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.
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
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Crossword: October 5, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsionSpeed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deploymentSpeed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
