Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico claimed Saturday supporters of President Donald Trump were taking statements he made in a series of social media posts “out of context,” and he refused to apologize for the remarks.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher, defeated Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March 3 Democratic primary for the party’s nomination for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov questioned Talarico about the 2020 tweet thread, in which he said white people had immunity from the “virus of racism” during an episode of the “Raging Moderates” podcast.
“I want you to help me out because these this is what my incoming looks like because of you. So, I still love you, but you and Gavin Newsome are complicating my life to say the least,” Tarlov said during the interview, which took place at South by Southwest. “We’ve got white skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus, but we spread it wherever we go through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms like a white hood or a confederate flag to be contagious. One from 2020.”
WATCH:
Talarico’s posts on X were made after the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger, by a father and a son who believed he was an armed burglar.
“Yeah, and I think an important thing to recognize with all the attacks that are coming from MAGA toward our movement right now, all of them depend on taking these things out of context,” Talarico claimed. “All of them depend on cutting some of the quotes before they end or cutting them at the beginning to kind of paint them in the worst possible light and so for that in that case it was a tweet that was part of a larger thread about how we all have a responsibility to combat racism.”
“And so would I word it differently? Would I use a different metaphor? Maybe. But I still believe that racism is wrong and I still believe that we all have a responsibility to combat it,” Talarico continued. “And I think it’s telling when some people are triggered by that. And so, I, of course, looking back at some of these old statements from years ago would maybe word them differently or communicate them differently, but the values that I hold are still the same.”
Talarico’s comments on other issues, including the nature of God and claiming the Bible justifies abortion, have drawn attention from conservatives since he secured the nomination for the United States Senate. Talarico called for a “welcome mat” at the U.S.-Mexico border during his debate with Crockett.
Talarico also held extreme left-wing views on education issues and also demonstrated a hostility towards the Second Amendment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
