By MATTHEW DALY
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday lashed out at radio host Charlamagne Tha God, saying in a social media post that the popular broadcaster “knows nothing about me or what I have done.”
Trump’s comments came a day after Charlamagne, whose real name is Lenard McKelvey, criticized Trump on a Fox News show hosted by Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Asked how he would rate Trump’s presidency, the radio host said, “I wouldn’t give it a good rating simply because the least of us are still being impacted the worst.”
Trump said on Truth Social that Charlamagne was a “dope” who voted for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Charlamagne said he personally will benefit from tax breaks approved in Trump’s tax-and spending law, but said, “There’s going to be so many people that’s hurt by that bill.”
“Anything that takes away Medicaid from people and will put people in a worse financial situation than they were previously in, I’m not for,” he added.
Charlamagne also predicted that “traditional conservatives” are going to take back the Republican Party from Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, citing controversy over Trump’s refusal to release files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I think there’s a political coup going on right now in the Republican Party that people aren’t paying attention to,” Charlamagne said. “I think this Epstein thing is going to be a way for traditional conservatives to take their party back. I really do. I think that they know this is the issue that has gotten the base riled up, the MAGA base isn’t letting this issue go and for the first time they can probably take their party back and not piss off the MAGA base. I think they’re going to do that.”
The Epstein case has dominated news coverage in recent weeks after the Justice Department said it will not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The decision has infuriated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump’s base who had hoped to see proof of a government cover-up.
Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his links to famous people, including Trump and other billionaires.
Trump on social media called Charlamagne a “racist sleazebag” and criticized his use of God in his professional nickname.
“Can anyone imagine the uproar there would be if I used that nickname?” Trump asked.
Charlamagne told Lara Trump that his criticism of the Republican president was not new, adding that he “gave President Biden the same hell” when he didn’t think the Democrat was doing a good job.
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