CNN host Jake Tapper lost patience with Donald Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson Tuesday afternoon when she attempted to claim that Hillary Clinton included U.S. citizens who don't want "ISIS in their communities" in her "basket of deplorables."
After being asked about vice presidential candidate Mike Pence's refusal to label ex-Klan leader David Duke "deplorable," Pierson immediately pivoted to talking about ISIS.
Referring to Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine's comment that "if you ignore something it gets worse," Pierson blurted, "That's exactly why we have ISIS today."
Linking that to Clinton's "deplorable" comments, she continued, "When someone who simply wants to secure the border is somehow a racist or a bigot. When someone wants to control our illegal immigration are labeled racists and bigots. People who want to stop ISIS from coming into their communities are called Islamophobic. These are hard working American citizens.... To insult them is absolutely absurd."
An annoyed-looking Tapper interrupted her.
"Katrina, " he began as she kept talking over him. "No one has called people who don't want ISIS to move into their neighborhood 'Islamophobic.' It has never happened. In the history of the world."
Undeterred, Pierson shot back, "That is absolutely what they are talking about."
Raising his voice, Tapper told the Trump spokesperson, "No. People call people who hate Muslims 'Islamophobic.' They do not say that about people who don't want ISIS to move in."
Pointing to GOP Utah Senator Mike Lee chastising the Trump campaign for failing to "identify David Duke's racism as deplorable," Tapper put Pierson on the spot.
"That is not a liberal, That is Utah Senator Mike Lee, a Tea Party conservative, red Republican. He thinks your campaign and your candidates are not doing enough to condemn these racist views. Is Mike Lee wrong?"
After a long pause, Pierson replied, "And he's also a never-Trumper who has never had anything nice to say about Mr. Trump. And, really, this entire interview and all of these interviews based around this one word deplorable is simply because the Trump campaign is simply not going to use Hillary Clinton's terminology. That's what we're talking about."
Watch the video below via CNN:
