Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she thinks President Trump has supported the Klu Klux Klan, although refrained from calling him a racist.
Speaking with Judy Woodruff from PBS on Friday night, Clinton responded to a question whether she considered Trump racist by saying "I believe that he has given a lot of encouragement and rhetorical support to the Ku Klux Klan", reminding the interviewer that "he accepted the support of [former KKK leader] David Duke."
Clinton also criticized Trump for his response "blaming both sides" after neo-Nazis clashed with Antifa protesters in Virginia, charging that "I believe that he has not condemned the neo-Nazis and the self-proclaimed white supremacists in Charlottesville and other settings.”
Trump was slammed for his refusal to condemn neo-Nazis after Heather Heyer was killed at a "Unite the Right" rally in August, telling reporters that "he blamed both sides" for the violence.
Despite her harsh words, Clinton refrained from calling Trump a racist. "I can’t tell you what’s in his heart," she told Woodruff.
She added that "I can’t tell you what’s in his heart, Judy. I don’t know. It could be total rank cynical opportunism. He has a hardcore base that believes these things and he is going to keep feeding it.”
Clinton is promoting her recap of the 2016 election, entitled "What Happened."