News

Ivanka Trump & Other White House Aides Refuse To Condemn President’s Xenophobic Tweets

President Donald Trump‘s top aides and advisors, including his daughter, Ivanka Trump, have been notably silent following his recent spate of xenophobic tweets asserting that four Congresswomen of color should “go home,” skirting any defense of them but also refusing to condemn the remarks.

When the president made similarly racially insensitive comments after the Charlottesville, Virginia white nationalist march in 2017, many in his administration were quick to condemn Trump’s lackluster response. Gary Cohn, the president’s top financial advisor at the time, said, “This administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups.”

Now, Cohn’s replacement, Larry Kudlow, has refused to comment on Trump’s recent tweets. “That’s way out of my lane,” said Kudlow when asked about his boss’ remarks.

“He’s tweeted what he’s tweeted,” Kudlow added. “You’ll have to talk to him about that.”

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, made comments similar to Cohn’s after the Charlottesville rally that led to the death of a counterprotester, saying there was “no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-Nazis.” Her statement was a notable rebuke of her father.

On Monday, Ivanka declined to comment on the president’s remarks towards the House freshmen, which have resulted in outrage among Democrats.

SLIDESHOW: TOP DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020

Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, who was giving an unrelated conference on cryptocurrencies Monday, responded to a question about Trump’s tweets by saying, “I do not find them racist.” He added that the president “speaks for himself.” Mnuchin also defended his boss after the 2017 white nationalist rally.

Many White House officials said that they did not believe that the president’s recent remarks hit at the same “gut level” as did those following the Charlottesville rally, where a counterprotester was killed when a white nationalist drove his car into the crowd. Top administration figures also said that at this point they knew that nothing the president said would stick after the completion of the news cycle, so there was not much need to worry about it.

Daniel Knopf

Recent Posts

Federal Trade Commission Votes To Ban Noncompete Agreements

On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned noncompete agreements in a 3-2 vote. The…

2 days ago

California Bill Would Prevent CLEAR Passengers From Line-Jumping At Airports

A proposed bill in California would prohibit security screening company CLEAR from skipping the general…

3 days ago

Supreme Court Seems Receptive To Laws That Allow Restrictions On Homeless

On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over a challenge to a law allowing…

4 days ago

Arizona Republicans Block Bill To Repeal Abortion Ban On State House Floor

The Arizona House of Representatives failed to advance a repeal of the state's 160-year-old abortion…

5 days ago

After Oregon Recriminalizes Drug Possession, What’s Next For The State’s Drug Policy

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed a bill restoring criminal charges in cases of hard drug possession.…

1 week ago

Biden’s New Regulation Will Limit Toxic Chemicals In Drinking Water Across The Country

President Joe Biden's administration announced the first-ever national limits on toxic "forever chemicals" in drinking water. This…

1 week ago