The mainstream media has been obsessed over Donald Trump’s refusal to disavow the former Klu Klux Klan leader when interviewed on the weekend by CNN’s Jake Tapper. Trump did not disavow “Duke and the KKK” and later explained he had a faulty earpiece and did not hear the question properly. Tapper mentioned “other groups” and Trump said he would have to know the names of these groups so he can research them before he says whether or not he will refuse their support.
Whether you believe the earpiece excuse or not, the fact remains Trump did disavow a Duke endorsement two days before his Tapper interview. While the mainstream media is obsessed with Trump, they don’t seem the least bit interested in what Duke actually said or did not say.
Luckily, Duke is not dependent upon the mainstream media; he has his own radio show and a website that posts his videos so he has the ability to speak out.
In addressing the matter in a video on his website, Duke said he has never endorsed Trump. He added there are some issues, specifically immigration, that he agrees with Trump on but others he disagrees with. He said he plans to vote for Trump because of Trump’s plans to crack down on immigration. This is hardly a surprise.
But Duke also went on to say he advises his followers to support Trump. Whether or not this amounts to an endorsement is just splitting hairs.
But what was really interesting in Duke’s response were his comments about the media. He rightly pointed out every time Duke’s name was used, it was always in the same sentence as the KKK. It was “David Duke and the KKK.” Duke is correct in saying the implication is not only that is Duke a current member of the Klan but it is an attempt to link Trump to the organization.
Duke said he has not been a member of the KKK in almost 40 years. Since that time, although he stands for keeping America’s European heritage, he went on to become an elected member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. And he was not the only elected politician in the United States to have had previous Klu Klux Klan ties.
Specifically, Duke spoke about the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. When Byrd died at the age of 92 in 2010, he was the longest serving senator in U.S. history. In the early 1940s, he refused to join the army during World War II because he would have to serve alongside “race mongrels.” He created his own chapter of the Klu Klux Klan and held the position of Exalted Cyclops. Byrd described his fellow Klansmen as good people and they were the ones that helped propel him into politics.
Byrd voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act and joined in the unsuccessful filibuster of the legislation. But nonetheless, he was a beloved member of the Democratic Party. He was beloved and praised by Democrats from Hillary Clinton to Ted Kennedy to yes, even Barack Obama.
As Duke points out, if he (Duke) championed liberal causes, the media would say how wonderful it was that he overcame his past. But then Duke is a Republican.
Duke is right about the media. There is a concerted effort to put the names “David Duke” and the “Klu Klux Klan” in the same sentence in an attempt to tie Trump not only to Duke but to the KKK and other white supremacist groups. The conclusion to be drawn from this is anyone who supports Trump’s policies on illegal immigration is a racist and a KKK sympathizer if not a full blown white supremacist.
There is little doubt this controversy will not affect the Republican primaries and Trump’s march to the nomination. But the media and the Republican establishment will continue their attempts to make Trump out to be a racist to secure a Clinton presidency in November.
The mainstream media has been obsessed over Donald Trump’s refusal to disavow the former Klu Klux Klan leader when interviewed on the weekend by CNN’s Jake Tapper. Trump did not disavow “Duke and the KKK” and later explained he had a faulty earpiece and did not hear the question properly. Tapper mentioned “other groups” and Trump said he would have to know the names of these groups so he can research them before he says whether or not he will refuse their support.
Whether you believe the earpiece excuse or not, the fact remains Trump did disavow a Duke endorsement two days before his Tapper interview. While the mainstream media is obsessed with Trump, they don’t seem the least bit interested in what Duke actually said or did not say.
