(KGTV) - American Idol runner-up turned Congressional candidate Clay Aiken is walking back comments defending President Donald Trump, following a tumultuous week for the president.
On Twitter, Aiken said while he has defended Trump in the past, saying, "Remember all those times I defended [Trump] and believed he was not actually racist? Well... I am a f*****g dumbass. #imsorry."
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Aiken followed up his comments with a second post, saying he didn't believe Trump was fit to be president but didn't think he was racist.
"TBC... I've always thought he would be a dumpster fire as a president, and I was right about that. I just didn't think he was racist. #wrong," the post read.
Remember all those times I defended @realDonaldTrump and believed he was not actually racist? Well... I am a f*****g dumbass. #imsorry
— Clay Aiken (@clayaiken) August 15, 2017
TBC... I've always thought he would be a dumpster fire as a president, and I was right about that. I just didn't think he was racist. #wrong https://t.co/6ec0Qm0WxW
— Clay Aiken (@clayaiken) August 15, 2017
Aiken said last month he still respects Trump personally and he believed he is a "nice guy," in an interview with North Carolina's The News & Observer.
The "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant changed his tune Tuesday, following a press conference in which President Trump doubled down on comments that "both sides" were to blame for the violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend during white nationalist rallies.
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Trump's comments came during what was supposed to be a press conference on infrastructure and quickly spiraled into Trump defending his initial comments on the Charlottesville violence.
"I think there is blame on both sides," Trump said. "What about the alt-left that came charging at, as you say, the alt-right, do they have any semblance of guilt?" What about the fact they came charging with clubs in hands, swinging clubs, do they have any problem, I think they do.
"You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say it, but I will say it right now."
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On Saturday a car ran over a group of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The accused driver of the vehicle, James Alex Fields Jr., was attending the white nationalist rallies and was arrested soon after the deadly incident.
