{"id":2615341,"date":"2026-06-17T17:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-blamed-chicago-cross-burning-on-trump-and-the-right-then-the-real-culprit-stepped-forward\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T17:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:17:14","slug":"media-blamed-chicago-cross-burning-on-trump-and-the-right-then-the-real-culprit-stepped-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-blamed-chicago-cross-burning-on-trump-and-the-right-then-the-real-culprit-stepped-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Blamed Chicago Cross-Burning on Trump and the Right &#8211; Then the Real Culprit Stepped Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmedia-blamed-chicago-cross-burning-on-trump-and-the-right-then-the-real-culprit-stepped-forward%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2615341&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-what-happened-the-last-time-israel-invaded-lebanon-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"This is what happened the last time Israel invaded Lebanon - Washington Examiner\">provided content discusses<\/a> the ongoing issues with racism and misinformation in the United States. It highlights recent incidents, such as a cross-burning in Chicago, which was linked to protests against the Trump administration. The article emphasizes that many such acts are falsely attributed to white supremacists when, historically, they are often committed by individuals with different backgrounds or fake claims. it criticizes the media for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bloomberg-flubs-data-for-bombshell-report-that-only-6-of-new-corporate-hires-are-white\/\" title=\"Bloomberg&#039;s report on low white corporate hires is flawed.\">perpetuating false narratives<\/a> about racism, pointing out past hoaxes like Jussie Smollett\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jussie-smollett-gets-huge-career-opportunity-despite-hate-crime-hoax-conviction-report\/\" title=\"Jussie Smollett lands major career chance despite hoax conviction: Report.\">staged hate crime<\/a> and the false noose incident involving Bubba Wallace. The piece traces the roots of racism in the Democratic Party\u2019s history, including support for slavery and the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, suggesting that accusations of racism are sometimes politically motivated. it argues that hate and division are often manufactured or exaggerated for political gain, with media outlets playing a significant role in spreading these falsehoods.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>No historian could write the Democratic Party\u2019s 200-year-old story without devoting multiple chapters to its sordid history of fomenting racism.<\/p>\n<p>That story continues unabated to the present day.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, after nearly a week of hand wringing over a cross-burning incident in Chicago\u2019s Grant Park, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcchicago.com\/investigations\/i-dont-regret-it-man-explains-motive-for-burning-cross-in-nbc-5-exclusive\/3949697\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WMAQ-TV<\/a> in Chicago reported that city police have arrested 21-year-old Merlin Lu, who earlier admitted to the outlet that he set fire to the cross as a protest against President Donald Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n<p>Lu burned the cross, he said, to protest \u201cMAGA Christian nationalist supporters\u201d and the Trump administration \u201cruling class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course he did. Had an actual white supremacist burned the cross, it would have been Trump\u2019s fault, but now, in this case, it\u2019s Trump\u2019s fault anyway; that\u2019s how these things work.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Turns out, the \u201cKKK burning cross\u201d found in Chicago was made by a socialist gay Asian: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l1ClC4QSd3\">pic.twitter.com\/l1ClC4QSd3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EndWokeness\/status\/2066890304192471102?\">June 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>On the afternoon of June 9, the burning cross caused a ruckus in the city, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cross-burning-chicago-fire-department-e61c932c3633516f55e32da3fd294dec\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The AP then dutifully did what the establishment media does: blame it on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/leftist-professor-goes-viral-admitting-hard-truth-trump-destroyed-dreams-democratic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> and\/or his supporters.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, the AP found people willing to say what the outlet wanted published.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do think we\u2019re living in a time when we have a president that stokes this kind of thing and invites this type of stuff,\u201d Miranda Samuels said. \u201cPeople feel emboldened and are invited to see how far they can go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chicagoan Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (groan), found a way to connect the cross burning to the Capitol incursion of Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe same kind of people got the same <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >white supremacist mentality<\/a> as a cross-burning,\u201d Chapman said. \u201cSo, they figured like they got a license now \u2026 with people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/adam-schiff-nancy-pelosi-melt-trumps-jan-6-pardons-terrible-way-begin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pardoned<\/a> and more or less shaking hands with the devil.