Marcus Lemonis has now spent the better part of a week apologizing for remarks he made about President Trump and NASCAR fans, insisting his remarks were taken out of context. In short, in a CNBC interview aired on television, he said he was "horrified" by what he's heard out of the White House following Charlottsville, and went one-step further when he said:
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There's no doubt that there is probably not many consumers in this country today that are in favor of what has been said in the last couple days and if they are, quite frankly, don't shop at my business." (The full remarks are in a video below).
Strangely, he's deleted a lengthy tweet and video of him explaining his position, but he's now released a new Facebook post in which he once again apologizes, says the headlines were inaccurate, and notes he doesn't condone racism or bigotry.
His Facebook statement, in parts, repeats some of an earlier statement that is still available on YouTube:
But on Twitter, he was also asked about his statement on CNBC, and answered it:
The part where I never said it
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) August 22, 2017
That is technically true. He says on CNBC that he's "horrified" but what's coming out of the White House. But the problem is, what's coming out of the White House is coming from President Trump.
However you parse this, it's clear that his remarks have struck a nerve. The NASCAR legend Mark Martin threatened to pull a $150,000 order with Camping World before reversing course, and fans have been vocal in their anger toward Lemonis.
Here's the CNBC video that started it all:
Marcus Lemonis: If you're OK with what Trump said, don't shop at my businesses from CNBC.
