Trump rips Disney CEO Bob Iger for defending Obama aide Jarrett after Roseanne Barr's racist tweet

  • President Donald Trump questions why Disney CEO Bob Iger did not apologize to him for "HORRIBLE" statements made on ABC.
  • Iger apologized to former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett for racist tweets from actress Roseanne Barr.
  • The tweets led to the cancellation of the ABC show "Roseanne."

President Donald Trump criticized Disney CEO Bob Iger Wednesday for apologizing for Roseanne Barr's racist tweet that led to the cancellation of her hit ABC show, but failing to show remorse about statements made about the president on the network.

In a tweet, Trump acknowledged that Iger apologized to Valerie Jarrett, a black advisor to President Barack Obama whom Barr compared to an ape. Trump did not address the substance of what Barr tweeted or the cancellation of "Roseanne."

Instead, he noted that Iger "never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC."

The tweet Wednesday again shows Trump's penchant for jumping into heated racial and cultural matters — often without condemning the racist behavior at issue. On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would not worry about the cancellation of "Roseanne," as "we have a lot bigger things going on in the country right now."

It is unclear to which comments on ABC Trump is referring. Some ABC personalities such as late-night host Jimmy Kimmel have repeatedly criticized the president.

President Donald Trump as he leaves the White House for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in Washington D.C on May 29th, 2018.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
President Donald Trump as he leaves the White House for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in Washington D.C on May 29th, 2018.

The reboot of the sitcom "Roseanne" on ABC gained popularity with Trump backers, as Barr's character supported the president. In March, Trump called Barr to congratulate her on the reboot of her sitcom.

In a now-deleted tweet from Tuesday, Barr wrote in reference to Jarrett: "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." ABC cancelled the show within hours of the message.

In a statement Tuesday announcing the move, ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show." Iger called Jarrett to tell her the show would be canceled, and later expanded on Dungey's statement.

"You can't debate what is morally right," he said in an interview with CNBC's David Faber.

During an MSNBC special on racism that aired Tuesday, Jarrett called Barr's tweets "a teaching moment."

Barr has since apologized and asked fans not to share messages of support for her. She has still retweeted messages from fans, however.