From the August 15 edition of MSNBC Live with Katy Tur:
On MSNBC, member of Trump's diversity coalition says “the left-wing media and white supremacists have a synergistic relationship. They feed off of each other.”
Pastor Darrell Scott: “This racial climate in America is being fueled by the media as well”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
PASTOR DARRELL SCOTT: Listen, we have Ku Klux Klan rallies for the last umpteen years in different American states every year that don't get this attention. They got this attention now because Trump is the president. If Hillary Clinton was the president, this wouldn't of got the attention that it's getting. We had a Million Man March recently, a year ago, that didn't get any media coverage. In fact, they complained about it simply because it was a peaceful demonstration. The possibility for violence was there in this one, that's why the media intensified it. Let me tell you something, I really think the left-wing media and the white supremacists have a synergistic relationship. They feed off of each other. These white supremacist groups are fringe groups with very low, compared to the population --
KATY TUR (HOST): OK that's quite a statement, I'm going to stop you right there, the left-wing media does not feed off white supremist (sic) groups.
SCOTT: I think it does. I think it does. I think it does.
TUR: I think that's absolutely ridiculous. And the second thing I will say to you pastor is that the reason these are getting a lot of attention is because they are marching –
[CROSSTALK]
SCOTT: Because Trump is president. Because Trump is -- but let me tell you why, Katy --
TUR: In President Trump's name. They're saying they're fulfilling the president's promises. They're saying they believe in the president and that the president is allowing them to do so, partially pastor, because the president himself has not gone out and said, I don't want your support, don't march in my name. He had a really good opportunity to do that on Saturday. He had an opportunity to do that yesterday, on Monday, he still hasn't done it.
[...]
SCOTT: Here's my take. The white supremacists gravitated towards President Trump because that was the direction they were pointed at from the outset of this campaign. President Trump had a good time labeling and branding his opponents, “lying Ted,” “crooked Hillary,” “low energy Jeb,” but they branded him as racist Trump. The media has driven the narrative that Trump embraces white supremacy. So the white supremacists said, well, if this candidate embraces us, we're going to embrace him. But it's not true, no matter how many times he denies being a racist. No matter how many times he denounces white supremacy, it's never enough. You know full well he does not embrace Nazism.
[...]
SCOTT: This racial -- and the racial issue, this racial climate in America is being fueled by the media as well. Let me tell you something, white people don't get up in the morning saying I hate all black people. All the black people aren't getting up in the morning saying that they hate all the white people. Katy, you and I, I believe we have a great relationship, I consider us friends, you're white, I'm black, that's never been an issue between us. The media is fueling this only because Trump is president. If Hillary Clinton was president, this whole narrative would not be an issue.
Previously:
A white nationalist website is sponsoring an RNC rally featuring Trump surrogates
How Donald Trump emboldened Charlottesville white supremacists