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois got in on the act.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that it even occurred at all speaks to what happens when the seeds of racism and fascism grow unchecked in our country,\u201d Pritzker said Thursday at the late Jesse Jackson\u2019s Rainbow PUSH Coalition\u2019s annual conference, per the <a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/news\/2026\/06\/11\/pritzker-summons-words-of-the-late-rev-jesse-jackson-to-decry-cross-burning-in-grant-park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chicago Sun-Times<\/a>. \u201cThe threats are real. And in times like these, it\u2019s easy to fall prey to despair, to think that the fight for justice is just too costly to engage in, that the mountain is too high to climb and the path is too narrow to navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have spent years falsely and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-report-cartridges-gun-used-charlie-kirk-shooting-engraved-transgender-anti-fascist-messages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dangerously<\/a> accusing Trump and his supporters of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gop-politicians-vehicle-shot-home-targeted-leftists-continue-scream-false-charges-fascism-racism-nazism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nazism<\/a> or fascism.<\/p>\n<p>They could not have done so, however, without help from the media.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, perhaps the most egregious, media-driven racism hoax stemmed from Trump\u2019s comments about the 2017 Charlottesville protests. For the better part of a decade, Democrats and their media allies insisted that Trump had praised neo-Nazis and white nationalists. In fact, it took the \u201cfact-checking\u201d outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biggest-story-year-fact-check-outlet-snopes-admits-lefts-major-claim-trump-false\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Snopes<\/a> seven years to admit that the president did no such thing.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, in 2019, black actor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nigerian-brothers-helped-jussie-smollett-stage-hoax-call-star-big-way\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jussie Smollett<\/a> faked a hate crime, also in Chicago. Democrats, including then-Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/james-woods-digs-embarrassing-kamala-harris-tweet-shows-horrible-judge-character\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kamala Harris<\/a> of California, also exploited that incident for political gain until the truth emerged.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in June 2020, amid the Black Lives Matter madness that engulfed America that summer, the media also hyped the alleged discovery of a noose inside black NASCAR driver <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/video-noose-controversy-bubba-wallaces-next-act-takes-aim-christian-driver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bubba Wallace\u2019s<\/a> assigned garage at Talladega Superspeedway. That, too, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-fbi-reveals-harmless-truth-noose-bubba-wallaces-garage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FBI<\/a> quickly deemed a false alarm.<\/p>\n<p>Six years later, the extreme-leftist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bombshell-indictment-leftist-splc-secretly-funneled-3-million-members-white-supremacist-extremist-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Southern Poverty Law Center<\/a> stands accused of committing fraud by funding hate groups. In other words, if Democrats cannot find the racism on which they thrive, they will manufacture it.<\/p>\n<p>That has been the party\u2019s modus operandi since its inception in the 1820s: keep hate alive.<\/p>\n<p>In those days, Democrats fostered prejudice by supporting slavery and openly touting white supremacy. Democrats formed the Confederacy in 1860-61 in protest against President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s election victory.<\/p>\n<p>Then, after the Civil War, Democrats formed the Ku Klux Klan, which made the burning cross a symbol of hatred across the South.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, nearly every person who ever burned a cross in anger was almost certainly a non-Republican. That remains true to this day, and it remains true in this instance.<\/p>\n<p>Still, each time a hoax like this occurs, the media repeats the same shopworn lies.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No historian could fully recount the Democratic Party\u2019s 200-year history without highlighting its long-standing role in promoting racism. This troubling legacy persists today. Recently, following a week of controversy over a cross-burning in Chicago\u2019s Grant Park, WMAQ-TV reported that police have detained 21-year-old Merlin Lu, who admitted to setting the cross as a protest against President Trump\u2019s administration and its supporters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2615342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Lu-and-burning-cross.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4387,81343,4188,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2615341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-chicago","tag-cross-burning-2","tag-media","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Lu-and-burning-cross.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615341"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615345,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615341\/revisions\/2615345"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}