Keith Olbermann: ‘Racist White People’ And ‘Idiots’ Elected Trump
Former MSNBC and ESPN host Keith Olbermann is once again courting controversy with his unfiltered commentary. During a recent appearance on MTV2’s weekly news program Uncommon Sense Live, Olbermann referred to Trump voters as “racist white people” and “idiots” who don’t represent the majority voice in America.
Joined by Uncommon Sense Live host and popular radio personality Charlamagne Tha God, a visibly angry Olbermann unleashed a flurry of uncensored thoughts on President Trump, who he called a “robot built by the Russians.”
Throughout the wide-ranging and frank discussion, Olbermann lamented how, in his view, racial progress had been met with a sustained backlash throughout American history – specifically from the civil war era to today.
According to Olbermann, the election of President Obama represented the nation taking “10 steps forward” towards equality, and the current Trump era is an attempt to move the country “20 steps” backward.
When asked by Charlamagne Tha God why young people should care about the Trump administration’s ties to Russia, Olbermann used the analogy of a banking branch to refer to what America could become if national independence waned.
Keith Olbermann went on to say that the thought of being “Russia’s west coast office” terrified him and represented a worst-case scenario for a president and administration ill-prepared for office.
Watch @KeithOlbermann sit down w/ @cthagod to discuss Russia and the Trump administration: https://t.co/jK63y9ZiXo pic.twitter.com/9wvOcGYXXv
— MTV2 (@MTV2) March 25, 2017
When speaking about the president’s recent unsuccessful attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Keith Olbermann noted that the health care catastrophe in the house might chip away at Trump’s loyal supporters. He went on to speak about how he believes that Trump is unable to keep the lofty promises he made during a contentious campaign cycle, marked by endless rhetoric and attacks on the media and truth.
“This is the first time that he has obviously failed, although if you look at the administration, they screwed up the Muslim ban… they go to court it gets thrown out they go back to court, they throw it out again. The wall? They have enough money to build a mile of the wall. The money from Mexico is not coming.”
In a panel discussion with Charlamagne Tha God, writer Crissle West, and comedian Sam Seder, Keith Olbermann continued to hit Trump for having “no idea what he’s doing” and thinking that the power of the presidency gave him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted. Olbermann ended by reiterating that he expected the president to fail at pushing his agenda forward.
As one of the most vocal critics of Trump, Keith Olbermann has experienced a career renaissance. A favorite among millennials and progressives, Olbermann’s GQ show, The Resistance, frequently trends on social media, in part due to Olbermann’s blunt political commentary.
Flynn has a deal with FBI? Trump can't even get a vote on repealing ACA? ICYMI from 3/22: What a LOSER POTUS he is! pic.twitter.com/HSGzo1aiyj
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) March 25, 2017
Keith Olbermann’s return to the spotlight comes after years of professional setbacks that saw the television personality bounced from network to network. As the New York Times noted when he departed MSNBC in 2011, Olbermann became known as a combative personality prone to frequent scuffles both on the air and off.
Following his time at MSNBC, Keith Olbermann shifted to the now defunct Current TV, which was co-owned by former vice president Al Gore. Olbermann lasted a year at the network before he left under dubious circumstances. A $50 million lawsuit followed, which was eventually settled out of court.
When Keith Olbermann returned to ESPN in 2013, he mainly stayed away from political discourse and focused on sports. When contract negotiations began in 2015, the two parties couldn’t come to an agreement and parted ways in a professional manner that was devoid of the controversy that followed him previously.
Today, Keith Olbermann’s message, as he noted in his interview on Uncommon Sense, is simple. He believes he is giving voice to a resistance that represents the majority of the nation’s citizens who don’t support President Trump. Based on his continued success, it appears that Olbermann’s message is resonating with a large segment of the population.
[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
