White House: ESPN anchor that called Trump racist should be fired
An ESPN anchor who called President Trump a white supremacist should be fired, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday.
“That is one of the more outrageous comments that anybody could make and certainly is something that is a fireable offense by ESPN,” Sanders said.
ESPN has reprimanded Jemele Hill, an African-American woman who co-hosts a show called “SC6 with Michael and Jemele,” for a string of tweets sent out over the weekend calling Trump and his supporters white supremacists.
Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
Trump is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
The height of white privilege is being able to ✌ignore✌his white supremacy, because it’s of no threat to you. Well, it’s a threat to me.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
In a statement, ESPN sought to distance itself from Smith’s remarks.
{mosads}“The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the president do not represent the position of ESPN,” the network said. “We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.”
But many on the right are fuming, believing that it is the latest in a string of incidents that reveal ESPN’s liberal bias.
Sanders on Tuesday defended Trump, saying that he had met recently with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is black, and other “highly respected leaders in the African-American community” and that he is “committed to working with them to bring the country together.”
“That’s where we need to be focused, not on outrageous statements like this one,” Sanders said.
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