ABC News Calls for ‘Cleansing’ of Trump Movement

An article written by the Political Director of ABC News for The Note called for the “cleansing” of President Trump’s movement. After his choice of language drew harsh criticism, the article was edited to say that the movement needs “cleaning up.” 

“Even aside from impeachment and 25th Amendment talk, Trump will be an ex-president in 13 days. The fact is that getting rid of Trump is the easy part,” ABC’s Political Director Rick Klein and MaryAlice Parks wrote.

“Cleansing the movement he commands, or getting rid of what he represents to so many Americans, is going to be something else,” the writers continued.

The wording drew harsh criticism from the right due to the historically negative connotation that comes with the word “cleansing.” 

The statement now reads, “Cleaning up the movement he commands, or getting rid of what he represents to so many Americans, is going to be something else.”

Before the phrasing was edited, Klein shared the original “cleansing” statement on his Twitter. The tweet has since been deleted by Klein.

Political Director for @ABC News based in Washington DC appears to have deleted his tweet about the 75 million Americans who voted for Trump that talked about the challenge of "cleansing the movement." pic.twitter.com/HS1Rwrn94S

— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) January 7, 2021

Klein’s polarizing article comes amid calls from Joe Biden for unity and healing in America.

In response to Klein’s article, Nick Kangadis of the Media Research Center pointed out the definition of “cleansing” on Google as “ridding (a person, place, or thing) of something seen as unpleasant, unwanted, or defiling.”

“You may not like it, but it’s perfectly within Klein’s right to say everything he said. He can celebrate that Trump is leaving office all he wants,” Kangadis wrote for mrcTV. “But it is the height of hypocrisy for those in the media to condemn others for violent acts that are dwarfed in comparison to the consistent violence of the far-left — one act doesn’t justify the other — and then go out and call for something like a ‘cleansing’ of people and think there’s nothing wrong with a statement like that.”

“The derangement and violence of the left has never been something up for debate. The difference is that the radical media will literally make up excuses for the left’s violence while standing in front of a burning building,” Kangadis concluded.