Trump claims he's done 'more for Black Americans' than John Lewis - Business Insider
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Members of the military arrive with the casket of late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia for a memorial service at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, July 27, 2020. Michael A. McCoy/Reuters
- President Donald Trump, during an Axios interview, repeatedly stopped short of describing the late Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia as an impressive individual.
- "He chose not to come to my inauguration," Trump said of Lewis. "He chose, I never met John Lewis, I don't believe."
- "I find a lot of people impressive," Trump added. "I find many people not impressive, but no, he didn't come to my inauguration.
President Donald Trump repeatedly stopped short of describing the late Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia as an impressive individual, and instead, boasted about his own credentials as it relates the African-American community, during an Axios interview that aired on Monday.
Asked by Axios reporter Jonathan Swan about how history would remember Lewis, Trump replied: "I don't know. I really don't know."
"He chose not to come to my inauguration," Trump said. "He chose, I never met John Lewis, I don't believe."
Lewis, the longtime lawmaker from Georgia and civil rights leader, died at 80 in July, seven months after he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Lewis's accomplishments for the civil rights movement, which include marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were widely praised by both Republicans and Democrats.
Following Swan's initial question, the reporter pressed Trump for a clearer answer: "Do you find him impressive?"
Trump replied that he could not "say one way or the other" if Lewis was impressive, adding that the Democrat did not come to his inauguration.
"I find a lot of people impressive," Trump said. "I find many people not impressive, but no, he didn't come to my inauguration.
"He didn't come to my State of the Union speeches, and that's ok," Trump added. "That's his right. And again, nobody has done more for Black Americans than I have. He should've come. I think he made a big mistake."
Lewis was one of dozens of Democratic lawmakers who refused to attend Trump's inauguration in 2017. Lewis also declined to attend President George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001. Bush delivered remarks at Lewis's funeral
"You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong," Lewis said to NBC News in 2017.
Trump did later acknowledge that Lewis "was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to civil rights" but added, "there were many others, also."
President Trump did not attend Lewis' memorial service, nor did he pay respects to the late lawmaker, who laid in state in the Capitol rotunda. Lewis's memorial ceremony included eulogies by Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.
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Oh God, deliver us from Trump...
To a reasonable observer, it looks like Lewis started the cycle of disrespect.
Why am I not surprised at the disgusting vile comments coming from Trump supporters about a man who dedicated his life to fighting for equality and making this nation a more perfect union. Trump and the low life weasels who support him want the exact opposite of what John Lewis was fighting for, they want inequality, they want to keep the status quo of systemic racism, and they see no problem defending a lifelong racist who used to refuse to rent to black people while attacking a man with moral fortitude who dared to stand up for his rights as an American in the face of those bigots who have now embraced Trump. Donald Trump isn't fit to lick John Lewis's boots. John Lewis will always be remembered as an American hero, despicable dishonest Donald will be remembered as an American zero.
Here's something for you: One, gigantic, big, fat go fuck yourself. Wait. Make it two.
Except who would consider any tRump supporter, reasonable?
Just more ignorant lies. It's not that Democrats expect less from black Americans, we expect more from those in a position to do more. With great power comes great responsibility. White Americans enjoyed white affirmative action for the first 180 years of this nation, only in the last half century have black Americans even been allowed a seat at the table. And it's been an ongoing struggle since then for equality, as John Lewis's life proves, yet we still have some who sneer and hiss with dissatisfaction when they see a black American being offered assistance, when they see those who don't look like them getting the affirmative action they enjoyed for so long.
The lame excuse that many conservative Republicans use to dismiss and deny equal rights to minority Americans by claiming helping them is somehow reverse discrimination is just dripping with hypocritical bullshit. After kneeling on their necks for over two centuries, simply lifting the knee and saying everyone is equal now is not enough and it's not equality. The stain of racism continues to persist, the legacy of discrimination and signs of systemic inequality is everywhere in this country and ignoring it or refusing to admit it exists merely reinforces it and strengthens it. Conservative Republicans lying about it and closing their eyes to the facts or dismissing the millions of black Americans personal experiences and testimony is dishonest and disgraceful, as is trying to paint Democrats, millions of whom are black Americans, as 'racist' for merely addressing and talking about racial inequality. Most conservative Republicans simply don't want to hear it because they don't like the feelings of guilt that creep in when they actually look back honestly at how they got where they are and the many bigoted ancestors who got them there.
Something they forget to look at, (and hope we don't notice), is the make up of congress which gives us a rough view of who votes for who based on party.
From the 115th congress:
African-American D/R 48/3
Asian/Indian/Pacific Islander D/R 16/0
Hispanic/Latino D/R 30/13
The vast majority of diversity in congress is represented by Democrats.
The 116th congress which is even more diverse on the Democrats side. Predictably, Republicans voted for white males, like they always do.
...
The majority of Republican voters simple do not vote for minorities. It's been that way for a LONG time. That's just a fact.
The assertion that Democrats are racists really falls short since it was Democrats that put a Black man in the White House....twice.
How? Is it mandatory to show up every time trump runs his filthy mouth? Trump has a long history of racism, why would Lewis WANT to show respect to a POTUS that has spent a lifetime showing nothing but disrespect to people like Lewis? If trump wants respect, he needs to earn it.
Why would he ever respect a racist?
Is that all he can think about, Lewis not coming to the inauguration and State of the Union addresses?
Is this guy narcissistic or what?
vs
With that sentence (djt) he managed to insult two ethnicities
When Trump visits his resorts, any black employees are kept out of sight.
After his blatant disrespect towards John Lewis, if ANY black supporter of Trump still does, then they are truly lost causes.