Welcome everyone to this edition of Amy and TJ. Thank you for being with us. I feel like these days there is something everyone can agree on. We are in a tough we are in an unforgiving political climate. There's a lot of fear, finger pointing and fear mongering going on on both sides, and there's a lot of misinformation circulating these days. It's confusing sometimes to know what you read and to know if it's true or not. People are losing their jobs and positions, and you know, we're
not just talking about federal employees. That certainly has made a lot of headlines and high level officials. There is a story here in New York that caught our attention. A college student at New York University NYU was pushed to resign her position after she gave a few quotes to Vanity Fair magazine in an article about her fellow student. You might have heard of him, Baron Trump. That student is cut Walker. She was the New York University chapter
president of the College Republicans. But shortly after that Vanity Fair article was published on February twelfth, Kaya was asked to resign her position by the College Republicans. While also I think in the same breath inviting Baron Trump to become a member. Kaya is now joining us to talk about what happened the aftermath, how she's doing now, and what she actually said that was so terrible. Kya, thank you for being with us, Thank you for having me. How you doing.
I'm doing a lot better than I was maybe this time last week. So I'm hanging in here.
Okay, how was it at this time last week? Described for me? You said it's better now? How bad was it?
Okay, So this all happened. I'm in London right now.
So it happened like in the wee hours of Monday morning for me, Sunday night for you guys, and a call I got calls on the phone about this interview
I had done. That was, you know, circulating online, and I spent the entire night awake on the phone, just talking to people trying to see what was going on, because you know, I have this distance between me and what's going on on campus in New York, and I was just I was seeing comments online coming in and I was I was kind of freaking out, so I didn't get I hadn't gotten much sleep, I wasn't really eating and I was just very worried.
Okay, worried, what though, Well, what did you see that you thought, Oh, you started getting calls and all this stuff, But what was your understanding of what the problem was and what you had done?
Well?
Well for you know the way that I've you know, kind of interpreted it, It's it's a semantic issue really, Like I had given this interview to Vanity Fair, and part of the quote that was used in that article was made a headline by another publication, the Independent, and that was picked up by other publications around and it.
Was spread on Twitter.
I've heard that, you know, the word for what happened to me is cide of Genesis.
So this quote that I took, I said.
That the quote was, you know, Baron Trump is an audity on campus, something along those lines.
He goes to school, he goes home.
That that was the quote, and it was made a headlined to make it seem that, like like I was saying that there was something wrong with him being a commuter. So so that's essentially what happened. That's what people were really upset about.
And yeah, you put the word oddity in the same sentence as Baron Trump and even though you meant it that it's unusual that he isn't staying on campus.
It people inferred that you were just saying he was odd. Is that your understanding, Yeah, it's.
It wasn't even that, like, I wasn't even saying that he like that was odd that he didn't stay on campus. But it's like the phenomenon of having the president's on your campus. It's something very it's you know, it's a new experience. It's it's a rarity. I'd say that's the word that I could have used, but people took issue with the word oddity, and that's.
Why I'm here.
Cay, you give us a better idea if you have some specifics that you remember what kind of things were coming at you from people that might've even surprised you. One word oddity and one little quote turned into something, at least as far as I read, some pretty nasty stuff coming your way. Can you give us some examples and an idea of the stuff people were saying to you?
Yeah, people, people's reaction online was yeah, I know, it was terrible. I was reading all these comments on Twitter because that's where it really blew up. People were making speculations about I don't know my race. People were people were, you know, saying that I needed to be punished, stuff like that, and and you know, just saying that I was like a terrible person.
A bunch of misogynistic stuff as well that I read. You know, it was pretty bad.
But these are just strangers on the internet that obviously didn't read the original article that was I would say it was pretty fine. I was actually really happy with the original article, like I thought it was.
Yeah, it was, it was fine.
I didn't say anything wrong, and I don't think I said anything wrong. Still, I was making a completely agnostic statement. It wasn't positive, It wasn't negative. It was more of an observation of how things are like on campus. With the president's son in attendance that said.
Kaya, wow, you are twenty one, twenty two.
I'm twenty one, yet you're twenty.
