If Trump’s African American “outreach” today in Philadelphia is anything like his Latino “outreach” in Phoenix on Wednesday, not only will his support with African Americans remain at zero, he will continue to convince the rest of the country that he’s a racist fearmonger who is unfit to be Commander in Chief.
And Trump’s Saturday trip to Detroit, where he will be interviewed one-on-one in a back office without an audience is set to be even more pointless — The New York Times got its hands on THE DRAFT SCRIPT that includes the questions Trump will be asked and his recommended responses. The responses, of course, have been vetted by “black Republicans to make sure he says the right things,” according to NYT.
What a joke. Not only is Trump’s campaign laughably awful at the mechanics of organizing events, they’ve proven that Trump’s “outreach” to Latinos and African Americans this week is nothing more than a media stunt intended to reach college-educated white voters rather than minorities.
Trump’s History of Discriminating Against African Americans
Two Court Cases Alleged That Trump And His Father Discriminated Against Black Housing Applicants
Lawsuits Alleged Trump And His Father engaged “Systematic Discrimination”
Two Court Cases Alleged That Donald Trump And His Father Fred Engaged In “Systematic Discrimination Against African Americans” While Renting Out Their Apartment Buildings. According to Los Angeles Times, “Before he became the king of Atlantic City casinos, before he put his name on steaks or starred on reality television, Donald Trump served his own apprenticeship in the less glamorous family business of renting apartments. Trump, in his autobiography, recalled learning valuable lessons from his father, Fred: Hunt for bargains. Chase out deadbeats. Spend some money on paint and polish. Some alleged there was another part to the Trump formula: Make it tough for black people to move in. In two court cases, built on evidence gathered from frustrated black apartment-seekers, housing activists and former employees, Fred, and, in a later case, Donald Trump faced accusations of systematic discrimination against African Americans, cases that the Trumps ultimately settled without admitting any wrongdoing.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
- The Trumps Settled The Cases Without Admitting Any Wrongdoing. According to Los Angeles Times, “In two court cases, built on evidence gathered from frustrated black apartment-seekers, housing activists and former employees, Fred, and, in a later case, Donald Trump faced accusations of systematic discrimination against African Americans, cases that the Trumps ultimately settled without admitting any wrongdoing.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
Donald Trump’s First Housing Project, Swifton Village, Was Known As A White Complex.
Trump’s First “Bid Deal,” Swifton Village Had A Reputation As A White Complex; In 1969, Just Two Or Three Apartments Of 1,167 Were Rented To Black Families. According to Los Angeles Times, “In his book ‘The Art of the Deal,’ Trump described Swifton Village as his ‘first big deal.’ He recounted, in a chapter titled ‘The Cincinnati Kid,’ booting poor, nonpaying tenants who had ‘come down from the hills of Kentucky’ with ‘seven or eight children, almost no possessions.’ […] Swifton Village had a reputation as a white complex, said Carol Coaston, now 72, who began working at a Cincinnati fair housing agency, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, around the time the suit was filed. That fall, just two or three apartments out of 1,167 in the complex were rented to black families, Fred Trump’s lawyer told a judge. ‘You just kind of, growing up here, knew certain areas where discrimination occurred or you didn’t feel welcome,’ Coaston said.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
1969: Lawsuit Alleged That Fred Trump’s Company “Employed A Racial Quota” And Turned Away Black Applicants At Swifton Village
A 1969 Lawsuit Filed Against Fred Trump’s Company Alleged That The Trump’s “Employed A Racial Quota System” And “Turned Away Black Applicants” At Swifton Village. According to Los Angeles Times, “As the Trumps worked to upgrade Swifton Village, they employed a racial quota system and turned away black applicants, according to a lawsuit filed against Fred Trump’s company in 1969, a year after the Fair Housing Act became law. Donald Trump was not named in the complaint.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
The Lawsuit Alleged That Swifton Village Denied There Were Apartments Available To A Black Couple, Yet Offered A White Woman An Immediately Available Apartment Just Days Later
A Young Black Couple, Haywood And Rennell Cash, Were Repeatedly Told There Were No Vacancies Or Anticipated Vacancies At Swifton Village; Other African Americans Reported Similar Experiences. According to Los Angeles Times, “According to records from the suit and in housing agency files, a young black couple named Haywood and Rennell Cash spent four and a half months trying to rent an apartment, without success. They had two young children and were desperate to find an apartment close to Haywood’s job at General Electric and leave his mother’s crowded house. Haywood Cash said an agent took his $83 deposit, but he was repeatedly told no vacancies existed and ‘they couldn’t predict any.’ Other African Americans were given similar explanations.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
Days After The Cash’s Inquired Into Swifton Village, Margaret Faye Boyer, A White Woman, Posed As An Apartment Seeker And Was Offered An Immediate Apartment And Provided With A Break On Income Requirements At Swifton Village. According to Los Angeles Times, “Days after the Cashes’ last inquiry, a white woman and a man posing as apartment seekers were told an apartment was available immediately and given a break on income requirements. ‘She urged that we get over there quick with a deposit to hold it,’ wrote the woman, Margaret Faye Boyar, in a statement in the housing agency’s records.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
The Lawsuit Alleged That After Boyar Attempted To Give The Apartment To The Cash Family; The Property Manager Used A Racial Slur, Screamed At Her, And Rescinded The Offer. According to Los Angeles Times, “Boyar went to the complex with Haywood Cash. When she said she did not want the apartment, but was instead helping the Cashes, the property manager ‘jumped out of his chair,’ told Boyar to ‘get the hell out,’ and used a racial slur, according to the lawsuit. He ‘began screaming at me, saying that what I was doing was ‘fraud’ and that ‘neither you nor Mr. Cash can have any damn apartment,’’ she wrote.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
Trump Attorneys Sought To Move The Suit To The Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Potentially Delaying It.
