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Rupert Murdoch suggests Obama isn’t ‘real black president’

President Barack Obama participates in a conversation co-hosted by Coworker.org during the White House Summit on Worker Voice in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. Participants included workers, employers, unions, organizers and other advocates and experts on how to energize a new generation of Americans to come together and recognize the potential power of their voice at work. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) President Barack Obama participates in a conversation co-hosted by Coworker.org during the White House Summit on Worker Voice in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. Participants included workers, employers, unions, organizers and other advocates and experts on how to energize a new generation of Americans to come together and recognize the potential power of their voice at work. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By Associated Press October 8, 2015 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – The founder of the global News Corp. media empire, Rupert Murdoch, issued an apology Thursday after he faced social media backlash following his suggestion that President Barack Obama isn’t a “real black president.”

Murdoch was praising Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson and his wife on Twitter on Wednesday when he wrote: “Ben and Candy Carson terrific. What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide?”

He also recommended a New York magazine article asking whether Obama has done enough for the African-American community.

Murdoch, who founded Fox News Channel, apologized Thursday and tweeted that he “personally find(s) both men charming.”

The 84-year-old Murdoch has praised Carson on Twitter before, calling him “irreproachable on background, achievements, character, vision.”