Donald Trump claims he doesn't even know what the 'alt-right' is

Donald Trump completely dismissed Hillary Clinton's arguments Thursday that he's part of the "alt-right" on the grounds that he doesn't even know what that term means. "Nobody even knows what it is, and she didn't know what it was. This is a term that was just given," Trump said during an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday night. "Frankly, there's no alt-right or alt-left. All I'm embracing is common sense."
Cooper then gently reminded Trump that Stephen Bannon, the Breitbart News executive he recently brought on as his campaign CEO, has called his publication the "platform for the alt-right." "I don't know what Steve said. All I can tell you — I can only speak for myself," Trump said.
But, Clinton argued Thursday, Trump has been amplifying more than just his own voice. During a damning campaign speech in Reno, Clinton accused Trump of giving a "national megaphone" to the "paranoid fringe in our politics."
Subscribe to 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.
Watch Trump's take on the alt-right below, starting at the 4:30 mark. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
'More must be done'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders