Jon Karl Clashes With Kayleigh McEnany: Why is Trump Calling Black Lives Matter a ‘Symbol of Hate?’
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday defended President Donald Trump’s claim that Black Lives Matter is a “symbol of hate.”
McEnany was responding to ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, who asked McEnany about Trump’s tweet posted earlier in the day commenting on a plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the street outside of Trump Tower in New York City.
“Why is the president calling Black Lives Matter a symbol of hate?” Karl asked.
McEnany backed Trump’s claim, accusing BLM protesters of chanting anti-police statements like, “pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon.”
Some participants at a Black Lives Matter protest at the 2015 Minnesota State Fair in 2015 were captured on video chanting the phrase.
“All black lives do matter, he agrees with that sentiment,” McEnany said. “But what he doesn’t agree with is an organization that chants ‘pigs in a blanket fry ’em like bacon’ about our police officers, our valiant heroes, who are out on the street protecting us each and every day.”
Karl followed up: “Americans of all races have protested in all 50 states around that phrase — Black Lives Matter — and the president is here calling it a symbol of hate.”
“He’s talking about the organization,” McEnany said. Karl pushed back, noting Trump did not call out the organization in his tweet, but instead referred to the term itself as a symbol of hate.
Watch above, via Fox News.
