Politico reports:
U.S. President Donald Trump apologized for retweeting the ultra-nationalist far-right group Britain First, saying in a TV interview he knew “nothing” about the organization at the time.
“If you’re telling me they are horrible racist people, I will certainly apologize if you’d like me to do that,” Trump told ITV Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan. “I know nothing about these people.”
Trump’s three retweets of Britain First material caused a diplomatic incident last November, forcing British Prime Minister Theresa May to publicly criticize his actions. The president then took to Twitter to attack her back. But speaking to Morgan on Thursday, Trump denied he had been promoting Britain First as an organization.
“I don’t know who they are, I know nothing about them, so I wouldn’t be doing that,” he said. “I am the least racist person that anyone is going to meet. Certainly I wasn’t endorsing anybody … It was done because I am a big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror. It was a big story where you are — but it was not where I am. So you’re telling me something.”
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: In his first international interview since becoming US president, @realDonaldTrump says sorry for retweeting anti-Muslim videos. @piersmorgan https://t.co/kFCEKnYxyI
The full interview will air on Sunday 28 January at 10pm on @ITV and available on the @itvhub. pic.twitter.com/Am5nH1jvPw
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 26, 2018
So the sitting POTUS admits he retweeted a far-right extremist group despite knowing “nothing about them”; begrudgingly apologizes; and @piersmorgan is too cowardly to call out the recklessness of his actions. Modern “journalism” in action. https://t.co/1vkc847Pl6
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) January 26, 2018
I got him to apologise. Pipe down you ludicrous little twerp. https://t.co/3RexRqQj4r
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 26, 2018
I asked President Trump to apologise for retweeting Britain First.
He replied: ‘I would certainly do that if you would like me to do that.’
He knew I did because I’d just asked him to, so self-evidently, he was doing what I asked and apologising.
End.— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 26, 2018
“I would certainly apologize if you’d like me to do that. I know nothing about them.”
President Trump answers questions from Piers Morgan about retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by British far-right group Britain First. pic.twitter.com/JIJNqvRynt
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 26, 2018