Journalist Julia Ioffe, a correspondent with GQ magazine, apologized on Monday for saying that President Trump had radicalized more people than the Islamic State.
Appearing on a panel on CNN, Ioffe said, “This president, one of the things that he really launched his presidential run on is talking about Islamic radicalization. And this president has radicalized so many more people than ISIS ever did.”
“It’s unconscionable for you to say that,” said fellow panelist David Urban, a former Trump campaign adviser.
“The way he talks, the way that he allows — the way he winks and nods to these groups, the way he says, ‘I know I’m not supposed to say it, but I’m a nationalist.’ The way that he hems and haws when he has to condemn these people and kind of gritting his teeth kind of says, ‘Fine, okay, I condemn this,'” Ioffe said.
Journalist says Trump has radicalized more people than ISIS pic.twitter.com/qisYFPHogv
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 29, 2018
Later in the same hour, Ioffe apologized on air for the comment.
“I do want to clarify, I think I spoke in the heat of the moment. This has been a very emotional and personally painful time for me. I think I exaggerated, and I apologize for that,” Ioffe said.
Ioffe also sent out an apology on Twitter:
I clarified and apologized on air, but I’ll say it again here. This has been a very emotional and painful time, but I absolutely should not have gone with such hyperbole on the air. I apologize.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) October 29, 2018