One years old. Have you ever experienced you know, we all hear about getting canceled online social media comments going crazy, and you can read about it and say, oh, that must be a terrible experience, but to actually have lived through it at the age of twenty one, tell me how that felt. What it was like for you, and probably even for your parents and your family and everyone who loves you.
Yeah, so, I mean, I didn't really expect this.
Like I said, it was a very innocuous sort of statement, and I've given the same interview multiple times where I said the same thing essentially. So I was just surprised, really, and reading things online it made me very scared, to be honest, But more than anything, I was worried about my family because they would have to, you know, read this. My mother very concerned, very very Yeah, she was very
upset about this, and that sort of made me. She had been getting calls about this, people had been sending it to her. I didn't really want to speak to it about to speak speak about this to anyone, Like I was very I was trying to keep to myself kind of, you know, stay focused on school over.
Here in London.
I didn't want to talk about it, but people kept sending it to me, sending it to my family, and yeah, I was.
I was.
I became more angry more than anything, because I just thought that this was so ridiculous and I just I just couldn't believe what was happening.
It's insane.
Your chapter of the College Republicans actually put out a statement. I was surprised in reading the line that they said that what you said was unfairly framed, and upon review, we still found it inappropriate. I guess you read those statement, What does that mean to you? Why would they take that approach? They actually said, yeah, it was taken out of context, but it was still inappropriate. I don't can't make sense of that.
Yeah, So that press release was from the College Problems of America, which is technically like our parent, our national organization, So my chapter didn't have anything to do with, you know, me resigning at all. So essentially, what was happening, Like I said, I was up all night last Sunday night. What was happening was I was getting calls from them.
They were very upset. They had been asking me to recruit Baron for months and I told him that that wasn't a realistic sort of sort of thing, and after this came out, they were very angry that. You know, it essentially sounded like I was calling the president's son weird after they had been trying to recruit him into my chapter for however long that he's he's he's been on campus.
So wait, Kanya, Do I have it right for a second there? Do you this played into it? They're trying to recruit their prize and they think you heard it in some way exactly.
Yeah.
Well, I don't think it was a prospect personally, I don't think going to happen. And I told them, I told them that I was very honest with him about that, and they in that in that same press release, they made a statement welcoming him. Welcoming him in people have been talking about him replacing me as president, which is just not something that's going to happen. That's not realistic, it's not reflective of reality.
But I feel like me, this whole.
Controversy surrounding you know this, that one word that I said, it was kind of seen as an opportunity to, you know, kind of get me out and replace me.
Look, I didn't get this, but this was this is this is politics playing out on the college campuses. To your point, what you're saying there about the College Republicans of America president, he said in the statement, we are extending an invitation to join our organization to the president's and quote, he represents the future of the conservative movement, and we will be honored to have him join College Republicans of America. Are you were you just chop liver?
Are you just kind of you just kind of got dismissed and ditched on the way to their ultimate goal? Is that what happened to you?
That's certainly what it feels like. And I'd say, yeah, that's an accurate statement. So they did acknowledge that I was taken out of context by the Independent first, but then they said it was inappropriate.
So I was kind of given the option before I resigned.
I was either given the option of not resigning, getting decharted and getting put under the thrown under the bus, or resigning. They they released a statement about how I was taken out of context, but they still did end up throwing the end of the bus. They said it was inappropriate when it was an innocuous statement, very agnostic, very very normal.
Kaya. The other thing that they said that the National Chapter said in regards to what happened, they said that, rather than redirecting the inquiry to our communications team or refuting the premise, she used language that did not align with our standards of professionalism and responsibility, inadvertently contributing to
a misleading and negative portrayal, are you not. Has it ever been told to you before that you cannot speak on behalf of your chapter, that you aren't allowed to give interviews.
No, And that's the funny thing.
So I actually sent the article to their press secretary after it came out, and she was very happy about it because I had given this exact interview multiple times. I've always fielded questions, but that's what people are interested in nowadays. They just asked me questions about Baron, and I've been answering, I've never been seen him on campus. I've never obviously, I've never met him, but people ask
me questions. You don't even have to be the president of the College Republicans on campus to be asked about Baron. You can just say I go to NYU, people ask you, have you seen him? Have you like, what's it like having him on campus? And like you could be at the dinner table with your grandmother, She'll ask you this sort of questions, kind of like the experience of being a student at NYU nowadays.
