According to the Rev. Al Sharpton, the notion that former President Trump contributed to the economic stability of Black Americans is unfounded.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday, Sharpton pointed out that the wealth gap between Black and white Americans today, in part, can be attributed to Trump.
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During a conversation with Joe Scarborough, Sharpton expressed his disbelief at Donald Trump’s behavior, stating that it was absurd for the former President to act like he had accomplished something.
“As you know, Joe, I knew Donald Trump for 35 years, fought with him, went to meet with him, tried to get him to do things. I’ve never seen a Black employee in Donald Trump’s office. Not one. I used to say going up Trump Towers was like going up the Rocky Mountains — the higher you got, the whiter it got. You didn’t see one Black employee at his trial. So, he did what for Blacks? He didn’t do it as a private citizen, and as Steve Rattner’s charts show, he didn’t do it as the president.”
In a recent interview with Semafor, the former president claimed that Black men specifically acknowledge and appreciate the efforts he has made for them. Sharpton’s response to these comments follows closely behind.
“They see what I’ve done, and they see strength, they want strength, OK,” Trump said. “They want strength, they want security. They want jobs, they want to have their jobs. They don’t want to have millions of people come and take their jobs. And we — that’s what’s happening. These people that are coming into our country are taking jobs away from African Americans, and they know it.”
Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele criticized Trump’s remarks as “B.S.” in response.
Sharpton emphasized on Wednesday that achieving fair generational wealth will require more than a single generation. He highlighted the long-standing history of oppression that Black Americans have endured since the abolition of slavery, which has impeded the progress of the community.
“You must remember that after they stopped Reconstruction and went into this era that ended up with Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896, there was no legal change till 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education. You’re talking about a span of almost a century,” Sharpton told Scarborough.
“We’re the only race that, by law, couldn’t do certain things. We had biases against others that came to the country, but we were named by law not to have equal rights. And we’re talking about my parents, my grandparents. So you’re right. You can’t erase that in a generation, because by law we couldn’t do certain things.”
