Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday declined multiple opportunities to disavow the
endorsement of former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke, saying he didn't know much about him.
Appearing Sunday on
CNN's "State of the Union," Trump was asked about the Anti-Defamation League's call for him to condemn Duke, who said that voting against Trump was the equivalent of white people voting against their heritage.
"Will you unequivocally condemn David Duke and say that you don't want his vote or other white supremacists in this election?" host Jake Tapper asked.
"Well, just so you understand: I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?" Trump said. "I don't know anything what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don't know. I don't know. Did he endorse me, or what's going on? Because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. And so you're asking me a question that I'm supposed to be talking about people that I know nothing about."
Trump did address the question on Friday when asked by the press,
The Hill reported. "David Duke endorsed me? OK, alright. I disavow, OK?" he said.
Later Friday, Trump stared down a protester at a rally who stood up wearing a T-shirt with "KKK endorses Trump" written on it.
"In the good ole days, law enforcement acted a lot quicker than this," Trump said after returning to the podium. "In the good ole days, they'd rip him out of that seat so fast. But today everybody is politically correct. You know, it is a shame, when you think."
On Sunday, Tapper continued pressing Trump.
"But I guess the question from the Anti-Defamation League is even if you don't know about their endorsement, there are these groups and individuals endorsing you. Would you just say unequivocally you condemn them and you don't want their support?" he asked.
"Well, I have to look at the group," Trump said. "I mean, I don't know what group you're talking about. You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I'd have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong.
"But you may have groups in there that are totally fine and it would be very unfair," he continued. "So give me a list of the groups and I'll let you know."
"OK, I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here," Tapper said.
"Honestly, I don't know David Duke. I don't believe I've ever met him," Trump said. "I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him, and I just don't know anything about him."
Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn appeared later on the show, calling Trump's answer unacceptable.
"To me, that would not be an acceptable answer," she said. "I think that should have been an easy answer for him to give. But I'm not somebody that's advising Donald Trump."
Trump has retweeted white supremacists in the past, the latest on Saturday,
Politico notes.
While that account isn't as obvious without going to the owner's page, Trump retweeted a user with the name @WhiteGenocideTM in January, Politico noted.
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