Mike Pence refuses to call David Duke 'deplorable'
Donald Trump's running mate may not want former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke's backing — but he has refused to call him "deplorable".
On Tuesday, following a meeting with House Republicans, Mike Pence reiterated that neither he nor Trump want Duke's support.
"But I'm also not going to validate the language Hillary Clinton used to describe the American people," Pence said on Tuesday. "She was talking about people across this country who are coming out in record numbers to stand by Donald Trump in record numbers."
Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, initially claimed at a fundraiser that half of Trump's supporters could fit into a "basket of deplorables."
See Mike Pence and Donald Trump on the campaign trail:
Related: Trump Accuses Clinton of 'Bullying' With Charges of Racism
After coming under criticism, she issued a statement over the weekend that she regretted using the word "half." What is "deplorable," she said was that Trump hired Breitbart News' Steve Bannon, "a major advocate for the so-called 'alt-right' movement to run his campaign and that David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values."
Related: 5 Things to Know About the 'Alt-Right'
On Monday evening, Pence refused to use the term during an interview with CNN host Wolf Blizer.
"There are some supporters of Donald Trump and Mike Pence who ― David Duke, for example, some other white nationalists ― who would fit into that category of deplorables. Right?" Blitzer asked.
"Donald Trump has denounced David Duke repeatedly. We don't want his support and we don't want the support of people who think like him," Pence said.
When Blitzer pushed Pence on if he'd call Duke, who is running for Senate in Louisiana, a "deplorable," Pence answered, "No I'm not in the name calling business..." He added, "What Hillary Clinton did Friday night was shocking. I mean, the millions of people who support Donald Trump around this country are not a basket of anything."
David Duke claims there is a 'war' against white people:
After the interview, Duke lauded Pence's decision to not denounce him.
"It's good to see an individual like Pence and others start to reject this absolute controlled media," he told BuzzFeed, later adding "The truth is the Republican Party is big tent. I served in the Republican caucus. I was in the Republican caucus in the legislature. I had a perfect Republican voting record. It's ridiculous that they attack me because of my involvement in that nonviolent Klan four decades ago."
Clinton meanwhile, pounced on Pence's remarks, tweeting, "If you won't say the KKK is deplorable, you have no business running the country."
Related: Also learn more about the KKK:
