MAGA Lt. Gov. calls on colleagues to pull HBCU funding after commencement snub: report

A MAGA lieutenant governor supported calls from Republican state lawmakers to pull funding from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) after it rescinded her invitation to speak at a commencement ceremony.

"The far left has silenced freedom of speech and pushed its radical, anti-American agenda for far too long," South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette said in a public statement on Friday. She was fuming about South Carolina State University canceling plans on Wednesday to have her speak to graduating students, according to local media reports.

"What happened at S.C. State University this week is emblematic of what's happening at institutions across our state and country," Evette's statement read.

A candidate in the 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial race, Evette has boasted that she stumped for Trump in 2024 and that he praised her, according to the Associated Press.

The university's president, Alexander Conyers, explained the decision to nix her speech in a public statement on Wednesday.

"Out of an abundance of caution for safety and with careful consideration, the university has decided to move in a different direction," Conyers wrote, adding that Evette is still welcome "to our campus to engage with our students, faculty and staff in a constructive manner at a later date outside the celebratory nature of commencement.“

Evette clearly wasn't happy. When she talked to local media on Thursday, she blamed the "woke mob." She also saw support from nine GOP state reps who penned a letter on Thursday calling for "no further funding for South Carolina University" in retaliation.

She supported their demand in her public statement on Friday.

"I applaud the members of the General Assembly who, like me, firmly believe that not one dime of taxpayer money should ever go to a school that discriminates against conservative views," Evette wrote. "It certainly won't happen when I'm governor."