Defending his party’s reputation of consisting mainly of "old, white people," Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa on Monday questioned where “any other subgroup of people” contributed more to society than in Western civilization.

"This 'old, white people' business does get a little tired," King said on MSNBC Monday, hours before the first speaker would take the stage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. "I'd ask you to go back through history and figure out, where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you’re talking about — where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization?"

"Than white people?" asked MSNBC's Chris Hayes, slightly stunned.

"Than Western civilization itself,” King replied. “It’s rooted in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Unites States of America and every place where the footprint of Christianity settled the world. That’s all of Western civilization."

It’s not the first time King appeared to question the value of other, non-white "subgroups." In 2013, he drew fire after declaring that for every [undocumented immigrant] who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds–and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."