So, guy, it's funny. My daughter, I've asked her and she was telling me that when she sees Secret Service or when she you know, so, yes, it is a topic of interest. Probably one of the main reasons is we have not heard from Baron. Baron hasn't isn't a public figure, He doesn't have public social media accounts. Some people I don't even know that I know what his
voice sounds like. So because and we've talked about this so many times, when you don't hear from someone directly, people fill in the voids or are begging other people to do the same. So I'm curious, do you regret resigning now everything that you know what's happened. If you had to go back to that night when they called you and they said what they said, what do you wish you would have done?
Well, Yeah, for sure, I wish I would have waited it out because I was just very scared. Like I've never I'm yeah, I'm I'm a young lady. I've never gone through anything like this before in my life. I kind of saw this whole endeavor of being involved with the College Republicans as something I did for fun, to make friends and you know, kind of make my give us the presence on campus. And I was very happy
doing that the past four years. But yeah, it just yeah, I didn't expect any of this to happen, and yeah, I'm dealing with it even now. It's just it's kind of like a fever dream to me, honestly, Like I can't believe this is happening. It's the most instant thing that's happened to me in my life. And I'm just gonna, yeah, I wish I had not resigned. I've been I've built
up my chapter so much. I've been putting a lot of my time and energy into into what I've been building on campus, and I was very I'm very proud of it. Still. I love all those kids that you know, my members, they love me too, Like they they wish I didn't have to resign.
They were telling me not to.
Actually I was getting that advice a lot, like don't resign. But it's like I said, I was giving that choice between yeah, being thrown under the bus entirely or being thrown to the bus partially. So it was a very hard choice and I was like very sleep deprived, and I yeah, I was just I made that statement just so I could get a break, because I was getting a barrage of all this attention. I really didn't.
Want it cal you mentioned you kind of joined the College Republicans. You thought it was a good networking opportunity for you. But I assume you only joined the College Republicans because you in some way politically align with Republicans. So let me ask you that officially on the record here, since everybody went to come at you and say you were some anti Trump in some way, But would you consider yourself a Republican the conservative and have been a Trump support?
Yes, for sure.
I also I knocked on doors for him. So, like I grew up in for the most part, in New York City, as you can imagine, Like I to New York City public schools and I was the only person in my school who who thought this way, and I would I would have discussions with my friends, and they were friendly discussions most of the time. But I've always had to, you know, to to defend what I believe in. And I went into college and I and I looked for people who thought like me because I'd never met them, like,
not even my parents at home. My parents are both Democrats, so so you know, I was kind of looking for my community, and I wanted to make friends, and that's how I got involved I'm certainly a Republican.
Parents made any jokes or anything as Democrats like, see, we.
Told you not to be messed with Republicans.
That's I've gone that so much. My mother told me.
Yeah, my mother told me I should reconsider who I who I associate with. And honest I do think she's She's right, Like, there are some people who are cowards out there, who who I think don't reflect well on our party. And and they're just they're they're opportunistic, they're they're careless, like they don't really care about you know, chapter or you know, with a good work I'm doing
with these kids. I've been getting compliments like the past year before this happened about how I was running my chapter and how I was doing such a good job. And to see them turn on me very quickly was something that was so disappointing. And yeah, I'll never forget it. It's a good lesson.
I think it's a hard lesson to learn at your age, but it is a good lesson that will serve you well. Some of us have learned it a lot later in life. But I'm curious you said when you read the article that Vanity Fair put out you were happy with it, you were proud of it. So I'm curious where your frustration lies. It's not with vanity fair, is it, or in that sense, the mainstream media. Is it more that certain people caved to social media pressure? Where do you
think the pressure came from? And this knee jerk reaction of asking you to resign? Do you place fault in anyone corner, in anyone's corner? Who who is to blame for all of this? In your mind?
