Trump and Karoline Leavitt Tried To Laugh Off ‘False Accusations’ Of Racism — Too Many In Media Played Along
President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt have tried to laugh off what they falsely call “false accusations” of racism, and too many in the media are helping them do it.
While never far away, the subject of Trump and racism was top of mind when the president issued a denial of racism as he commented on the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson, and that denial was blown up in a White House briefing exchange.
In that statement, Trump wrote “Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.”
He also referred to former President Barack Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama,” a reminder of his racist entry into politics via the racist “Birther” conspiracy.
Leavitt was challenged by CBS News White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe to provide examples of the “false” accusations Trump referred to in his statement.
Leavitt responded with a shocked affect and a claim that “radical Democrats” and members of the media “in this room” have “accused this president falsely of being a racist”:
ED OKEEFE: In his statement about Jesse Jackson, the president said “Despite the fact that I am falsely inconsistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics on the radical left, Democrats all, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.”
Where or when does the president believe he has been falsely called racist?
KAROLINE LEAVITT: You’re kidding, right? I will pull you plethora of examples. He has absolutely been falsely called and smeared as a racist, and I’m happy to provide you those receipts.
The moment was played as a great big “own” on O’Keefe by right-wing media and completely ignored by every cable network except one. It was aided by the fact that several denizens of the now-MAGA-fied briefing room laughed at Leavitt’s response.
The “Trump War Room” account posted what they thought was an awesome callout. In 2019, O’Keefe posted multiple tweets that referenced “racist tweets” from Trump — that were also denounced by a “chorus” of Republicans at the time.
Trump also protested his innocence at a Black History event at the White House on Wednesday by citing the defenses of his friend Mike Tyson:
Mike Tyson. Boy, I tell you, Mike has been loyal to me. Whenever they come out, they say, “Trump’s a racist.” You know, it’s like a statement. “Trump’s a racist.” Mike Tyson goes, “He’s not a racist. He’s my friend.” He’s been there from the beginning. Good times and bad. But Mike Tyson’s a great guy, and he was so loyal. Always been loyal.
I’ve got some bad news for Trump, Leavitt, and Tyson. According to a new The Economist/YouGov poll, by a two-to-one margin, more Americans believe that President Donald Trump is racist than think he is not, with the remainder responding “no opinion.”
Mike Tyson notwithstanding, among Black voters who expressed an opinion, 90 percent said Trump is racist, versus 10% who said he is not.
Here are a few more facts. It’s not just “Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL” and “radical Democrats throughout the years” who have called out Trump’s racism, and those claims of racism are well-founded enough to have included many figures who aren’t exactly woke libturds.
Trump’s own Vice President JD Vance once called Trump “America’s Hitler” and a “reprehensible” “idiot.”
CNN anchor Jake Tapper — a guy who was widely respected among conservatives (and still is by many) before Trump — has repeatedly called out Trump over racism and anti-Semitism. I know, I know, that was way back in last week.
Also last week, a mess of Republicans including Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) were calling Trump out for posting a racist video — which he later deleted but then defended.
Trump literally made Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell — a Black Republican — cry on the air with his response to the White Supremacist attack in Charlottesville.
Then-Fox News anchor Chris Wallace accused Trump of “stoking racial divisions” and confronted him over White Supremacy at a debate that led to the infamous “Stand back and stand by” moment.
Despite all of that, the normie media has decided to ignore the fact that Trump lied about his own racism in a berserk rant on the occasion of a civil rights icon’s death, and Leavitt compounded the lie by mocking the reporter who called it out — a reporter whose own network ignored the exchange in its news broadcast.
The degree or motivation or other intangible factors in Trump’s racism may be matters of opinion, but the existence of it is a fact that should not be ignored, let alone made the subject of gaslighting mockery.
Watch above via Fox News.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
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