CNN slammed for having white nationalist Richard Spencer on to talk about Trump’s tweets
CNN was the subject of widespread criticism Tuesday after white nationalist Richard Spencer appeared on the network to give his commentary regarding President Trump’s recent tweets attacking four minority congresswomen.
Spencer’s name appeared with the title “White Nationalist” in the on-screen chyron as he discussed what the neo-Nazi community, of which he is a part, thought about Trump’s tweets, which have been widely condemned as racist.
{mosads}“Many white nationalists will eat up this red meat that Donald Trump is throwing out there,” he said.
Spencer labeled the tweets, in which Trump told the four progressive Democrats to “go back” to the countries they came from, as racist, but he said he thinks the attacks are “meaningless and cheap.”
“He gives us nothing outside of racist tweets,” he said. “And by racist tweets, I mean tweets that are meaningless and cheap and express the kind of sentiments you might hear from your drunk uncle while he’s watching [Sean] Hannity.”
Spencer is a leading voice in white nationalist circles and helped organize the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., which left counterprotester Heather Heyer dead when a white nationalist plowed through a crowd with his car.
CNN’s decision to give Spencer airtime was panned on social media Tuesday.
Today on its valuable airwaves, CNN gave a platform to white nationalist Richard Spencer. There is literally nothing productive Spencer brings to the conversation. Whoever made this shameful decision should be fired. https://t.co/rKTTyc1OUY pic.twitter.com/o060SS47ZD
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) July 16, 2019
RT if you think we say “CNN Contributor Richard Spencer” from now on. pic.twitter.com/IWUQdqGsSw
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) July 16, 2019
CNN invited an open white supremacist on national television today.
This isn’t a news network with journalistic ethics. It’s a circus that’s willing to help promote open racists for attention. pic.twitter.com/4Xcq3unW30
— Carlos Maza (@gaywonk) July 16, 2019
Is @CNN seriously giving airtime to Richard Spencer??? https://t.co/XIrLYe5KE8
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) July 16, 2019
The Hill has reached out to CNN for comment.