Miss USA winner Asya Branch is getting the Ice Cube treatment. The 22-year old model and beauty company owner is the first Black woman to win the title of Miss Mississippi USA, and the first Black Mississippian to win the Miss USA crown. In the social/political segment of the pageant, Branch advocated for gun rights, not gun control. It was definitely a clutch the pearls moment.
“As someone who grew up in a home with guns, I learned at an early age how to load, how to fire and gun safety, and I think that education should be available to everyone,” Branch said. “We should require people to pass training and safety courses before they’re allowed to purchase a gun, and before receiving a permit. I think it’s important that we not ban guns, because obviously people will find a way to get what they want anyways, but I think it’s our Second Amendment right, and we just need more safety surrounding that.”
After Branch was crowned, along with her 2A stance, legacy and social media fixated on the fact that Branch had participated in a 2018 roundtable at the White House towards the formation of the First Step Act. That same year, Branch sang the National Anthem at a Mississippi Trump Rally.
The headlines tell the tale. The Daily Beast led with the gun-nut, MAGA angle:
New Miss USA Asya Branch Loves Guns and Performed at a Trump Rally
While the International Business Times simply dismissed her historical win because, “Orange Man Bad!”
Miss USA Asya Branch’s Trump Affiliations Overshadow Her Win
Branch continues to have legacy and social media more than a little twisted:
Newly-crowned Miss USA Asya Branch caused quite a stir on Monday when she declared her support for guns on the pageant stage. I spoke to Branch after her win, and she told me she still believes assault weapons like AK-47s should be banned in America. https://t.co/YOgJ424bnV
— Anneta K (@bettanneta) November 12, 2020
Asya Branch is weird, she’s a black woman who went to a racist college. Pledged with an all white sorority, performed at a Trump rally, loves carrying guns, has no Black or Hispanic friends and she has a white boyfriend, it just screams “I’m not comfortable being black” 🥴
— 💙Tashi💙 (@ULoveTashi) November 10, 2020
One tweeter pointed out the obvious disconnect between maligning Branch and praising Kamala Harris. It has little to do with accomplishment, and much to do with political leanings. If Branch was a card-carrying Marxist, they would be swearing she could walk on water.
black women do not know how to stay on code
— . (@pinkfriyayxo) November 12, 2020
Asya Branch, a REAL black woman won. Period point blank whether you like it or not. Trump supporter or not she still won. We should uplift our image and not a Kamala
— . (@pinkfriyayxo) November 12, 2020
Branch appears to take it all in stride, refusing to make her participation in either the Trump Rally or the First Step roundtable a statement of her politics.
“Regardless of political beliefs, I find it an honor to be able to sing the national anthem anywhere and it just so happened to be at a Trump rally,” she says. “And I know I caught a lot of backlash for that. But no one knows if that has anything to do with my political beliefs or not. I did have a duty as an employee of the Miss Mississippi Corp. as well as a representative of the state of Mississippi.”
Branch’s father was incarcerated for 10 years, and she shared how that experience shaped her views on criminal justice reform, which contributed to President Trump’s First Step Act.
“If you can’t get a seat at the table, you can’t make a difference,” Branch says. “I found that to be an inspiring and moving moment for me because it shows that I can accomplish things and I can accomplish my goals and really make a difference in the world.”
Like the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Black beauty queen who is unashamed of her conservative leanings and embraces them fully, is a powerful inspiration to young girls; especially young Black girls who are given the choices of Leftist militancy or buffoonery.
Asya Branch wants you to know you can have a seat at the table, and it doesn’t require liberal approval.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member