Conservative beauty queen defends tweets after being dethroned for 'offensive' remarks
20-year-old Kathy Zhu is fighting back after being stripped of her Miss Michigan title and dismissed from the Miss World America pageant; Matt Finn reports.
Kathy Zhu tells me she was removed from the Miss World America pageant and stripped of her title as Miss Michigan because of her conservative political views.
"I was in shock, devastated and cried," the University of Michigan student said in an exclusive interview with "The Todd Starnes Radio Show." "I almost expected this would happen due to my political opinions, but there was still a glimmer of hope in me that I could continue in this pageant."
Representatives of Miss World America have thus far refused to comment on the matter.
Ms. Zhu, a supporter of President Trump, was dismissed from the pageant just one day after she received the crown.
She published messages from pageant officials that claimed she was removed because of content on her social media pages that was "offensive, insensitive and inappropriate."
“Miss World America’s State/National/Chief Director accused me of being racist, Islamaphobic, and insensitive,” she tweeted.
What a shame that an intelligent, beautiful patriot was stripped of her crown simply because she loves America, the police and President Trump.
I asked Ms. Zhu about the context of those comments.
One of the tweets referenced an incident in 2018 when she declined to wear a hijab on World Hijab Day.
"So you're telling me that it's now just a fashion accessory and not a religious thing? Or are you just trying to get women used to being oppressed under Islam," she tweeted.
Ms. Zhu tells me that she was shocked by the "try on a hijab booth."
"Women in some Muslim countries are being stoned to death for refusing to wear their hijabs," she said. "And while that’s happening, how can Muslims in America jokingly tell others to try this religious garment on? They almost used it as a fashion accessory."
The other tweet considered offensive by pageant officials related to a comment regarding black-on-black crime.
"Did you know the majority of black deaths are caused by other blacks? Fix problems within your own community before blaming others," she tweeted.
Ms. Zhu said her tweet was in response to another girl's tweets about police violence against blacks.
"She used disgusting phrases like, 'all cops are pigs'. I disliked how she put a blanket statement over all cops. Of course, I realize certain police officers are guilty of violence, but to say every cop is bad just isn’t okay," she told me. "So I provided her with a statistical fact that there are more black on black violence than there are of police violence against black people."
In spite of losing her crown, Ms. Zhu stands by what she wrote.
"I’ve dealt with the 'your facts are racist' comments so many times in life, and at this point, if you cannot open your mind and grow knowledge for yourself, I cannot force statistics and facts onto you," she said.
The 20-year-old tells me she has been a Trump supporter since her senior year in high school.
"He represents this sense of hope for the America people that are tired of Democratic candidates promising things yet not acting on the promises. He is also so proud to be an American and truly wants to make America a better place for all," she said.
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What a shame that an intelligent, beautiful patriot was stripped of her crown simply because she loves America, the police and President Trump.
All the lipstick and rouge in the world won’t cover up the ugly intolerance in the Miss World America pageant.