CNN host Chris Cuomo, in a tense interview Tuesday night, asked Republican Senate candidate Kris Kobach whether he would still support President Trump even if Trump came forward and fully admitted to being a racist.
Kobach, who is running for Senate in Kansas, ended the back-and-forth on that question with this answer:
‘I’d have to know who was running against him.’
Cuomo had been questioning Kobach over the Trump tweet telling four congresswomen of color to “go back” to where they came from — comments that drew strong rebukes from the president’s detractors.
Kobach spent much of the segment defending Trump’s comments as “a larger argument” about “love America or leave it,” with Cuomo claiming in turn that the president had “picked a race battle.”
“In our political culture, if he says, ‘I’m not a racist,’ then it gives guys like you cover to defend him,” Cuomo said. “But what would you do if the president said, ‘I am a racist, that’s why I said it.’”
Kobach answered, “Then I would not defend him because there is no excuse for racism in America.”
“Would you still support him as president?”
“I don’t know… I’d have to know who was running against him,” Kobach answered.
“A racist! An admitted racist you would have to know more?” Cuomo said. “Kris, come on man. It can’t be that partisan.”
Kobach fired back, saying “these are ridiculous hypotheticals” because “the president has not said anything racist.”
Watch the full interview:
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