Donald Trump Jr. slammed The New York Daily News on Wednesday after one of its columnists told Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, with whom he’s rumored to be in a relationship, to go pick grapes, arguing the rhetoric is “racist” due to Guilfoyle’s Puerto Rican heritage.
{mosads}The president’s eldest son was referring to a column by Linda Stasi that argues Guilfoyle, a co-host of “The Five,” should be fired because she “can’t possibly stay neutral while dating a Trump kid.”
After blowback on social media, Stasi took to Twitter to apologize for the “misunderstanding,” saying she “had no idea Kimberly Guilfoyle is half Puerto Rican.”
The line about “picking grapes” was changed to “picking lottery numbers” with no editor’s note to readers indicating the shift.
In the same piece, Stasi argues that Guilfoyle “can’t report” on President Trump or his family while in an alleged relationship with Trump Jr.
“She can’t report on the most powerful family in the country while dating one of them,” she wrote.
“The Five,” is an opinion show that began airing on the network in July 2011.
Guilfoyle, a former prosecuting attorney, is an open supporter of President Trump and has stated that she’s been a friend of the family for more than a decade.
“I think I enjoy a very straightforward and authentic, very genuine relationship, one that’s built on trust and integrity, and I think that’s imperative for success in that position,” she told the San Francisco Mercury News in May 2017.
That same month, Guilfoyle was in talks to replace Sean Spicer as White House press secretary, a job that eventually went to Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“I’m a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country,” Guilfoyle said at the time. “I think it’d be a fascinating job. It’s a challenging job, and you need someone really determined and focused, a great communicator in there with deep knowledge to be able to handle that position.”
Speculation around Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. dating began last month. Neither have commented publicly on the alleged relationship.
Trump Jr.’s wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce in March.