Ben Shapiro — And David Duke — Defend Steve King’s ‘Babies’ Comment
Conservative Jewish commentator and former Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro defended Iowa Congressman Steve King Monday after he tweeted a xenophobic comment embraced by white supremacists.
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) wrote Sunday, “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”
Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017
Shapiro said he did not see the tweet as overtly racist. “The racist way of reading it is ‘babies from abroad suck,’” he told the Forward. “The not racist way of reading is saying ‘babies from abroad are a problem if their parents do not assimilate.”
On his site The Daily Wire, Shapiro noted the second interpretation is “an argument that’s been made by European politicians ranging from David Cameron to Angela Merkel.”
Iowa GOP chief Jeff Kaufmann condemned King’s tweet Monday, saying “We are a nation of immigrants, and diversity is the strength of any nation.”
Richard Spencer, leader of the contemporary white nationalist movement the “alt-right” said King’s words were “controversial precisely because they are true.”
Former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke wrote, “GOD BLESS STEVE KING!!!”
King stuck to his comments Monday on CNN. Asked whether he regards as equals babies from assimilated Muslims, Italians, Christians or Jews in America, King paused, then answered, “They contribute differently to our culture and civilization.” He also said he would “like to see an America that’s just so homogenous that we look a lot the same.”
Rep. Steve King: “I’d like to see an America that’s just so homogenous that we look a lot the same” https://t.co/9nnRwDEbMW
— CNN (@CNN) March 13, 2017
Shapiro said this comment proves that King is no white supremacist.
“He wants everyone to intermarry,” Shapiro told the Forward. “I want to see evidence of racism before we jump to conclusions because David Duke likes him.”
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO