CNN, MSNBC say ‘racist’ more than 1,100 times regarding Trump ‘go back’ tweet since Sunday
CNN and MSNBC have said the word “racist” more than 1,100 times since Sunday, according to a tally conducted by Grabien Media, an online media production and news prep service.
The count, which doesn’t include on-screen graphics commonly known as chyrons, comes two days after President Trump in a Sunday tweet said four Democratic congresswomen — all U.S. citizens and members of minority groups — should “go back” to their home countries.
{mosads}Just one of the four Democrats was not born in the United States, and Trump’s remarks have been called out as racist by much of the Democratic Party and a handful of Republicans.
The House is set to vote Tuesday evening on a resolution condemning Trump’s comments.
The fight has also been covered extensively on cable news, with anchors and guests breathlessly going over the battle between the president and lawmakers in Congress.
Not counting chyrons, CNN has used the word “racist” in reference to Trump 636 times since Sunday morning, per @grabienmedia.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 16, 2019
Grabien founder Tom Elliott also noted that of the 636 times the word “racist” has been said on the air since Sunday, Grabien counted 471 of those utterances occurring on MSNBC.
For those wondering, MSNBC has described Trump as “racist” 471 times over the same period.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 16, 2019
The tally is based on transcripts from CNN and MSNBC programs, according to Grabien.
Trump’s tweet targeted Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
The president has since doubled down on his original remarks, which have been the focus in Congress all week.
On Monday, he asked when the “Radical Left Congresswomen” would apologize to the U.S.
On Tuesday, Trump declared he didn’t have a racist bone in his body in response to growing criticism.
“Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!” Trump tweeted to his more than 62 million followers.
Trump also dismissed the “so-called vote” in the House condemning Trump’s tweets as racist.
“Republicans should not show ‘weakness’ and fall into their trap. This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country,” he added.
Trump last year reportedly referred to immigrants from Haiti and African countries as coming from “shithole countries,” drawing criticism.
CORRECTION: An initial version of this story misstated the count by Grabien.
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