Donald Trump Jr. says his dad isn't racist because of 'all of the rappers' he's friends with
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 Jr. sat for an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller last month, where he was charged with the familiar task of defending his father against allegations of racism. In the interview, which The Daily Caller published Sunday, the president's eldest son declared that the efforts to tar President Trump and his supporters with the brush of racism and sexism were "terrible."
The real shame, Trump Jr. insisted, is that the frequent criticisms of his father are in fact undermining the individuals who are "actually" affected by "real" discrimination. "If [saying something is racist or sexist] is your response to any argument you can't win, you actually do a real disservice to those people actually afflicted by it," Trump Jr. said. He warned: "You can only overplay your hand so many times before people start calling your bluff."
Besides, Trump Jr. said, his father is anything but racist. The dutiful son noted his father's various relationships with rappers to prove the point: "I know him. I've seen him my whole life," he said. "It's amazing, all the rappers ... all his African-American friends from Jesse Jackson to Al Sharpton … I have pictures [of my dad] with them." Trump is only accused of racism because of his political leanings, Trump Jr. claimed, saying that "it was only until he got into politics that all of a sudden [people said], 'Oh, he's the most terrible human being in the world.'"
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.
During his presidential campaign, Trump called Mexican immigrants rapists and accused a U.S.-born judge of being biased against him because of his Mexican heritage. As president, he reportedly referred to several African states as "shithole countries." Watch an excerpt of the Daily Caller interview, obtained by Right Wing Watch, below. Kelly O'Meara Morales
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Political cartoons for February 10Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include halftime hate, the America First Games, and Cupid's woe
-
Why is Prince William in Saudi Arabia?Today’s Big Question Government requested royal visit to boost trade and ties with Middle East powerhouse, but critics balk at kingdom’s human rights record
-
Wuthering Heights: ‘wildly fun’ reinvention of the classic novel lacks depthTalking Point Emerald Fennell splits the critics with her sizzling spin on Emily Brontë’s gothic tale
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
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
