CNN Blasted for Interviewing White Nationalist Richard Spencer About Trump’s Tweets
In light of President Donald Trump’s recent racist attacks against four progressive congresswomen of color, CNN gave a platform to white nationalist Richard Spencer — who was a featured speaker at the deadly 2017 Unite the Right neo-Nazi rally — to discuss the “red meat” race-based attacks on Tuesday.
While Spencer was a strong supporter of Trump at the start of his presidency, as he famously leading the “hail Trump, hail our people” Nazi-esque chant in Washington, D.C. just after the 2016 election, the alt-right thinktank president told CNN’s Sara Sidner that these latest “racist tweets” from Trump are nothing more than “the kind of sentiments you might hear from your drunk uncle while he’s watching Hannity.”
“Many white nationalists will eat up this red meat that Donald Trump is throwing out there. I am not one of them. I recognize the con-game that is going on,” Spencer said during the segment, which was pre-taped by CNN and was not aired in its entirety. “He gives us nothing outside of racist tweets and by racist tweets, I mean tweets that are meaningless and cheap.”
Spencer quickly took to Twitter to promote his CNN hit.
White nationalist Richard Spencer turns on Trump after racist tweets – CNN Video https://t.co/7q94xrEK2L
— Richard ☀️ Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) July 16, 2019
The network was also slammed by a number of reporters on Twitter, especially those that frequently cover the far-right, for platforming Spencer.
…was this really necessary? pic.twitter.com/5cuh6unwKp
— Michael Edison Hayden (@MichaelEHayden) July 16, 2019
Absolutely rules that reporters covering the far right have repeatedly tried to approach CNN with concerns over its coverage for a while, only to get radio silence. https://t.co/JqqkQstSHm
— Kelly Weill (@KELLYWEILL) July 16, 2019
is this for real https://t.co/sZK3PonDAK
— Osita Nwanevu (@OsitaNwanevu) July 16, 2019
Who thought this was a good idea? https://t.co/od6LGSKfrY
— Robyn Pennacchia (@RobynElyse) July 16, 2019
Is @CNN seriously giving airtime to Richard Spencer??? https://t.co/XIrLYe5KE8
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) July 16, 2019
The “racist tweets” that Spencer did not feel fulfill his vision of white nationalism in America came Sunday morning when Trump unleashed on four recently elected minority lawmakers, including Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI), Ilhan Omar (MN), Ayanna Pressley (MA), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY).
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run,” he wrote in a series of three posts.
Watch above, via CNN.
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