Donald Trump: ‘It Would Be Very Unfair’ To Disavow Racists (WITH VIDEOS)

Donald Trump at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (image courtesy Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons-Noncommercial license)
Donald Trump at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (image courtesy Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons-Noncommercial license)

As if we didn’t need any more proof that Donald Trump is manifestly unfit to be president, the Donald was kind enough to provide us with more. He told a national television audience that he isn’t willing to unequivocally denounce racist knuckledraggers who have publicly supported him. Why? Wait for it–he thinks it would be “unfair” to do so because he doesn’t know enough about them.

Earlier this week, former KKK grand wizard David Duke endorsed Trump, saying that any white person who doesn’t support Trump would be committing “treason against your heritage.” In response, the Anti-Defamation League called for Trump to denounce Duke and a number of other white supremacists who have expressed support for him. On Sunday’s edition of CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper grilled Trump about that endorsement. Watch here.

When Tapper asked Trump if he was willing to heed the ADL’s call to “unequivocally condemn” these knuckledraggers, he must have thought that Trump would have wasted no time in doing so. So imagine Tapper’s surprise when Trump replied that he couldn’t be expected to denounce “people I know nothing about.”

Tapper tried to give Trump a chance to get his foot out of his mouth, asking him if he would denounce Duke and his compatriots. But Trump said–with a straight face– that he had to “take a look at the group” first. He suggested that Tapper “send me a list of those groups” so he could check them out.

Once he did so, Trump promised that he would “certainly disavow them if I thought there was something wrong.” He added–again, with a straight face– that “it would be very unfair” to speak out against these groups until he looked into them. So Trump expected the audience to believe he’d been in a cocoon for the better part of his life. That’s about the only way you can believe that a major presidential candidate who has been a public figure for the better part of four decades wouldn’t know anything about white supremacists.

Tapper gave Trump yet another chance to save himself, asking specifically about Duke and the KKK. But Trump replied that he couldn’t do so because “I just don’t know anything about him.” We know that statement is a lie. He apparently knew enough about Duke in 2000 that he decided against running for the Reform Party’s presidential nomination because Duke was a member. He apparently knew enough about Duke last summer to disavow him.

Apparently Trump must have amnesia, because hours after the interview, he retweeted a clip from a Friday press conference in which he denounced Duke.

And yet, just 48 hours later, he says he doesn’t know enough about Duke to make a call on him, and it would be unfair to make a call until he learned more about him. Which is it, Donald? In light of this, Trump’s decision to boot out a protester wearing a shirt calling out racist support for Trump suddenly takes on a frightening light.

Not surprisingly, the condemnation came fast and hard. Bernie Sanders let Trump have it on Twitter.

In a moment of badly-needed solidarity, this post was retweeted by Hillary Clinton.

Several other Republicans blasted Trump. When a still-incredulous Tapper asked Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn what she made of Trump’s statement, Blackburn said it was “not an acceptable answer.” Watch here.

At a rally in Purcellville, Virginia later on Sunday, Marco Rubio tore into Trump, and also noted that Trump knew enough about Duke to walk out on the Reform Party in 2000. Watch here.

Ted Cruz also weighed in.

This doesn’t go far enough. After this, both parties should be calling, with one voice, for Trump to get out of the race and get out of the race right now. Anyone who thinks it’s “unfair” to unequivocally denounce racism and repudiate racists who attempt to endorse them is not morally fit to be president of the United States. Period.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.