According to the New York Times, Trump Jr. gave an interview this week on the radio show “Liberty Roundtable,” a conservative show based in Utah and hosted by Sam Bushman. During the segment, he was questioned by James Edwards, host of “The Political Cesspool.” Edwards’ show has garnered a reputation by civil rights groups as being racist.” The Political Cesspool” has featured such guests as as former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and Holocaust denier Willis Carto since its inception in 2005.
Trump Jr.’s participation on the radio segment is a concern to many as it gives validity to the fear that his father, if elected as president of the United States, would initiate actions that are in stride with the ideologies of extremist groups in the country. Trump has already said he is willing to build a wall on the Mexican border, temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States and block Syrian refugees seeking citizenship. It has also given rise to the idea that Trump is willing to accept support from anyone, even those with extremist political views. Edwards said he attended a rally for Trump this past week as a credentialed media member. When asked about Edwards’ presence at the rally, campaigners in the Trump party denied any knowledge that he was present nor about his political views. In a statement released by campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks in an email, she stated:
“The campaign provided media credentials to everyone that requested access to the event on Saturday in Memphis. There were close to 200 reporters in attendance and we do not personally vet each individual. The campaign had no knowledge of his personal views and strongly condemns them. Donald Trump Jr. was not in attendance and although he served as a surrogate for his father on several radio programs over the past week, to his knowledge and that of the campaign, he did not participate in an interview with this individual.“
According to Yahoo News, Edwards has stated:
“My show, The Political Cesspool, promotes a proud, paleoconservative Christian worldview, and we reject media descriptions of our work as “white supremacist,” “pro-slavery” and other such scare words. As I clearly wrote in yesterday’s article, in no way should anyone interpret our press credentialing and subsequent interview with Donald Trump, Jr. as any kind of endorsement by the Trump campaign.”
