing out that then-Sen. Biden said in 2006 that “marriage is between a man and a woman.”
“I’m just paraphrasing you, Mr. President!” Knowles wrote.
I’m just paraphrasing you, Mr. President!
“Marriage is between a man and a woman.” —@JoeBiden https://t.co/xw4iqCPa1L pic.twitter.com/u7fzToT5Qg
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) February 23, 2024
Knowles also shot back at Newsom.
“The GOP is telling you that we believe what the Democrats and everyone else for all of history believed until ~2015. You should, in fact, listen!” he said.
Biden’s view on marriage appeared to change drastically following the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015, which ruled that a union of same-sex couples is protected as a marriage under the Constitution. While running for the White House on the ticket with Barack Obama in 2008, Biden said in a debate against Sarah Palin that he didn’t support gay marriage.
“Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage,” Biden stated.
By December of 2022, Biden had completely flipped on the issue. Before signing the “Respect for Marriage” Act, which requires the federal government and all 50 states to recognize a same-sex union as a marriage, the president said, “Deciding whether to marry, who to marry is one of the most profound decisions a person can make,” adding, “Marriage — I mean this with all my heart — marriage is a simple proposition: Who do you love, and will you be loyal with that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that.”