*In tweets fawning over Republican candidate Ben Carson, Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch suggested that President Barack Obama isn’t a “real black president.”
The 84-year-old billionaire was praising Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson and his wife on Twitter Wednesday when he wrote: “Ben and Candy Carson terrific. What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide?”
Naturally, he received a torrent of backlash, which eventually led to an apology tweet: “Apologies! No offence meant. Personally find both men charming.”
He also recommended a New York magazine article asking whether Obama has done enough for the African-American community.
The firestorm created by Murdoch’s original tweet included a rather strong reaction from CNN contributor Van Jones, a former environmental adviser to President Obama.
He ripped Murdoch’s comments as “juvenile” and disgusting, suggesting they put the media mogul and Fox News’ values on full blast.
If Murdoch cares about black people, he “should tell the people at Fox News he does so, because you can’t tell by watching,” Jones told Don Lemon. “How can you have someone like Rupert Murdoch, with all his wealth and power, stoop so low to challenge somebody’s ethnicity” he asked.
Jones claimed Fox News has done everything in its power to undermine President Obama. He concluded that Fox News has been “an enemy of African-American struggles since it started.”
Watch below:
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