Conservative radio host and former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who's launching a primary challenge to President Trump in 2020, told MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" Monday that he isn't a racist, but he's said "racist things."
ICYMI: @jheil pushes @WalshFreedom on his past comments
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) August 26, 2019
"You get that... calling the president Muslim, saying he was born in Kenya, etc, etc... makes people doubt your moral standing to take on someone who, one of his primary moral failings is his racism..." pic.twitter.com/lKiPEfbPjA
The big picture: Walsh joins former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld in challenging Trump for the GOP ticket.
- The Tea Party Republican differs from the more traditional Weld in that he's created a brand for himself as a conservative activist unafraid to ruffle feathers. He's been accused of making racist statements — some of which he addressed on MSNBC.
- After the segment aired, Washington Post journalist Aaron Blake asked Walsh to clarify his comments on the show about his racist statements.
I asked Joe Walsh to explain his comment that "I wouldn’t call myself a racist, but I’ve said racist things on Twitter.”
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) August 26, 2019
Here's what he said: pic.twitter.com/8JH4svK3Fe
The bottom line: As Walsh sets out to make his case in interviews like this for why he should be chosen over Trump, the president has a near-90% approval rating within the Republican Party — making it incredibly difficult for any primary challenger to replace him as the GOP nominee.
Go deeper: Trump challenger Joe Walsh has an inflammatory record of his own