In your opinion, that's a that's a hard question, Like I do. I mean, it's easy to blame myself, honestly, because I did the interview in the first place. But I really don't think there's anything wrong with what I said. And I'll stand on that like I'll die on that hill. Like I'm not gonna apologize for what I said either. Like what I said was was very it was very it was very normal. It's something that anybody could say
if you went to NYU. It's an observation. This whole situation I feel was made worse by you know, forcing me to resign. I feel like this could have been a lot more like it could have I had to resign for appearances.
Really, That's that's the way I see it.
And I've like, I've been told, you know, not to give any statements, to to shut up essentially. I've I've been told not to give any statements anywhere by by people in high places, and I'm I'm obviously not doing that. I need to clarify what I said and you know, kind of explain the circumstances of my current predicament. I feel like this was, yeah, this was seemed like an opportunity to you know, gain some political clout for some people.
And I'm not going to name names, but I just, yeah, I wish that we I wish that, you know, the people that I would have otherwise, you know, kind of expected to come to my defense. And you know, you know, it's one thing to you know, like point out that I had been taken out of context, but and to say that I'd been taken out of context, that it was more delicious and to actually you know, defend my right to say that, especially after I've said it so many times that this is what it's like on campus.
I just wish that people had you know, stood up and you know, just yeah, stood on business and and been.
There for me.
I've had plenty of people there for me who've you know, shown me how much they you know, checked in on me this past week, showed me how much they loved me, and that's been getting me through. But I'm just very disappointed with certain people, yeah who who who claim to care about this organization. I've been very disappointed in them and their inability to actually stand up for their ideals and stand up for their people.
So, yeah, you said you don't want to name names, but we can tell you want to, but we're not going to push.
I certainly do.
I've been I've been told not to.
That's that's all. I respect that. Respect that because you're respecting that. But I have to ask. It is kind of early, so maybe don't have an answer yet. Does this Is this possibly going to cause you to change or reconsider in some way your politics and your party?
Uh No, I don't think so.
Not.
I I stand from what I believe in. I just I just have like severe trust issues right now. I'm very Yeah, I'm not gonna yeah, I'm I'm just I'm gonna be a lot more careful with, you know, trusting people in politics. Like I don't think I'm the most political individual in the world. Actually, Like I don't think I like politics. I just I have a certain sense
of beliefs. I have this affiliation with the party, and I've always looked for an affinity with other people who thought the same because I didn't find that when I was growing up as a kid. So that's what I've been looking for. I've been having lots of fun doing it. I've been able to campaign. I've met really cool people, and the kids at NYU, like my Republicans, like they're so like they're great kids, all of them. And yeah, I'm very proud of what I've I've done the past
four years. And I don't think this is the end for the end for me in this political space. But I have so many other things that I want to do with my life, Like, I have so many other things going for me, So I don't I don't like maybe this has happened to me, Like a year or two ago, I would have thought, oh, this is the
end of the world. But yeah, I have so many people who love me, like my family, my friends, that and I do well in school and you know, I work hard, So I don't think that this is the end for me by any means, I'm going to continue.
I love that. For all the people out there who took to social media and accused you of being anti Trump or anti Republican, or a closeted Democrat, whatever they wanted to say, can you and I know you've probably had to give this speech to your parents even but what is it about the Republican Party and your belief system that makes you feel the way you do about this administration? Given all of the headlines and unrest and
change and upheaval that's happened. Tell us why you are supporter of Trump and the Republican Party.
Yeah.
So, essentially, like I just grew up in a way that was naturally conservative. I leaned that way, and I wanted I want to be represented by you know, candidates who are you know, support free speech on food, support free commerce, things like the individual individual liberties, limited government. That's something that I've always valued very much, religious freedom.
You know.
I just want to be able to live my life in a way that is, you know, as uninhibited as possible. I'm not I used to be like a libertarian when I was when I was like a young person, but you kind of realize that you have to live in a society with rules and then it's not you know, a free for all like that. And I aligned myself with the Right because I just found all of my
my sort of values reflected in them. I wouldn't say that, I'm like I I stand firm in that and like, like I said, I'm not going to change my party affiliation. I'm not a closetive, closetive Democrat. I've I've I've never heard that one before. Honestly, like my entire life, I've had to you know, stand on business about being thinking the way that I do.
