On Friday, Democratic strategist David Axelrod found himself in hot water when he suggested that Donald Trump is not a racist.
During a panel for Bill Maher’s Real Time, Axelrod spoke to the protests happening against president-elect Trump and blamed it on his “hurtful and threatening” rhetoric.
“It’s not just impolite, it’s threatening people’s lives. If you think Mexicans come into this country to rape and murder your family, that means their life is threatened,” John Legend chimed in.
“I agree with all that, I want to make a different point, ” Axelrod replied. “The thing that I find offensive is, I don’t think Donald Trump is a racist.”
“I don”t care if he is,” Legend said.
— John Legend speaks on Colin Kaepernick’s protest and Nate Parker —
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TraSepJ8mg4
That’s when Maher broke in: “With the history he had? With his father not renting to black people? With the Central Park jogger? Oh, come on!”
“I think he is an opportunist who exploited race and surfed racism,” Axelrod tried to say before Legend interrupted him.
“That is a difference without a distinction,” Legend said, and the audience responded with applause.
“It is not different!” Axelrod replied. “Because he knew better and he knew what he was doing.”
“I don’t care if he knows better,” Legend shot back. “I care about what he’s saying and what it’s going to cause in the public.”
Ana Marie Cox then added, “It doesn’t matter whether he meant it or not to the people being called the N-word in Minnesota. There are people who woke up on Wednesday morning who felt their lives were in danger.”