McEnany claims Trump condemns racism — but she called him racist in 2015

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked on Monday why Donald Trump hasn’t designated white supremacists as a domestic terrorist group claimed. McEnany didn’t answer the question but instead claimed Trump has a “long history” of opposing white supremacy.

“I would also note the president’s long history of condemning white supremacy and racism,” she said during a White House press briefing. “There is no place in society for these egregious, egregious despicable ideologies.”

But in 2015 when she was a pundit appearing on CNN, McEnany had a completely different opinion on Trump.

“To me, a racist statement is a racist statement,” McEnany said on TV after Trump described Mexicans as “rapists” to launch his presidential campaign. “I don’t like what Donald Trump said.” She also called his anti-immigrant comments “derogatory” and “hateful.”

During the campaign — long before it was McEnany’s job to spin Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric — Trump repeatedly made racist and bigoted comments and enjoyed the support of bigots. He was even endorsed by the Klu Klux Klan.

In the White House, Trump has used his powerful platform to further promote bigotry.

He called Nazis marching in favor of Confederate memorials “very fine people,” and when questioned on those comments, he insisted he had responded “perfectly” on the issue.

Discussing immigrants from countries with nonwhite ethnic majorities, Trump infamously referred to them as “shithole” nations.

Trump has also embraced policies targeting nonwhites like family separation at the border and a Muslim travel ban.

Last week, Trump referred to black protesters as “thugs” while earlier that month, he called armed white rioters who stormed the Michigan Capitol “very good people” and demanded the governor “give a little” and “make a deal.”

Despite McEnany’s claim — without any evidence or examples — that Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his opposition to racism, 80% of black Americans said in a January poll that Trump had made racism worse over the course of his time in office.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.