Olbermann, a former sportscaster and prime-time MSNBC host who has recently taken his anti-Trump takes to YouTube, made the remark in response to a “Fox & Friends” segment in which the president questioned Fox News’ coverage of him.
“Yes, @realDonaldTrump has always been, will always be, and on the day of his bid for re-election, still is: a whiny little Kunta Kinte,” wrote Olbermann in the tweet that has since been deleted.
Kunta Kinte is the name of a fictitious African slave whose abduction and tribulations are at the center of the 1976 novel “Roots,” later adapted into a landmark TV miniseries.
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But, as the name can also be used as a derogatory insult for recent African immigrants, critics were quick to accuse Olbermann of racial insensitivity.
“What is this? Why is this white man calling Trump a ‘Kunta Kinte’?” wrote author Frederick Joseph.
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Added writer Jesse Spector, “Too bad Keith Olbermann isn’t on TV to do his ‘Worst Person In The World’ segment anymore, because it would be really something to see him give it to himself.”
In deleting the tweet, Olbermann offered a convoluted explanation in which he stated the remark had no racial implications, but was an attempt at calling the president a “c–t.”
“I was using an old 70’s-80’s technique for calling somebody a c*** without writing/saying c***, just using a sound-alike to call Trump a c***,” he wrote. “Deleting previous, largely because this one clarifies the c*** part.”
Olbermann proceeded to add in another tweet, “And you can never keep your personal lexicography as much as you’d like, so I especially appreciate the suggestions in this thread that ‘See you next Tuesday’ is the modern acceptable euphemism.”
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Actor LeVar Burton, who portrayed Kunta Kinte in the TV miniseries, was quick to point out in a tweet of his own that even if the explanation were true, Olbermann was mispronouncing the character’s name.
“Dear @KeithOlbermann, #Kunta is pronounced with a long ‘u’ as in unity, not a short ‘u’ as in cup. Try again!” wrote Burton, in character. “Love, Kunta.”
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Local un-American writers have said for four years “if you are a Trumper you are a racist!”
This statement is quite questionable, as Joe Biden is the one quoted saying “if you don’t vote for me, you ain’t black.” A true racist statement.
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Pushing his ’94 crime bill, which falsely imprisoned thousands of African-Americans, The president nominee said the targeted offenders were “predators.”
On CNN, Van Jones, an African-American, and close friend of Obama stated, “President Trump deserves credit for his work in the Black community.”
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President Trump alone, has made criminal justice reform a reality, releasing thousands of primarily African Americans from prison early, providing school choice to inner city kids for a better chance in life, and has publicly denounced racist groups 19 times in four years.
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