Trump Refuses To Distance Himself From David Duke And White Supremacists

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pauses during while speaking at a rally at Millington Regional Airport in Millington, Tenn., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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UPDATE: 1:45 p.m. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump refused to condemn prominent white nationalist David Duke on Sunday or distance himself from the support the former Ku Klux Klan leader gave last week.

CNN “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper asked Trump if he would “unequivocally condemn David Duke and say you don’t want his support.”

Trump dodged the question.

“I don’t know anything about David Duke,” he said. “I don’t know what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacist. I don’t know. I don’t know, did he endorse me, or what’s going on? Because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. And so you’re asking me a question that I’m supposed to be talking about people that I know nothing about.”

Tapper pushed back. Trump suggested Tapper send him a list of “the groups” and he could research them. At which point, Trump said he would “disavow if I thought there was something wrong.”

“The Ku Klux Klan?” Tapper asked.

“It would be very unfair,” Trump continued talking over Tapper. “So give me a list of the groups and I’ll let you know.”

“I’m just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here,” Tapper said.

“Honestly, I don’t know David Duke,” Trump said. “I don’t believe I’ve ever met him, I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet him, and I just don’t know anything about him.”

Trump had a harder stance when asked about it at a rally on Friday. He reportedly said about the endorsement, “I disavow.” Trump tweeted about the exchange Sunday afternoon:

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