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Home • Celebrity

Dave Chappelle Regrets Previous Trump Comments: 'I Think The Rhetoric Of His Presidency Is Repugnant'

In his "Saturday Night Live" monologue in 2016, the comedian said the country should give President Donald Trump a chance.
Dave Chappelle's Netflix Specials Set Premiere Date
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Bombay Sapphire Gin
By Paula Rogo · Updated October 23, 2020
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Comedian Dave Chappelle has always been free with his opinions, and the former “Chappelle’s Show” host did just that when he sat down with CNN’s Van Jones in an interview that aired Saturday. For one, the comedian backtracked his call to give President Donald Trump a chance during his Saturday Night Live monologue soon after the 2016 presidential election. “Well, I don’t ever apologize,”Chappelle said during a segment on The Van Jones Show. “I said ‘I shouldn’t have said that shit.’”

"I think the rhetoric of (Donald Trump's) presidency is repugnant," comedian Dave Chappelle tells @VanJones68. "We're living in a time where there's gotta be a little more cultural sensitivity."

Watch the Van Jones Show at 7 p.m. ET on CNN. https://t.co/QIIXvaMD1O pic.twitter.com/jFarcoeSmM

— CNN (@CNN) October 13, 2018
“I think the rhetoric of his presidency is repugnant. I just don’t like the way he talks,” Chappelle said of Trump. “We’re living in a time where there’s got to be more cultural sensitivity.” He continued: “As a president of a country that’s as eclectic as ours … I just think that he’s speaking to a very small choir.” Chappelle also touched on the bromance between the president and Kanye West, who gave a bizarre rant while visiting the White House earlier this week. CNN noted that Chappelle’s interview with Jones was taped before West’s meeting with Trump. “First of all, you know, Kanye’s the artist, man. And he’s a genius,” Chappelle said. “I think the angle he’s seeing things from is about the division that he sees,” he added. “And — and he’s not inconsistent with what he’s saying.”

Comedian Dave Chappelle tells @VanJones68 he's "not mad" at Kanye West, but that the rapper shouldn't be promoting the kind of rhetoric he does about President Trump https://t.co/aoGGgtGhEB pic.twitter.com/fVwN6xv7FD

— CNN (@CNN) October 13, 2018
However, Chappelle explained that he doesn’t think West should say some of the things that come out of his mouth. “I’m not mad at Kanye. That’s my brother — I love him, I support him,” Chappelle added. “But, you know, I don’t have to agree with everything that he says … I just trust him as a person of intent. But yeah, he shouldn’t say all that s**t.”
TOPICS:  Dave Chappelle Donald Trump Kanye West