Trump blames KKK flub on a 'lousy earpiece'

The equipment was faulty, Trump says.
(Image credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Donald Trump offered up his excuse Monday morning as to why he didn't disavow the Ku Klux Klan and former grand wizard David Duke in an interview with CNN over the weekend: He says he just couldn't hear the question.

"I'm sitting in a house in Florida with a very bad earpiece that they gave me, and you could hardly hear what [CNN host Jake Tapper] was saying," Trump told Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, adding that CNN provided him with a "lousy earpiece."

In the interview that aired Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, Trump repeatedly denied knowing anything about Duke when asked if he would "unequivocally condemn" the former KKK grand wizard's support. "I don't know anything about David Duke, okay? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists," Trump said.

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On social media, Trump was quick to point out that he had already disavowed Duke during a press conference on Friday.

Politico notes that CNN has yet to offer a comment on Trump's accusations, though "it's not clear what, if anything, Trump was unable to hear during his interview." Listen to his interview with the Today Show below. Becca Stanek

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