From the September 15 edition of CNN's New Day:
Symone Sanders calls out Trump supporter's false equivalence between white supremacists and antifascist protesters
CNN political commentator Symone Sanders to Ed Martin: “We cannot and shall not equate white supremacy with anything else”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
ALISYN CAMEROTA (CO-HOST): The president, while he recognizes violence on both sides, he doesn't draw the distinction between the ideology, the white supremacist ideology, and the antifascists who are fighting that ideology. That is the nuance that he always seems to lose in this discussion.
ED MARTIN: Well, I mean, because of [President] Donald Trump -- I think this a great service to the country -- we're having a really important conversation. And I think, I was listening to Chris [Cuomo] earlier talking with Maggie [Haberman] about how Trump is somebody who fights for his position, and sometimes it's not clear to people. But look, if you come to a rally with a hood on, that means you're trying to hide your shame -- that to me, that's a shame. People that wear hoods -- the reason we have laws in the South and across the country to not wear hoods as protests is because you're going there, you're shameful, you're trying to hide what you're doing, and probably commit crimes. Here's the thing --
CAMEROTA: But are you talking about the white supremacists there?
MARTIN: No, wait -- what I'm gonna -- no, let me tell you. If the hood is white or the hood is black, then you've got a problem.
SYMONE SANDERS: Oh, no. Oh, no.
MARTIN: And antifa comes to these rallies with a black hood on.SANDERS: Absolutely not.
MARTIN: They're not coming because they are proud of their ideology; they're coming because -- by the way, I disagree with you that antifa has said the reason they're protesting is because of some thoughtful ideology on white supremacy. White supremacists and KKK deserve to be denounced. They have no place in America. I agree completely. But antifa, when they come with a hood, and they commit violence -- and Nancy Pelosi and I agree with Donald Trump. There's no place for that.CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Symone.
SANDERS: No one -- so, I want to be clear. I'm not here to defend the antifa protesters. I don't think antifa is great. No Democrats actually have you ever heard defending antifa. But what I am saying is that it's not the same if you got a white hood or a black hood. We cannot continue to normalize white supremacy.
[...]
SANDERS: When you say that whether it's a white hood or a black hood, it's still a hood, that is what you're essentially doing, and so, I think --
MARTIN: No. No, no. What I'm saying is.
SANDERS: No, no, no, but I'm telling you what people hear. I'm telling you what I heard and probably what millions of Americans heard out there in American this morning, so be clear.
[...]
SANDERS: We can have a separate conversation about violence in antifa, but we cannot and shall not equate white supremacy with anything else.
Related:
CNN: Scott: Trump tried to convey his intent in post-Charlottesville remarks
Previously:
How Donald Trump emboldened Charlottesville white supremacists
White nationalists cheer Trump for assigning blame to “both sides” for Charlottesville violence