On Friday morning, on two different shows, CNN hosts inserted David Duke into the illegal immigration discussion by reading a tweet in which the former KKK leader praised President Donald Trump for dismissing the term "Dreamers" being used by liberals to bolster the image of illegal immigrants who were brought into the country as children. By contrast, left-leaning media outlets like CNN would never highlight an infamous extreme figure like Louis Farrakhan or the Reverend Jeremiah Wright agreeing with a liberal policy position to embarrass Democrats.
About 7:30 a.m. EST on New Day, as substitute host John Berman moderated a discussion between liberal Republican Ana Navarro and conservative Matt Schlapp about Trump speaking out against using the term "Dreamers," Navarro argued that he was trying to play to his "conservative base." Berman then brought up Duke's tweet as he turned to Schlapp and followed up:
He won approval, Matt, from at least two people on how he is defining the "Dreamers" discussion. Let me read you a couple of tweets here. The first is from David Duke: "Thank you, President Trump. Americans are 'Dreamers,' too." Richard Spencer: "Americans are 'Dreamers,' too." So they're pleased with the President's new shift on this.
Schlapp condemned Duke and Richard Spencer as "repugnant" before agreeing with Trump's rejection of the term "Dreamers." Apparently oblivious to the fact that many conservatives already reject the term "Dreamers" as politically loaded liberal-speak, Berman followed up: "Will you no longer use the term "Dreamers" to describe these people?"
Schlapp informed him: "I never have. I don't use it because it's a slogan that was used politically."
When Navarro got her turn again, she complained that President Trump "has figured out how to use words to make the case less compelling for the 'Dreamers,' less compelling for the side that does not want the 'Dreamers.'"
About two hours earlier on CNN's Early Start show, substitute host Rene Marsh had also brought up the David Duke tweet during a discussion of the same issue with CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer. Marsh:
And we actually have on the screen in response to that sound that we just played from the President. David Duke, as you know, former grand wizard of the KKK, he then tweeted: "Thank you, President Trump. Americans are Dreamers, too." You know, when you have that following what the President said, it's going to make it really hard to come up with a deal.
