'That's such a racist question': Trump lashes out at black reporter who asked whether his rhetoric emboldens white nationalists

Michelle Mark

Nov 8, 2018, 00:14 IST

'That's such a racist question': Trump lashes out at black reporter who asked whether his rhetoric emboldens white nationalists

Associated Press/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, in Washington.

President Donald Trump accused PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, who is black, of asking a "racist question" during a press conference on Wednesday.
Alcindor had asked Trump whether his recent embrace of the label "nationalist" emboldened white nationalists across the country.
Trump made the remarks during a press conference one day after the 2018 midterm elections, which saw Democrats take back the House of Representatives.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, who is black, of asking a "racist question" about whether his rhetoric emboldens white nationalists.

Alcindor asked Trump whether his recent embrace of the label "nationalist" emboldened white nationalists across the country.

In response, Trump assailed Alcindor and touted his poll numbers among African-Americans.

"That's such a racist question. … Let me tell you, it's a racist question," he said. "I love our country. I do. You have nationalists. You have globalists. I also love the world. And I don't mind helping the world, but we have to straighten out our country first. We have a lot of problems. But to say that, what you say is so insulting to me. It's a very terrible thing that you said."

Trump made the remarks during a press conference one day after the 2018 midterm elections, which saw Democrats take back the House of Representatives and Republicans hold the Senate.

In a series of combative exchanges, Trump slammed Democrats, Republicans who distanced themselves from him during the midterms, and reporters.

He lashed out at CNN's Jim Acosta in particular, whom he called a "rude, terrible person" after a question about Trump's rhetoric on the migrant caravan traveling to the southern border of the US.

"I'll tell you what: CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them," Trump said. "You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn't be working for CNN."