So that's a new one.
But but yeah, I just I, like many Americans, I just want to I want my family to be able to afford groceries, for instance. And I feel like between the two parties there are differences and how we would address that sort of problem, like cost of living is a huge thing.
But I.
Veer towards the way that Republicans are trying to solve that problem. And it's just I disagree about this with my mother, with both both my parents, but it's just the way things are of half of America thinks one way. Half of America thinks another and I just yeah, I just leaned towards the right. It's just how things turned out. I can't do anything about it.
Bet, holiday dinners are fun though, right, No, for sure? Can you tell me that you called, yes, you use the word oddity, but and you also said that other folks from the National Chapter and whatnot who wanted him to be a part Barren to be a part of the group on NYU campus. You said it was pie in the sky. You knew it, but they didn't know it. How do you know that's an idea being on campus, we know he's there, but a day to day life or an NYU student. Do you even feel his presence in any way?
Uh No, I mean you feel it in that like people from externally will ask you about him, like I mentioned, but also like people on campus sort of make a frenzy about it. Like I remember, we had just maybe in September, we had just heard the news that he was matriculated in the school. We were like we were recruiting. We were we had like a club fest where we had like a bunch of you know, we had table set up and we were kind of.
Like marketing our clubs. So we were marketing the College Republicans on campus, and people would come up to us and be like, oh.
Is Baron a member? Is Baron a member? And it's it's that sort of hysteria that occurs on campus and also online because people are are obsessed with with this this kid, Like it's just it's kind of like they form like this parasocial relationship with him, and and they you know, expect, yeah, you become a part of it because you're on campus. But I've never actually I've never seen him. I don't go to the business school.
I don't.
I just know that's he's followed by security detail and he doesn't really stay around campus. Like the big The thing that I thought was crazy and this whole ordeal was because people were saying that, oh, I did the same thing. I went to class and I went home. I did the same thing. I was a commuter too, And I'm like, when I'm in New York, I am
also a commuter. Like unless I have something to do with I'm meeting up with a friend for like lunch or something, or I have a cr event to go to, I go straight home too.
I have a long commute.
I don't have time to stick around, and I have plenty of work to do, so I just thought that this is all insane, and yeah, it's been a predicament, but.
Yeah, it's a total misunderstanding. If you could say anything to President Trump right now, what would you say, I.
Mean, keep doing what you're doing.
I campaign for you, and obviously, yeah, I'm a fan, and I don't know what else does. I've never had to really defend my book my beliefs like this is. I mean, I've had to defend my beliefs to you know, my family and people who think i'm adversely, but I've never been accused of, you know, being a.
Fake Republican or anything like that. That's sort of insane.
You know.
We asked that what you would say to President Trump? Let me ask you this way another way. Do you think he would be at all at odds with what you said?
I mean, I would hope not, because what I said, there's nothing wrong with what I said. I wasn't attacking anybody. But also I feel like there are bigger things out there. Yeah, they're bigger, Like he's the person, he's the leader of the free world. I feel like he has bigger things to worry about than some some random college student giving
an interview to Vanity Fair. I wasn't even the only person interviewed in that in that piece, like there were other NYU students asked about the same sort of phenomenon.
So I don't know, obviously it's it's it's I wouldn't say it's like something I think about every day that the president's son goes to my school, but when I asked, I do think about it then, and I'm asked very often enough that it's something that I give a response to because that's just the I'm trying to explain the reality of what things are like.
And Kai, I hope you don't mind me saying this. A lot of people will just hear you. We don't have too much of a video element to this, but I can see you're talking to us, and I can see your chest is blotchy like this, like your emotions are coming forward, just physically even, And I just want people to understand. You read a story like this and you think it's nothing and silly or whatever, but the
impact is significant on a personal level. To go through something like this at your age is traumatizing, to say the least. You mentioned that you have learned a lesson. What are you going to take from all of this and how are you going to apply it to your life? You know, talk about your plans and how you're going to use this experience to maybe be a little more wise in the ways of the world as you start
out on your life. You're twenty one, you're graduating in a couple of months, So do you have any idea how this will impact your way forward?
