Donald Trump Defends Racist Actor

US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind the late actor, John Wayne, who was posthumously called out for holding racist views, calling for his name to be removed from a local airport.

As America faces fierce protests, that have caught on in other parts of the world, underpinning the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement against systemic racism in the US, the need to scrub America of its racist past has come into full view.

John Wayne was a decorated actor, one whom Trump idolizes, who held  “white supremacist, anti-LGBT, and anti-Indigenous views,” according to the Orange County Democratic Party.

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The racist accusation against Wayne comes after the Orange County Democratic Party dug up a 1971 interview Wayne had with popular Playboy magazine where he said, I believe in white supremacy” and “I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves.”

“The Democratic Party of Orange County condemns John Wayne’s racist and bigoted statements, and calls for John Wayne’s name and likeness to be removed from the Orange County airport."

Trump's Affinity

In response, Trump fired back on Twitter, “Now the Do Nothing Democrats want to take off the name John Wayne from an airport."

“Incredible stupidity!” he added.

Trump's admiration of Wayne goes way back, as he described himself as a "longtime fan" of the actor.

Speaking on the issue, Wayne's son Ethan, said, “It would be an injustice to judge someone based on an interview that’s being used out of context."

Adding that a “single outlier interview from half a century ago” does not reflect his father's personage.