CNN's Chris Cuomo asked Kris Kobach if he'd support Trump as president if he said 'I am a racist.' He wasn't sure.


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
President Trump has denied that his tweet attacking four minority congresswomen by telling them to "go back" to where they came from was racist. But even if he said it was, that might not be a deal-breaker for former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Kobach, who Trump endorsed for Kansas governor last year and who says the president is "very encouraging" of his 2020 Senate campaign, spoke to CNN's Chris Cuomo on Tuesday night and defended Trump's tweets, prompting Cuomo to ask what he would do if Trump came out and said the reason he tweeted what he did was that "I am a racist."
Kobach first said he would "not defend" Trump if that happened, as there is "no excuse for racism in America." But he then received what should have been the easiest possible follow-up question to answer, with Cuomo asking if he would still support Trump as president in this scenario. Kobach hesitated, saying he doesn't know whether he would and that this is a "tough" question.
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.
"I don't know," Kobach said. "...I'd have to know who was running against him."
As Cuomo expressed his utter disbelief with this answer, Kobach said he "probably" wouldn't support him, still leaving the door open to the possibility that he would get behind an admitted racist as president depending on who his Democratic opponent was. Watch the stunning clip below. Brendan Morrow
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.
-
Sen. Bob Menendez charged with federal corruption, bribery
The longtime New Jersey Democrat finds himself in another round of legal peril
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Taking steps
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will the US keep aiding Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Republicans give Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 'cold shoulder' in D.C.
By Joel Mathis Published
-
Rishi Sunak lambasts China after allegations of spy in UK Parliament
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Judge denies Mark Meadows' request to move Georgia case to federal court
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson dies at 75
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Clarence Thomas officially discloses trips from billionaire GOP donor
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Judge schedules Trump federal election plot trial for crowded March 2024
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin ally-turned-rival, presumed dead in plane crash
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Mar-a-Lago IT director flipped on Trump after dropping Trump-linked lawyer, special counsel says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published