‘Out of his cotton-picking mind’: Trump ally apologises for racially charged comment about black strategist

David Bossie, a close ally and supporter of Donald Trump, apologised on Sunday for using a racially charged term when he said a black Democratic strategist was “out of his cotton-picking mind”.

On Sunday, Bossie appeared on Fox & Friends – the president’s favoured show – for a discussion about liberal reactions to Trump’s immigration policy.

In an angry and at times incoherent exchange, Bossie’s fellow pundit, the Democratic strategist Joel Payne, accused the president of using racist rhetoric to rally his base.

“You don’t have to be a golden retriever to hear all the dog whistles coming out of the White House these days,” he said.