CNN’s Abby Phillip Calls BS on Trump Fan Over Racist Video Deletion: Trump Was ‘Forced to Take It Down’

CNN anchor Abby Phillip called BS on radio host and Trump supporter Jason Rantz as he credited President Donald Trump with deleting and “calling out” a racist video he posted.

Trump posted a video to his Truth Social account at 11:44 p.m. on Thursday night that contains an image depicting President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes:

The post drew widespread outrage, including from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”

Trump White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post in a statement:

“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

But after 12 hours or so, the post was deleted, with an unnamed White House official claiming, “A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down.”

In remarks to reporters, Trump admitted having seen and approved posting the video, but claimed not to have seen the end of it. He also  defended the video as a “takeoff on the Lion King,” but when pressed on whether he condemns “the racist part of the video,” Trump replied, “Of course I do.”

On Friday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip discussed the issue with a panel comprised of Jamal Simmons, Caroline Downey, Christine Quinn, Rantz, and Donte Mills.

When Rantz tried to suggest that Trump quickly deleted and called out the unintentional post, Phillip stepped in to point out the timeline of events:

RANTZ: He deleted it and he called it out and that’s unlike some of the other —

QUINN: How did he call it out?

RANTZ: He was asked directly about whether or not it was inappropriate to post. He asked that, he was asked that question on Air Force One last week and he said absolutely. It almost got no news coverage whatsoever but he very clearly did.

DOWNEY: But he’s right.

QUINN: And he talked about it was The Lion King.

PHILLIP: So, I mean, the chain of events, Jason is right, that eventually, I think it was actually —

RANTZ: It was after —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: I know. Right. It was, I think yesterday that he said it, that he said he condemned it. The day that it happened though, the White House released a statement saying that it was faux outrage and they said, they did nothing about it. They left it up for 12 hours until the backlash became so great that they were forced to take it down. So, you can’t omit that part of it.

RANTZ: Can you remember the last time he’s taken something down because of outrage?

PHILLIP: I mean, I don’t think that’s (inaudible). I mean, I guess the issue is that — hold on. I don’t think it’s a virtue that Trump — I don’t think it’s a virtue. And what he did was so egregious that even his own members of his party, Tim Scott and others, came out and said it was racist and it should come down. And you know what? Even when Tim Scott did that, it did not immediately come out.

QUINN: No.

PHILLIP: It took many hours for to come down after that.

RANTZ: No, because I think what they’re trying to do —

PHILLIP: So, why?

RANTZ: Here’s why. Because I think the initial reaction which I do understand. No. 1, because it wasn’t intentional, and it clearly wasn’t intentional.

PHILLIP: How do you know it wasn’t intentional?

RANTZ: Because you can look at the video and it clearly played the whole thing and what happened towards the end there.

MILLS: So, the president is not responsible for everything he posts? The president isn’t responsible for a full video that he posts? Are you saying that?

RANTZ: Well, he’s not a child. He’s the president.

MILLS: No.

RANTZ: He did not post the full video that you’re talking about. The video itself that you’re talking about was in fact racist. There’s no doubt about that. And the president, I agree with you on that.

MILLS: Yes. And the president he has a history of that. He doesn’t get a pass.

RANTZ: But I don’t think the president actually posted that one.

MILLS: He doesn’t get a pass.

(CROSSTALK)

QUINN: And it was posted under his name.

DOWNEY: I think to your point, what is much more likely and this is a criticism of President Trump, is that he’s a boomer who I think haphazardly did not watch till the end of the video and he posted it without even thinking. He now bears the consequences of that and people are assigning racial animus to him that I don’t think he has.

MILLS: We’re not assigning it.

SIMMONS: The president throws out fairy tales and people latch on to the fairy tales that keep him having to deal with the uncomfortable truth of what the president is doing.

(CROSSTALK)

DOWNEY: I just don’t like it all. I just don’t see him doing this in a charged manner.

MILLS: So, do you disagree that the president has a history of racism?

DOWNEY: I definitely don’t think he has the history of racism that you think he does.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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