Proving that presidential candidates will take nearly every opportunity to attack each other, the Newt Gingrich campaign put out a statement on Tuesday in response to a joke made by actor Robert DeNiro at a Monday evening Obama fundraiser.
DeNiro joked that America may not be "ready for a white First Lady" during a fundraiser with Michelle Obama in New York.
The Obama campaign said Tuesday that the joke was "inappropriate." Still, the Gingrich campaign saw room for a jab.
"Racial comments and jokes degrade the political process," Gingrich adviser Kiron Skinner, who is black, said in a statement. "They have no place in this presidential campaign season. Robert DeNiro and other celebrities supporting President Barack Obama don’t seem to think so."
Gingrich said earlier on Tuesday that DeNiro's comment "was inexcusable and the president should apologize for him."
"At a star-studded fundraiser in New York City last night, the actor declared that it is too soon for a white first lady," the statement continues. "The crowd approved. The media and many others would decry an equivalent comment by a conservative or a Republican supporter of a presidential candidate."