In a segment about the then-upcoming meeting on Atlanta-based CNN earlier this week, panelists Tara Setmayer and Bakari Sellers talked about their disapproval of West. In response, former University of Georgia football star and Trump supporter Herschel Walker tweeted: "Woke up wondering why @CNN doesn't take all three off the air?"
Went to bed appalled over @donlemon despicable behavior laughing at @TaraSetmayer and @Bakari_Sellers awful remarks about Kanye West’s visit with @realDonaldTrump!! Woke up wondering why @CNN doesn’t take all three off the air?#SHAMEFUL #CNN https://t.co/MwGWIfh8so
— Herschel Walker (@HerschelWalker) October 11, 2018
During the segment, Sellers said "Kanye West is what happens when Negroes don't read." (Setmayer explained that was a Chris Rock reference from the 90s; Sellers later pointed out in a tweet that West "admittedly chooses not to" read.)
Setmayer went on to call West “the token Negro of the Trump administration.” At times during the show, Don Lemon laughed. Two of the three panelists are African-American.
.@Bakari_Sellers: "My issue with Kanye West is quite simple -- is that anti-intellectualism simply isn't cool." https://t.co/FVeCRODqXl pic.twitter.com/rhH5nWSubZ
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) October 10, 2018
Walker’s tweet said he “went to bed appalled over” Lemon’s “despicable behavior laughing” at the commentators’ “awful remarks.”
Setmayer's Twitter response began with three loaded words: "Bless your heart."
“I’m an actual conservative, who’s worked on policy advancing those principles for 20+yrs,” she wrote. “I’ll never be a shill for Trump.”
Bless your heart.
— Tara Setmayer (@TaraSetmayer) October 11, 2018
You want to silence me because I expressed a different opinion than yours? Because I called out Kanye for what he is? Uninformed!I’m an actual conservative, who’s worked on policy advancing those principles for 20+yrs.
I’ll never be a shill for Trump. https://t.co/MmrDFdmEBv
Trump and Walker have been friends for decades, dating back to when Trump purchased the UGA star's first pro team, the New Jersey Generals. The legendary running back has also appeared on Trump's reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice." Earlier this year, Trump tapped Walker for a two-year post on a presidential sports council.
West's Thursday meeting at the White House was organized so he could watch Trump sign the Music Modernization Act. During the meeting, West praised Trump, said his red "Make America Great Again" baseball cap made him feel like "Superman," used an expletive, discussed his mental health and floated the possibility of running for president.
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