More bigoted lies. Trump took something from Fox News and made it even worse.
In this fact-checking WaPo piece (in which, full disclosure, I'm quoted), @rizzoTK brings up a KEY point. Carlson, who inspired Trump's South Africa tweet, did NOT mention large-scale killings. That was all Trump. So question is: WHERE did Trump get that?https://t.co/fFvhAEgi2D
— Mark Pitcavage (@egavactip) August 24, 2018
funny https://t.co/pobdaxP082
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 25, 2018
Tucker Carlson walks back his South Africa scaremongering, though you might not have noticed. https://t.co/EPi5h75PFs
— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) August 24, 2018
For everyone who thought that Trump’s tweet about South Africa would distract us from his legal woes—- I guess they forgot that the US cable channels don’t really care much about Africa. ¯_(ツ)_/¯https://t.co/jEiLrcfGhN
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) August 24, 2018
Trump tweeted that that there was a large scale killing of farmers in South Africa. In the 2017-2018 financial year, the police recorded 47 murders. https://t.co/amqJB2qSsy pic.twitter.com/DgDC28sOTl
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) August 24, 2018
“He uses the occasion to lift a white supremacist meme from the darkest place he can find,” @patrickgaspard told me of Trump’s first mention of Africa on Twitter as Potus. https://t.co/LUAUOyHmM9
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) August 23, 2018
Absolutely disgraceful that the president continues to target African nations and spread racially-charged claims that have no basis in evidence or fact. https://t.co/aoyPiCbeCP
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 23, 2018
CORKER calls Trump’s South Africa tweet “a base stimulator”
Q: What do you mean? What is his base that would be stimulated?
CORKER:“Well, there are portions of those who support the president that are—I’m sure that generates excitement. I mean, it’s—you know what I’m saying…” https://t.co/qzxj30cwQd
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) August 23, 2018
The former US Ambassador to South Africa says it well here: https://t.co/NlI0HeGPX1
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 23, 2018
There's a danger in conducting foreign policy by tweet after viewing a single press report. First, land reforms have been proposed in parliament in South Africa, but not yet adopted. Second, there is no "large scale killing of farmers" going on in South Africa. https://t.co/lpdyNIEH7V
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) August 23, 2018
Trump’s embrace of a white supremacist conspiracy theory hits a dangerous new low in his authoritarian ranting https://t.co/I6Xq1KCEWy
— Salon (@Salon) August 28, 2018
Sad! 