CNN political commentator and Trump supporter Scottie Nell Hughes makes the case that Donald Trump has done everything he can do to disavow his racist supporters, and that giving them any more attention would only serve to empower them.



"He does not want to give this group of horrible, hateful people any more attention than what the 75 members... of the media that showed up at the conference in Washington, D.C., that only had 285 people attending it did," She said, "75 members of the media showed up to cover this conference looking, basically looking, salivating over something they could use to incite this racist argument."





CAROL COSTELLO, CNN: Let's switch to the conference of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists that was held blocks away from the White House this weekend. You know, Mr. Trump has been asked to full-throatedly denounce that. Yesterday he did so in his own terms with 'New York Times.' Let me read that: "I don't want to energize the group, I'm not looking to energize them, I don't want to energize the group and I disavow the group."



He then, in another portion said, "It's not a group I want to energize and if they are energized, I want to look into it and find out why."



Scottie, you know, his people keep saying: 'Why is the media fixated on this? Why do they keep asking him about this?'



Isn't it important to have our president strongly, in no uncertain terms, disavow Neo-Nazis?



SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES: I think he has and he has done that multiple times.



COSTELLO: No. No. No.



HUGHES: He just doesn't want to give them any more attention.



COSTELLO: He did it yesterday, but we've been waiting for something this clear.



HUGHES: He called out David Duke 30 years ago, saying that he was a racist and he was horrible and he did not want to have anything to do with him.



COSTELLO: Yes, but in this campaign-- I want to be clear about this. He did it a long time ago and then when he was running for president, he sort of did the same thing of, 'I don't know who that is. David Duke? I don't know what you're talking about.'



When Jake Tapper pressed, okay, okay, I disavow. That's not the condemnation that people were looking for.



HUGHES: He does not want to give this group of horrible, hateful people any more attention than what the 75 members that showed, of the media, that showed up at the conference in Washington, D.C., that only had 285 people attending it. 75 members of the media showed up to cover this conference looking, basically looking, salivating over something they could use to incite this racist argument --



COSTELLO: We're trying to shine a light on something repugnant.



HUGHES: This is such a small, evil, minute part of America --that I wish would go away-- and I think Mr. Trump does. He's making it go away by not giving it any attention. When it comes to Mr. Trump's denouncement, nothing he can say si ever going to make some people happy. He said it over and over. But, here's the thing. Actions speak louder than words. This morning we're waking up to olive branches where you're seeing Harold Ford, an African-American Democrat from Memphis possibly joining his cabinet. We're seeing things like Nikki Haley coming in. That is going to speak louder to probably some of those folks that could never be happy with his apology.