Pence says Trump was 'wrong' for dinner with Holocaust denier - CNN

CNN  — 

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that Donald Trump was “wrong” to precocious person meal with White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West astatine his Florida edifice and that the erstwhile president should apologize for it.

“President Trump was incorrect to springiness a White nationalist, an antisemite and Holocaust denier a spot astatine the table, and I deliberation helium should apologize for it. And helium should denounce those individuals and their hateful rhetoric without qualification,” Pence told NewsNation in a clip released Monday night.

Trump “demonstrated profoundly mediocre judgement successful giving those individuals a spot astatine the table,” helium said, adding that helium does not judge that Trump is “a racist oregon a bigot.”

Trump has faced swift backlash from members of his ain enactment aft hosting Fuentes and West astatine his Mar-a-Lago property past Tuesday. The gathering came a week aft the erstwhile president announced helium would seek the Republican statesmanlike information in 2024.

Pence, who has besides been viewed arsenic a imaginable 2024 Republican candidate, has mostly spoken favorably of Trump’s policies and his clip successful his administration, but helium has breached with the erstwhile president connected his handling of the January 6, 2021, onslaught astatine the US Capitol. He told CNN successful a November municipality hall that Trump’s words and tweet connected January 6 “were reckless” and that helium believes determination volition beryllium “better choices” successful 2024 than Trump.

Watch Pence's effect erstwhile asked if he'll enactment Trump successful 2024

03:30 - Source: CNN

The comments from Pence articulation a chorus of aggravated disapproval aimed astatine Trump successful caller days.

Jason Greenblatt, who served arsenic White House Middle East envoy successful the Trump administration, wrote successful an op-ed for CNN published Monday that the meal “should not person happened. Period.”

“I anticipation President Trump condemns Fuentes, West and their ilk for what they are – haters of Jews and haters of the foundations of the United States of America. People similar Fuentes are unsafe to the United States. The President Trump that I cognize would admit that and contented this condemnation,” Greenblatt, who is Jewish, wrote. “Regardless of however oregon wherefore the meal happened, haters specified arsenic Fuentes and West should not beryllium fixed a level oregon spot astatine the array by anyone.”

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, reacting to quality of the meeting, told CNN connected Monday that Fuentes “is a purveyor and a spreader of an evil, poison,” and added of West: “I don’t cognize him, but the guy’s got immoderate problems.”

Asked if Trump should condemn Fuentes, Rubio said: “I anticipation helium will. Because I cognize he’s not an antisemite. I tin archer you that for a information that Trump is not but this feline (Fuentes) is evil. And that guy’s conscionable a nasty, disgusting person. He’s an ass clown.”

GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, meanwhile, fiercely condemned Trump having hosted the group.

“You know, I deliberation it’s disgusting to invitation radical similar that to conscionable with a erstwhile president of the United States. I deliberation there’s – it’s been wide that there’s nary bottommost to the grade to which President Trump volition degrade himself and the nation,” Romney said.

When asked if Trump should apologize, Romney said: “He doesn’t. He ne'er sees thing incorrect successful thing helium does, truthful this is diagnostic of his approach, which is either accidental it was a gag oregon accidental helium didn’t cognize what was happening. But that doesn’t fly, obviously. This is thing which degrades him frankly, to bash what he’s done. And it’s thing which diminishes the state arsenic well. It’s precise unfortunate.”

On Sunday, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the gathering with the 2 figures “very troubling” and “empowering” for extremism.

GOP politician calls Trump's meal with a Holocaust denier and Kanye West 'very troubling'

02:21 - Source: CNN

“No, I don’t deliberation it’s a bully thought for a person that’s mounting an illustration for the state oregon the enactment to conscionable with (an) avowed racist oregon antisemite. And truthful it’s precise troubling and it shouldn’t hap and we request to debar those benignant of empowering the extremes,”he told CNN’s Dana Bash connected “State of the Union.” “You privation to diminish their strength, not empower them. Stay distant from it.”

Hutchinson, who is term-limited and leaving bureau successful January, is presently mulling a 2024 White House bid.

CNN antecedently reported that Trump was engaged with Fuentes and recovered him “very interesting” during the dinner, according to a root acquainted with it, peculiarly Fuentes’ abilities to rattle disconnected statistic and data, and his familiarity with Trump world. At 1 constituent during the dinner, Trump declared that helium “liked” Fuentes.

The Anti-Defamation League has identified Fuentes arsenic a White supremacist and helium has been banned from astir large societal media platforms for his White nationalist rhetoric. Fuentes was contiguous connected the grounds of the US Capitol connected January 6, 2021, and has promoted Trump’s unsubstantiated claims astir fraud successful the 2020 election. West became engulfed successful his ain contention aft repeating antisemitic conspiracy theories and making different violative claims past month.

Trump acknowledged the meal successful a station connected Truth Social connected Friday, writing: “This past week, Kanye West called maine to person meal astatine Mar-a-Lago. Shortly thereafter, helium unexpectedly showed up with 3 of his friends, whom I knew thing about. We had meal connected Tuesday evening with galore members contiguous connected the backmost patio. The meal was speedy and uneventful. They past near for the airport.”

Trump repeated aboriginal Friday that helium “didn’t know” Fuentes and had offered West concern arsenic good arsenic governmental advice.

This communicative has been updated with further details.