who said charlie kirk was ignorant because he didn't have a college degree

The line about Charlie Kirk being called “ignorant because he didn't have a college degree” is most prominently associated with Dr. Ben Carson , who repeated it in order to defend Kirk, not to insult him.

Quick Scoop

In a memorial speech for Charlie Kirk, Dr. Ben Carson said something very close to:

“Some say Charlie Kirk was ignorant because he didn't have a college degree. I've seen him run circles around people with college degrees!”

He used this line to argue that Kirk was highly capable and intellectually sharp despite not finishing college. The phrasing “some say Charlie Kirk was ignorant because he didn't have a college degree” is Carson’s setup, referencing what critics supposedly said, and then he flips it to praise Kirk.

Separately, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) called Kirk’s beliefs “ignorant” and “uneducated” in a House floor speech, but she did not frame it specifically as “because he didn’t have a college degree.”

So, if you’re looking for the quote that matches your wording:

• The person who said the line in that form was Dr. Ben Carson (in a pro‑Kirk context).

• The politician who publicly labeled Kirk’s rhetoric and beliefs “ignorant” and “uneducated” was AOC , but without the “because he didn’t have a college degree” part.

TL;DR:
The specific “ignorant because he didn't have a college degree” wording comes from Ben Carson , who repeated it to reject that criticism and to praise Kirk.