It Took Jake Tapper 23 Tries To Get Donald Trump To Answer This One Question

Thanks to Jake Tapper at CNN, we now know just how many times you need to ask Donald Trump a question to get a straight answer.

Trump was on CNN discussing controversial remarks he made about the judge presiding over the Trump University case.

Without getting bogged down in too many of the court case details, Trump and the now defunct Trump University are being sued for basically not delivering on the university's educational promises, leaving many people without money or the real estate education they thought they were buying.

The case has been ongoing, according to Trump, in no small part due to US District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel and his Mexican heritage. Trump basically accused the judge of bias because of Trump's proposal to build a border wall between the US and Mexico.

That brings us to Trump's hilarious (or hilariously scary) interview with Jake Tapper. Tapper brought up the fact Hillary Clinton said Trump's attacks against the judge were racist. But, here is all Tapper can get out before Trump railroads the question and redirects:

Let me ask you about comments you made about the judge in the Trump University case. You said that you thought it was a conflict of interest that he was the judge because he is of Mexican heritage, even though he is from Indiana. Hillary Clinton said that that is a racist attack on a federal judge.

From that point on, it's like Tapper was playing a game of whack-a-mole, constantly trying to stay on point and smack away any unnecessary explanations and answers from Trump.

Trump tried to explain more about the case, the plaintiffs, his disagreement with the judges' rulings, positive reviews for Trump University, anything he could say to not address whether or not he thought his remarks were racist.

Eventually, after surviving a number of interruptions, Tapper got his question out, saying,

I don't care if you criticize him. That's fine. You can criticize every decision. What I'm saying is, if you invoke his race as a reason why he can't do his job... When Hillary Clinton says this is  racist attack and you reject that, if you are saying he can't do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?

And, after all the interruptions, minutes of back and forth and increasingly exasperated looks from the extraordinarily patient Jake Tapper, Trump answered Tapper's question. Tapper only had to politely prompt Trump 23 times, according to The Washington Post.

When Trump finally did answer, he explained, of course, he wasn't being racist.

Even when the journalists win, they still lose, but at least Tapper got Trump on the record denying what is, in my opinion, an obviously racist allegation.

Check out the exchange between Trump and Tapper below.

Citations: Jake Tapper asked Donald Trump if his judge attack was racist — then followed up 23 times (The Washington Post), Trump defends criticism of judge with Mexican heritage (CNN), Trump Says Judge's Mexican Heritage Presents 'Absolute Conflict' (The Wall Street Journal)