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
-
Democrats’ strategy to woo voters for 2026: religionThe Explainer Politicians like Rob Sand and James Talarico have made a name for themselves pushing their faith
-
Pregnancy in AmericaFeature Why is it getting riskier to give birth in the U.S.?
-
The potential warning sign of an auto lender’s bankruptcyIn the Spotlight Tricolor collapse an ‘extreme example’ of economy’s challenges
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
