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Updated Tuesday, March 1, 11:45 a.m. EST: Here is what makes Donald Trump's candidacy more dangerous than the man himself: The news media still see him as a novelty and not a serious contender for the presidency, so his Islamophobia, misogyny and racism go largely unchecked. CBS CEO and Executive Chairman Leslie Moonves admitted that he doesn't care that Trump might not be good for America because he is good for business.
"It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS," Moonves told the Hollywood Reporter.
Moonves noted that the entire presidential race and debates have been a "circus" full of "bomb throwing," and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Man, who would have expected the ride we're all having right now? … The money's rolling in and this is fun," he said. "I've never seen anything like this, and this going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It's a terrible thing to say. But bring it on, Donald. Keep going," said Moonves.
Earlier:
It’s Super Tuesday. Here we are getting closer to locking in presidential nominations and Donald Trump is still out here Trumping, still spewing hatred, racism and choke-slamming people at his rallies.
Secret Service agents, per Trump’s request, escorted about 30 black students out of a Trump rally at Valdosta State University in Georgia because, apparently, their presence at his event made him uncomfortable. Didn’t matter that they were students at the school where he was speaking or that if elected president, he would also be their president, too. Or, that until 1963, the university was a whites-only campus.
“We didn’t plan to do anything,” a tearful Tahjila Davis, 19, told USA Today. “They said, ‘This is Trump’s property; it’s a private event.’ But I paid my tuition to be here.”
On Monday, a photographer was reportedly choked and slammed to the ground by a Secret Service agent.
Just days before the photographer beatdown, Trump had an awkward stare-down with a man wearing a “KKK Endorses Trump” T-shirt during an Oklahoma City rally. The two exchanged words until the protester was removed by security.
“In the good old days, they’d rip him out of that seat so fast; but today, everybody is politically correct—our country’s going to hell for being politically correct,” Trump said.
“The police: They’re afraid to move. They’re afraid to move,” Trump added. “We are really becoming a frightened country.”
And on top of all this, Trump refused to disavow former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke’s endorsement because he said he needed to do more research. That’s right: Trump needs to look into the KKK—the most fundamentally racist group of American terrorists this country has ever known—before he can make an informed decision.
So here is where we are, people: We’re keeping tabs. Consider it vetting. Trust me—we don’t want to pay attention to Trump and his over-the top, say-anything shtick. It’s tired and would be worthless if the bigoted-bully following of his didn’t keep propping him up. But since he keeps leading the Republican pack, we’re going to keep score of all the ridiculousness that keeps coming from him and his camp.
Stephen A. Crockett Jr. is associate editor of news at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.