Debra Messing regrets pushing sign calling black Trump voters mentally ill, calls out GOP 'voter suppression'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actress Debra Messing on Wednesday attempted to explain why she'd recently promoted an Alabama church sign that called black Trump voters mentally ill.
Her response came as #RacistDebraMessing trended on Twitter. Messing claimed she apologized for liking the sign but doubled down on her criticism of the president.
"NUMBER 1– I apologized for liking that church sign. I said I regret it. I shud have thought before recklessly supporting," she tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}'WILL & GRACE' STAR CELEBRATES SIGN CALLING BLACK TRUMP VOTERS MENTALLY ILL
She said she supported that sign because of alleged racism on the part of Trump and the Republican Party. "You won’t accept this but black people are targeted by Trump’s GOP for voter suppression," she said.
She added that "Charlottesville was about Trump supporters hating POC and Jews" -- a reference to the protests in 2017 where white supremacists demonstrated in opposition to removing a statue of former Civil War General Robert E. Lee. James Fields plowed into protesters at a white supremacist rally, killing 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer and injuring more than 30 others.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ERIC MCCORMACK BACKTRACKS, SAYS HE DOESN'T SUPPORT 'BLACKLISTS' AFTER CALLING TO OUT TRUMP DONORS
Messing and "Will & Grace" co-star Eric McCormack ignited a media firestorm in recent days when they called for a media outlet to publish the names of people attending a fundraiser for President Trump.
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Amid backlash, the two claimed they weren't calling for a blacklist but rather wanted to bring attention to already-public information.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I NEVER NOR WOULD I EVER call for a blacklist of anyone for any reason. The info is publicly available. I as a consumer want to know where MY ... Money is going when I pay for entertainment. Just as you have the right to not watch W&G bc I don’t support Trump, I have the right to not go see (pay for) a movie with someone supporting babies in cages," the actress said in two separate tweets on Wednesday.
Messing also cited the First Amendment, adding that "there is nothing threatening about asking politely for information."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Her initial comments caught widespread attention -- including a condemnation from "View" host Whoopi Goldberg -- and a slight from the president himself.
"I have not forgotten that when it was announced that I was going to do The Apprentice, and when it then became a big hit, helping NBC’s failed lineup greatly, @DebraMessing came up to me at an Upfront & profusely thanked me, even calling me 'Sir.' How times have changed!" he tweeted on Saturday.