CNN Pans Trump for Acknowledging Systemic Racism but Dismissing White Privilege: ‘Trying to Have It Both Ways’

CNN’s Poppy Harlow, Jim Sciutto, and Joe Johns were far from impressed on Thursday as they broke down President Donald Trump’s newest comments on racial issues.

Bob Woodward sparked a major newsflash with his tapes of Trump admitting to downplaying the coronavirus, but the Washington Post associate editor also recorded his discussions with the president where he asked him about white privilege and systemic racism in America.

Trump acknowledged the existence of institutional racism within the country and called it “unfortunate,” but he flatly rejected Woodward’s question on whether white privilege prevents him and others from fully understanding the struggles of African Americans.

“You, you really drank the Kool-Aid, didn’t you?” Trump responded to Woodward’s question. “Just listen to you, wow. No, I don’t feel that at all.”

Johns dissected the contradicting element of the president’s remarks as Woodward’s tapes aired on CNN Newsroom.

The president is trying to have it both ways on the race in the election this year. On the one hand, he’s reaching out to white voters, suggesting to suburbs they need to be afraid because low income voters might move in and the president has been hammering away at the issue of race in America, also the unrest for social justice which he suggests Americans need to be worried about…But on the other hand, he says to Black voters he’s the best thing since sliced bread to them and frankly they have done better economically because of the president.

Sciutto followed up by noting that Woodward’s taped Trump comments come shortly after Attorney General Bill Barr denied the notion of systemic racism on CNN.

Watch above, via CNN.