CNN Slammed For Inviting White Nationalist Richard Spencer On Air To Discuss Donald Trump Tweets

CNN has been widely criticized for allowing white supremacist Richard Spencer on the network to discuss Donald Trump’s latest Twitter controversy, per The Hill.

Spencer was described as a “white nationalist” when he appeared on Jacob Tapper’s The Lead this past Tuesday to discuss the president’s social media scandal, as was covered by The Inquisitr, which saw Trump call for four Democratic congresswomen of color to “go back” to their own countries.

Following the interview, users took to social media to condemn CNN for hosting the poster face of the alt-right movement, whose message promotes white identitarianism, racial segregation, right-wing politics and other controversial viewpoints.

On Twitter, journalist Carlos Maza accused the network of promoting racists for attention. Elsewhere, The Daily Beast criticized CNN for “normalizing far-right radicals by giving them a platform.” These opinions reflect the general consensus of those who were unhappy at CNN’s decision to bring Spencer on the air as a pundit.

Spencer was on the show to speak on behalf of white nationalists, in regards to whether or not Trump’s tweets are considered racist among those who openly express similar values. And while Spencer conceded that Trump’s tweets are often racist, he said that they didn’t carry enough substance to resonate with him.

“Many white nationalists will eat up this red meat that Donald Trump is throwing out there. I am not one of them. I recognize the con game going on.”

Afterward, Tapper defended the segment on Twitter, claiming that correspondent Sara Sidner “does a great job” covering such controversial subject matters.

Criticisms of Spencer extend beyond him harboring some unpopular beliefs. His brand of self-proclaimed white supremacy also advocates for peaceful ethnic cleansing, which would see non-white people being relocated to different regions of the world, in order for America to be populated entirely by white people, most of whom would be of Anglo-Saxon descent.

He was also a key figure behind the 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which Heather Heyer, an anti-racist protestor, was murdered by a white supremacist. According to The Guardian, he is currently being sued for his involvement in the event.

While he didn’t commit the atrocity himself, Spencer’s critics believe that by allowing him to broadcast opinions on a mainstream news network like CNN, it enables him to spread his message further and risk causing a dangerous fringe movement to become more accessible and popular.