Yeah?
So so, really, I think that I've in this whole ordeal, I've kind of showed myself that you know, I've I've gone through I feel like like any young woman, I've gone through, you know, crises in my life, and I just I feel like I've gotten better at dealing with them as I've gotten older, and the fact that I'm like I am, I'm very disturbed at what happened to be honest, like it has been manifesting physically, like you said, but.
I've I've gotten better at dealing with them.
Like It's never the end of the world, Like I'm always going to have people, you know, who are there for me, who are going to reach out to me, and who loved me, who I love back and I'm going to continue to lean on those people and you know, trust beeople who deserve my trust, and I'm going to you know, focus on the endeavors that like I've been spending. Like I've told you, I've dedicated the past four years to this organization and I'm still very dedicated to my chapter.
But I'm going to I just have so much much.
Out there for me, Like I think I've worked hard in my entire life, and I'm not going to let something like this really, you know, push me, push me off track.
I'm going to still dedicated to your chapter. Is what got me the again. I guess you're holding a more against the national chapter than the local one having responsibility. But that was just kind of big of you to hear you say something like that. These folks have kind of put you through hell, you're still committed to the organization on campus.
No, No, the organization on campus didn't do anything to me like these like I'm telling you, Like we are the most like laid back sort of like our meetings.
We meet once a week.
All we do is eat pizza and talk like it's not it's not an a thing like super sophistic kid like we have debates sometimes with the Democrats, but it's not anything like we're we're just we're all friends.
Like I love all those kids.
I can say it a million times, and they've supported me through this, like my my, like my kids at n YU, Like we're all pretty solid.
We're good, we're good kids. I'd say.
We've just kind of had the imposition of these of the National Chapter, i'd say, and other other organizations that you know, kind of have yeah, sort of disrupted, are sort of fun. The fun that we've had together in the past four years, i'd say.
And the last thing here, I want to ask, because you mentioned in earlier said some things were coming at you and folks were mentioning and asking about your race. How did that factor into I'm sitting here looking at you. I don't know your background, people hearing your voice don't know it, but it was race. What is your background and did race to have any do you think factor in all of this?
Yeah, so my mother's Dominican, my father's My father's just from New York like I I, I'm a black woman, Like, I don't think it had any factor into you know, how I was forced to resign, But the comments that people left online definitely did have to do with that, because maybe like the fourth organization that kind of you know, picked this story up was was a groper page.
I'd say, so these.
Are like, you know, I don't I don't really know what to call them, not I'm not too familiar, but these are people who are obsessed with that sort of thing. And I don't think they're not Republicans. I wouldn't say they're just just nasty people. So they picked it up and they made Yeah, they made it a big deal. You know. The way that I looked the pictures that they that were circuling latering on online were from me
when I was maybe like seventeen eighteen. I mean, I used to straighten my hair then I looked I looked a lot whiter than I do now that I have these locks in. But like it was just insane. They were coming at me from all all angles. So that's just like weird people online. I wouldn't Yeah, it's just it was weird to read. I'd say, I've never heard
anybody talk to me like that before. Eric been called as many names as I have, but I don't know, I don't know any of those people, and I think that they, Yeah, I have my own life, I have my own problems.
I just I'm going to focus on that well.
As you mentioned, it is a very tough lesson to learn at any age, and especially at yours. Bakaya, you have handled yourself with so much grace and so much dignity, and we really appreciate you coming on to talk about what you said while you're unapologetic about what you said and the reaction that you're having to deal with at the age of twenty one. I mean, I'm super impressed
with you, and I know you. As you've said. All the people who know you know who you are and love you, and I'm sure they're a little concerned right now. I mean, this is an environment that none of us have really experienced before. It's a tough world out there online, and we're just really sorry you had to deal with it. But we really appreciate you coming on. And I love that you're still talking. I love that you didn't go
crawling a hole somewhere. I love that you didn't let other people speak for you, that you're taking ownership of what you said, You're clarifying what you said, and you're standing by what you said, So thank you, yeah, thank you Kia for being here. We wish you the very best, good luck and early congratulations on your graduation that's coming up in just a couple of months.
Thank you, take care of Broth with you.