While discussing President Bush's AIDS spending proposal in the State of the Union address, nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage responded to a caller's assertion that he “do[es]n't know anything about Africa” by launching a series of derogatory attacks on Africa and Africans.

On his January 29 broadcast, Savage challenged the caller's “stupid statement,” stating, “Tell me what I don't know about the AIDS epidemic that you know.” The caller, whom Savage identified as “Kojo,” then asked: “How AIDS got there [Africa] -- do you know how the AIDS got there?” Apparently mocking the caller's accent, Savage responded: “I know how it got there, I know how it got there. It got there because it was spread from eating green monkey meat, my friend. If you study the science -- but I don't think you have the capacity to understand science, my dear friend Kojo.”

The caller then said Savage had a “big old mouth,” and Savage continued: “See, we don't live in Africa where people settle arguments with machetes. We live in a country where we settle it with arguments.” After the call ended, Savage added:

Couldn't use the machete so his mind went blank. There, that's what we got. There's multiculturalism for you. There's immigration for you. There's the new America for you. Bring them in by the millions. Bring in 10 million more from Africa. Bring them in with AIDS. Show how multicultural you are. They can't reason, but bring them in with a machete in their head. Go ahead. Bring them in with machetes in their mind.

According to Talk Radio Network, which syndicates Savage's show, Savage is heard on more than 350 radio stations. Talkers Magazine has indicated that The Savage Nation reaches more than 8 million listeners each week, making it the third most listened-to talk radio show in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.

From the January 29 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

SAVAGE: Kojo is calling from Los Angeles; he disagrees with me. Kojo, go ahead, you're on The Savage Nation. Tell us why we in America should send $45 billion to Africa for AIDS.

KOJO: I don't care if they send the money or they don't send the money. You don't know anything about Africa. So you can't talk anything about --

SAVAGE: What do you mean I don't know anything about Africa? Well, what do you know about America?

KOJO: Let me finish --

SAVAGE: Well, no, I'm not gonna let you finish. You made a stupid statement. That's like saying I know nothing about Egypt because I don't live there. What kind of stupidity is that? We live in a global world. What do you mean I don't know anything about Africa? What's there to know that I don't know about the AIDS epidemic? Tell me what I don't know about the AIDS epidemic that you know.

KOJO: How AIDS got there -- do you know how the AIDS got there? You know how it got there?

SAVAGE [mocking Kojo's accent]: Yeah, I know how it got there, I know how it got there. It got there because it was spread from eating green monkey meat, my friend. If you study the science -- but I don't think you have the capacity to understand science, my dear friend Kojo.

KOJO: You have a big old mouth. You don't listen to nobody. You are criticizing African people, you are criticizing --

SAVAGE: Why don't you just shut up for a minute. You're telling me that you know more about my country than I do but I know nothing about your country. Who has the big mouth here, Kojo?

KOJO: You criticize the president, the candidate, everybody. Why don't you be a president of the United States, you stupid man --

SAVAGE: See, we don't live in Africa where people settle arguments with machetes. We live in a country where we settle it with arguments. Something you apparently don't know anything about.

[silence]

What's the matter, cat got your tongue, my friend, Kojo?

[sound of dial tone]

See, there you go. Couldn't use the machete so his mind went blank. There, that's what we got. There's multiculturalism for you. There's immigration for you. There's the new America for you. Bring them in by the millions. Bring in 10 million more from Africa. Bring them in with AIDS. Show how multicultural you are. They can't reason, but bring them in with a machete in their head. Go ahead. Bring them in with machetes in their mind.

We're not supposed to criticize the president because he wants to send $45 billion to that corrupt continent -- for AIDS, which is a behavioral disease. It can be controlled only by behavior, not by money. Oh, education has really worked for the AIDS epidemic in America. It's really stopped the homosexual community from interacting in their well-known manners.

Trevor Zimmer is an intern with Media Matters for America.