Obama does not regret using N-word, says White House after President slammed for using racial slur

US President Barack Obama on Monday had said that America had not overcome its history of racism and had used the much frowned upon racial slur, ‘N-word’ to illustrate his point. However, Obama, who has previously been criticized for his soft stance on racism and his unwillingness to speak out on the issue, came under fire for the usage of the slur.

President of the National Urban League, Marc Morial slammed Obama for making such a “disparaging” and “hateful” comment. According to The New York Times, Morial said the N-word shouldn’t be use especially by presidents trying “to teach a nation a lesson.”

However, the White House came out in support of the President. According to a report in the  TIME , White House Press secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama used the word in a context and it was justified. Obama does not regret using the N-word, the White House said. “The argument that the President has made in the context of this interview is consistent with arguments that he’s made in other settings,” The Time report quoted Earnest as saying.

Other White House aides too have supported President Obama’s remarks.

“Is the reaction all good? No, but that’s never the goal. It was a really important point for people to hear. I think he’s glad that he said it. And he is encouraged that people were able to hear his broader message,” Politico quoted  Valerie Jarrett, an Obama senior adviser, as saying.

Obama, on Monday at the WTF Podcast with Marc Maron , had weighed in on the debate over race and guns that has erupted after the arrest of a white man for the racially motivated shooting deaths of nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina.

“Racism, we are not cured of it,” Obama had said. “And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public. That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don’t, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.”

Obama’s remarks came during an interview out Monday with comedian Marc Maron for his popular podcast, where crude language is often part of the discussion.

With inputs from AP