Earlier this week, comments made by ABC News President Kim Godwin about former President Donald Trump were leaked. Many questioned why the executive would make the statements, but podcaster Keith Olbermann believes she deserves support, not criticism.
In a memo to staffers, Godwin chastised the former President for his insistence that Black voters identify with him because he’s been indicted multiple times.
“No matter one’s politics, the fact that a person running for President of the United States made these remarks period — but also to a public crowd — and with so many black people present — and that they stand with him — is mind-blowing,” Godwin wrote. “Shocking.”
News of the memo was first reported by Semafor, which led to harsh criticism of Godwin. One report alleged an ABC News employee believed the comments torpedoed any chance the network had of hosting a Presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden.
On his Countdown podcast, Keith Olbermann argued Godwin did what other legacy media outlets should have done long ago — label the former President a racist.
“A log jam may actually have broken in the decade-long refusal of the legacy news industry to call Trump what he is: racist, anti-American, authoritarian, fascist, and crazy. And this is just about the first of those truths that he is a racist,” Olbermann stated. “This is the president of ABC News, saying more than her network ever has. Although, to be fair, her network — thanks mostly to George Stephanopoulos — has far and away come closer to the truth about Trump’s evil than has CBS, or CNN, or NBC, where the ‘C’ now stands for ‘Camel’s head in the sand.’
“The right-wing media Eye of Sauron is being dragged into position and aimed at Kim Godwin and ABC and Disney as we speak,” Olbermann concluded.
