Trump blames KKK flub on a 'lousy earpiece'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Why the Gorton and Denton by-election is a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’Talking Point Reform and the Greens have the Labour seat in their sights, but the constituency’s complex demographics make messaging tricky
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’