August 23, 2017
President Donald Trump took a moment from a campaign-like rally held in Phoenix on Tuesday night to defend Jeffrey Lord, a former conservative CNN commentator who was fired for tweeting a reference to a Nazi victory salute earlier this month.
Trump began attacking CNN during the 77-minute-long speech, which also touched on the violent events that unfolded in Charlottesville, Virginia, almost two weeks ago, when he brought up Lord, a Pennsylvania political strategist and a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College.
“They fired Jeffrey Lord. Poor Jeffrey,” Trump said. "I guess he was getting a little bit fed up and was probably fighting back too hard and they said, ‘We gotta get out of here.'"
Lord, 66, took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the president.
Trump Defends Jeffrey Lord at Phoenix Rally - The Daily Beast-Thank you @POTUS !! https://t.co/IScwMNZRXH
— Jeff Lord (@realJeffreyLord) August 23, 2017
In what he described as a "mocking" attempt, Lord posted the phrase "Sieg Heil" during a squabble with liberal activist and president of Media Matters Angelo Carusone in early August.
“Nazi salutes are indefensible,” the network said in a statement obtained by The New York Times following the exchange. “Jeffrey Lord is no longer with the network.”
Lord was reportedly offered a position as a contributor or reporter at conservative website Breitbart News after the dismissal, according to the New York Daily News.
Breitbart is once again led by Steve Bannon following his dismissal as the White House chief strategist.
