Social media gave Donald Trump a platform to communicate directly with millions of supporters (and the media).
Donald Trump’s latest viral flap: ‘Look at my African-American over here’
Critics turn to Twitter — Trump’s platform of choice — and pounce.
Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Now, it’s become a place where video of an offhand remark can rapidly hit maximum velocity, exposing him to critics as it goes viral.
Trump was captured at a rally in Redding, Calif., on Friday pointing out a black man in the crowd and declaring: “Oh, look at my African-American over here, look at him.” The short clip quickly found its way onto Twitter.
A spokesperson for the Republican party’s presumptive presidential nominee told CNN the remark was intended to acknowledge a supporter, adding “There’s no ill will intended, obviously.”
But that’s not how the remark was interpreted, as critics quickly branded it as racist.
The comment came on a day when his likely Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, turned to social media to lambaste Trump for asserting that the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit against Trump University is biased because of his Mexican heritage.
U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel ordered the release internal documents — including the playbooks that advised sales personnel how to market courses on getting rich through real estate.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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