Politics

Trump: Don’t They Get Sarcasm?

'But not that sarcastic' Trump says at a rally

A new poll shows how much ground Donald Trump must make up with racial and ethnic groups before November. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images file photo)
A new poll shows how much ground Donald Trump must make up with racial and ethnic groups before November. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images file photo)
By Jeremy Silk Smith
Posted August 12, 2016 at 11:02am

Donald Trump says that CNN just didn’t get the joke.

Trump said Friday he was being sarcastic when at a campaign stop in Florida on Wednesday he said President Barack Obama was the “founder of ISIS.” He added that maybe Hillary Clinton was co-founder.

The real estate mogul turned up the heat on himself on Thursday on the Hugh Hewitt radio show when he was asked about the remark. 

“Last night, you said the President was the founder of ISIS,” Hewitt said, trying to give Trump a way to back away. “I know what you meant. You meant that he created the vacuum, he lost the peace.”

“No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS. I do,” Trump said. “He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way — Hillary Clinton.”

“But he’s not sympathetic to them. He hates them. He’s trying to kill them,” Hewitt said.

Trump answered, “I don’t care. He was the founder. His— the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay?”

“They screwed everything up. You don’t get any argument from me,” Hewitt continued. “But by using the term ‘founder,’ they’re hitting you on this again. Mistake?”

“No, it’s no mistake,” Trump said. “Everyone’s liking it. I think they’re liking it. I give him the most valuable player award. And I give it to him, and I give it to, I gave the co-founder to Hillary. I don’t know if you heard that.”

Hewitt tried one last time.

“I think I would say they created, ‘They lost the peace.’ They created the Libyan vacuum, they created the vacuum into which ISIS came, but they didn’t create ISIS.’ That’s what I would say.”

“Well, I disagree,” Trump responded.  

Trump’s tweet Friday morning was seen as a retreat from remarks Wednesday.

But on Friday afternoon, he backtracked on his backtrack.