After a journalist was met with a torrent of anti-Semitic abuse and threats over her GQ magazine profile of Melania Trump, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump refused to condemn the attacks from his supporters.
During a sit-down interview Wednesday night on CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked what Trump’s message is to the hoards who have “viciously attacked” reporter Julia Ioffe. The profile revealed Melania Trump had a secret half-brother still living in her native Slovenia and covered a legal dispute over the former model’s caviar skincare line.
Trump said while he hadn’t read the article, he heard it was “very inaccurate” and “nasty.”
“I’m married to a woman who is a very fine woman. She doesn’t need this, believe me,” he said, recounting how Melania Trump was “tremendously” successful as a model and “made a lot of money.”
He also described his wife as a “very high-quality woman who loves people and has a big heart,” saying, “they shouldn’t be doing that with wives.”
Blitzer interrupted: “But the anti-Semitic death threats that have followed –”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I don’t know anything about that. You mean fans of mine?” Trump replied.
“Supposed fans of posting these very angry – but your message to these fans is?” Blitzer continued.
“I don’t have a message to the fans,” the billionaire said. “A woman wrote an article that’s inaccurate.”
He went on to rail against the “dishonest” media, saying he’s used to their treatment.
After Ioffe’s profile was published in GQ, she was met with an onslaught of images of her face edited onto Holocaust photos and caricatures of Jews being executed. She also told the Guardian US she had received multiple threatening phone calls.
Watch Trump’s remarks via CNN:
Trump doesn’t condemn fans threatening reporter @juliaioffe “I don’t have a message” to fans https://t.co/95d0SnGj2c https://t.co/MI3lx1xVrD
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) May 4, 2016
I’m beginning to miss the days when these people used to bum rush the fact checkers.
By the way, Blitzer was trying to give him leeway…discuss.
Republican Donald Trump on Thursday named Steven Mnuchin, chairman and CEO of private investment firm Dune Capital Management LP, to serve as the national finance chairman for his presidential campaign.
Mnuchin, also a former partner at Goldman Sachs, will bring finance experience to the campaign’s fundraising operation, the statement said.
Hmmmmmmmmm…and somehow, someway there are people t hat ‘believe’ he is Presidential. Lord.
Ask Sheldon Adelson if the threats are OK…
It’s hordes, Ms. Krueger, hordes. But back to The Third Mrs. Trump. We’re going to hear more and more and Melanjia Knav from Slovenia, so let’s start here.