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Donald Trump stumbles on David Duke, KKK
| CNN | - |
Washington
(CNN) Donald Trump wouldn't disavow former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard
David Duke's support for his presidential bid in an interview Sunday,
saying that he knows nothing about the white supremacist leader.
Donald Trump stumbles on David Duke, KKK
Story highlights
- Donald Trump deflected questions about disavowing David Duke, saying 'I just don't know anything about him'
- Duke and other white supremacists are largely backing Trump's GOP presidential bid
Washington (CNN)Donald
Trump stumbled into a racially charged controversy Sunday, saying in an
interview on CNN that he didn't know enough to disavow former Ku Klux
Klan grand wizard David Duke.
Hours
later, Trump tried to clean up his comments on Twitter amid an
outpouring of criticism from his Republican presidential rivals. Sen.
Marco Rubio slammed the remarks, saying they make Trump "unelectable."
The
Sunday uproar started when Trump was pressed by CNN's Jake Tapper on
"State of the Union" about whether he would disavow Duke and other white
supremacist groups that are supporting his campaign.
"Just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?" Trump said.
Trump
was pressed three times on whether he'd distance himself from the Ku
Klux Klan -- but never mentioned the group in his answers.
"I
don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white
supremacy or white supremacists," he said. "So I don't know. I don't
know -- did he endorse me, or what's going on? Because I know nothing
about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists."
The
Anti-Defamation League had called on Trump to repudiate the support of
Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and other white
supremacist groups.
Despite what he
said Sunday, Trump apparently did know Duke in 2000 -- citing him, as
well as Pat Buchanan and Lenora Fulani -- in a statement that year
explaining why he had decided to end his brief flirtation with a Reform
Party presidential campaign.
"The
Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr.
Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to
keep," Trump said in a statement reported then by The New York Times.
He
had also indicated he knew of Duke during a Friday press conference,
when he was asked similar questions and said: "David Duke endorsed me?
OK, all right. I disavow, OK?"
After his appearance on "State of the Union," Trump highlighted that Friday comment in a tweet, saying he does disavow Duke.
During the interview, though,
asked if he'd broadly distance himself from Duke and white supremacists,
Trump demurred, saying he knew nothing about their support for his bid
for the Republican presidential nomination.
"I
have to look at the group. I mean, I don't know what group you're
talking about," Trump said. "You wouldn't want me to condemn a group
that I know nothing about. I'd have to look. If you would send me a list
of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow
if I thought there was something wrong. You may have groups in there
that are totally fine -- it would be very unfair. So give me a list of
the groups and I'll let you know."
Tapper responded: "OK. I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but --"
And
Trump said: "Honestly, I don't know David Duke. I don't believe I've
ever met him. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him. And I just don't know
anything about him."
Trump's comments
came two days before 12 states -- largely Southern -- vote on Super
Tuesday. If he defeats Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
in most or all of those states, Trump could become a near lock for the
Republican nomination.
Rubio slammed
Trump during a rally in Virginia, highlighting Trump's 2000 comment
about Duke as he pointed out that Trump did know of the white
supremacist leader.
"We cannot be the party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan," Rubio said.
"By
the way, not only is that wrong, it makes him unelectable. How are we
going to grow our party with a nominee that refuses to condemn the Ku
Klux Klan?" he said. "Don't tell me he doesn't know what the Ku Klux
Klan is. This is serious."
Cruz hit
Trump on Twitter, saying, "Really sad. @realDonaldTrump you're better
than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent."
And another Repubican
presidential contender, John Kasich, tweeted a link to a news report
about Trump's comments, saying: "Hate groups have no place in America.
We are stronger together. End of story."
RNC communications director
responded to criticism on Twitter leveled at the RNC over Trump's
comments, saying, "Are you kidding. Of course the @gop has and does
denounce these hate groups/people."
Democratic presidential
contenders were also lashing out at Trump. Bernie Sanders tweeted:
"America's first black president cannot and will not be succeeded by a
hatemonger who refuses to condemn the KKK."
In January, a white
nationalist super PAC paid for a pro-Trump robocall to Iowa voters that
said, "We don't need Muslims. We need smart, well-educated white people
who will assimilate to our culture. Vote Trump."
It was a reference to Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett at the time, Trump disavowed those robocalls.
"I would disavow that, but I will tell you people are extremely angry," he had said.
In
Sunday's interview on CNN, Trump also detailed what he'd look for in a
vice presidential nominee, saying he'd want someone with "a little bit
of an inside track" to getting legislation approved by Congress -- an
indication Trump could pick a current politician.
"Conceptually, I like the idea of a political person to go along with my abilities," he said.
Trump
also said he has no plans to release his tax returns, despite pressure
from Cruz and Rubio, because IRS audits are ongoing.
He said he has been audited "almost every year for 10 or 12 years."
"Maybe
it's because I'm very conservative, maybe it's because I'm tea party.
... I don't know what it is, but I have been singled out," Trump said.
"Until the audit is completed, obviously I'm not giving my papers."
1 comment:
donald trump with kkk duke endorse trump but trump not endorse david duke.
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