Political commentator Keith Olbermann drew criticism over an Election Day tweet calling President Trump a “whiny little Kunta Kinte.”
“Yes @realDonaldTrump has always been, will always be, and on the day of his bid for re-election, still is: a whiny little Kunta Kinte,” the former MSNBC anchor tweeted Tuesday, referencing Kunta Kinte, a slave character from the 1976 novel Roots by author Alex Haley.
The tweet, which Olbermann deleted, drew criticism from many on Twitter, including sports journalist Jason Whitlock who tweeted, “Early leader for Election Derangement Tweet of the Day. Wow.”
Early leader for Election Derangement Tweet of the Day. Wow. https://t.co/WPH6TYg2L6
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) November 3, 2020
“I’ve seen enough: I’m ready to declare this the victor of the worst tweet of election day contest,” senior content producer at radio station WEEI Scott McLaughlin tweeted.
I’ve seen enough: I’m ready to declare this the victor of the worst tweet of election day contest. https://t.co/Bxsn3wWzqk
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) November 3, 2020
“Keith Olbermann setting himself on fire with racist analogies is the perfect warm up for today,” political commentator Stephen L. Miller tweeted.
Keith Olbermann setting himself on fire with racist analogies is the perfect warm up for today. https://t.co/Bm3R9WfZNs
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 3, 2020
After deleting the tweet, Olbermann attempted to clarify, saying he was using “an old 70’s-80’s technique” that was misinterpreted.
“Just logged back in: I apologize for my previous subtweet of this,” Olbermann tweeted. “I was using an old 70’s-80’s technique for calling somebody a c*** without writing/saying c***, just using a sound-alike to call Trump a c***. Deleting previous, largely because this one clarifies the c*** part.”
And you can never keep your personal lexicography as much as you’d like, so I especially appreciate the suggestions in this thread that “See you next Tuesday” is the modern acceptable euphemism.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) November 3, 2020
Twitter users immediately pounced on the clarification, including a user who wrote, “I’m 56 years old and I’ve never heard of this ‘technique’” and another who said, “So, you got rid of the racist part, but are okay with the sexist part. Oof.”
