Kellyanne Conway refuses to answer Jake Tapper's questions on how Trump views white nationalism

From the April 28 edition of CNN's State of the Union

Video file

JAKE TAPPER (HOST): So this is the second deadly attack in a synagogue in six months in the United States and follows a major attack on two mosques in New Zealand. Obviously, we’ve seen anti-Christian violence as well from terrorists who are Islamists in nature. Does President Trump still think that white nationalism is not a growing threat around the world? Is he reconsidering that? 

KELLYANNE CONWAY: Well, the irony is that he condemned white nationalism and neo-Nazis and the KKK during the Charlottesville incident. And more responsible anchors like you and Michael Smerconish yesterday are starting to admit that he wasn’t talking about them when he said “fine people.” He was talking about a monument discussion. He condemned them, and I have it right here and anybody can pull up his exact statements and the transcript of those conversations almost two years ago. But people have left that lie fly for almost two years ago. He condemned hatred, bigotry, evil, called out the neo-Nazis and the KKK and the white supremacists there. 

TAPPER: But he said there were very fine people on both sides. 

CONWAY: But he was talking about, and if you continue the sentence, he said people were there who had not signed up with the neo-Nazis and white supremacists, who were there about a park being renamed and a statue being taken down. But when the president of the United States, Donald Trump, condemns white supremacy and neo-Nazis and KKK in the first couple months of his term and it is twisted around for almost two years, for people's political perversions -- 

TAPPER: But he was talking about the people -- I don’t know who he was talking about though. Because here's my point --

CONWAY: He made that very clear -- [crosstalk]

TAPPER I understand he wasn’t talking about the neo-Nazis and white supremacists. In understand that.

CONWAY: But he condemned them. 

TAPPER: He absolutely did.

CONWAY: Thank you.

TAPPER: But he also said there were fine people, well I've been saying this the whole time. He also said there were very fine people on both sides. My question about this incident since you brought it up is who are these very fine people? Because Friday night, the rally was — [crosstalk]

CONWAY:  Let me interject. We’ve said this so many times --

TAPPER It’s called Unite the Right rally formed by people like Richard Spencer who is a white supremacist. Friday night was the tiki torch march. “Jews will not replace us.” 

CONWAY: With deplorable people --

TAPPER: Right. Saturday Heather higher was killed. Who were the fine people he was talking about?

CONWAY:  Heather Heyer was murdered. 

TAPPER: Right.

CONWAY: And her murderer has been brought to justice. 

TAPPER: But Who were the very fine people?

CONWAY:  He was talking about the debate over removing statues and renaming -- 

TAPPER: So he wasn't talking about the weekend at all? He was talking about the theoretical discussion?

CONWAY: He wasn't talking about white supremacists. He condemned them in no uncertain terms, unequivocally. Go and pull the full comments. He condemned them over time. Racism, bigotry, evil, neo-Nazis, KKK. [crosstalk]

[...]

TAPPER: My question was does President Trump think white nationalism is a growing threat around the world because he said six weeks ago “I don’t really.” And it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. There are people in law enforcement and elsewhere who think, actually, white nationalism and white supremacy is a growing threat. And now we’ve had the second fatal synagogue shooting in six months. 

CONWAY: And there are many growing threats.

TAPPER: I’m not saying it’s president Trump’s fault. 

CONWAY: And that's one of them. I think there’s anti-Christianity. That's why the Sri Lankan's were gunned down. They’re not Easter worshipers, Obama and Hillary Clinton. They are Christians. 

Previously

Fox's David Webb attempts to dismiss Trump's defense of neo-Nazis in Charlottesville as “very fine people”

Tucker Carlson: Outrage over Trump's response to Charlottesville Nazi rally was “fraudulent, entirely manufactured by the left and its servants in the media”

Kellyanne Conway’s Tweet Is Another Gift To The White Nationalist Media