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Donald Trump receives backing of Jean-Marie Le Pen and former leader of Ku Klux Klan

Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the French far-right party National Front and David Duke, for...
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Newstalk

18.30 28 Feb 2016


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Donald Trump receives backing...

Donald Trump receives backing of Jean-Marie Le Pen and former leader of Ku Klux Klan

Newstalk
Newstalk

18.30 28 Feb 2016


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Jean-Marie Le Pen, former leader of the French far-right party National Front and David Duke, former head of the Ku Klux Klan, have given their backing to Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. 

The billionaire businessman was backed by Le Pen on Saturday when the former French politician tweeted that, if he were American, he would vote for him. 

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The backing comes just days after David Duke, former head of the Ku Klux Klan, also gave his support to Trump's campaign, saying on Thursday that a vote against Trump was "treason to your heritage".

Questioned about the backing of Duke on CNN's State of the Union, Trump refused to distance himself from the comments, instead saying "I don't know... did he endorse me? Or what's going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists."

Trump added that he would like to look at the group before passing judgement, saying "You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong."

Image: Former KKK Grand Wizard and presidential candidate Duke David speaks in 1991. AP/Press Association Images

For his part, Duke stated that he was not formally endorsing Trump's campaign, but rather supporting his candidacy "as a strategic action. I hope he does everything we hope he will do". 

Trump did return to the issue of Duke's backing in a press conference in which he received the backing of former presidential hopeful Chris Christie, a message he issued again on Sunday. 


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