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.
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"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
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