Trump’s Attorneys Denied Discrimination, But Tried To Move The Suit To The Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Which Could Have Delayed The Cashes Claim By A Year. According to Los Angeles Times, “Fred Trump’s attorneys, while denying any discrimination, tried at first to have the suit moved to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which could have delayed the Cashes’ claim by a year, according to the renters’ lawyer.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
The Suit Was Dismissed After Fred Trump Agreed To Rent An Apartment To The Black Couple.
Fred Trump Agreed To Rent The Cashes An Apartment And The Case Was Dismissed.According to Los Angeles Times, “Fred Trump’s attorneys, while denying any discrimination, tried at first to have the suit moved to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which could have delayed the Cashes’ claim by a year, according to the renters’ lawyer. But eventually, Fred Trump agreed to rent them an apartment and an appeals court dismissed the agency’s effort to expand the case into a class-action suit.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
1973: A Justice Department Lawsuit Alleged That At Least 19 Trump Properties Discriminated Against Black Applicants, Going So Far As To Mark Their Applications With “C” For Colored
A 1973 Justice Department Lawsuit Alleged Discrimination At Least 17 Properties In New York And Two In Norfolk, Virginia. According to Los Angeles Times, “The New York case, filed by civil rights lawyers from the Justice Department in 1973, generated front-page headlines. The complaint alleged that the Trump company used various tactics to discriminate, including falsely claiming a lack of vacancies and requiring stiffer rental terms. The case included allegations of discrimination at at least 17 Trump properties in New York and two in Norfolk, Va.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
The Suit Alleged That Trump Properties Rented To White Volunteers Sent Out As Testers While Denying Availabilities To Black Applicants
The Case Included Allegations From White People Sent By The Urban League To Pose As Renters, Who Were Offered Apartment While Black People Were Turned Away.According to Los Angeles Times, “The court case included allegations from whites sent by the Urban League to pose as renters, who were offered apartments while blacks were turned away, and statements from at least 10 people who worked for the company and described tactics used to discourage black applicants.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
One Trump Doorman Reported That He Was Instructed To Mark Applications From Black Renters With A “C” For “Colored.” According to Los Angeles Times, “One doorman reported to investigators that he was told to tell black visitors that no apartments were available; a building superintendent in Queens said he was told to attach a paper to applications from blacks with a letter ‘C,’ for ‘colored.’ He said he was afraid the Trumps would have him ‘knocked off’ if he talked. Another employee said he used the code ‘number 9’ to flag black applicants.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
After A Two-Year Legal Battle, Trump Settled And Agreed To Not Discriminate.
After Two Year Legal Battle, Trump Entered Into A Consent Agreement To Not Discriminate And To Send A List Of Vacancies To The Urban League, And To Advertise That Their Apartments Were Open To All. According to Los Angeles Times, “By that time, 1973, Donald Trump was president of Trump Management. Instead of settling the case, he hired lawyer Roy Cohn, who had been a prominent aide to Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the anti-communist hunts of the 1950s. Cohn launched an aggressive counterattack. […] After two years of wrangling, the complaint was resolved with a consent agreement in which Fred and Donald Trump agreed not to discriminate, to send a list of vacancies to the Urban League and to advertise that their apartments were open to all. At one point, Fred and Donald Trump haggled over the fine points of the ad requirements before a judge. ‘We were not convicted. We would win this case if we fought it,’ Fred Trump said. ‘Don’t be too sure of that,’ said the judge, according to a transcript of the hearing. ” [Los Angeles Times, 8/15/16]
Three Years After The Settlement, The Justice Department Reopened The Case, Charging That The Company Continued To Use The Same Tactics To Discriminate
According to Los Angeles Times, “Three years after the settlement, the Justice Department reopened the case, charging that the company was using the same tactics to chase away black tenants, saying that ‘racially discriminatory conduct by Trump agents’ was occurring frequently. Court records do not indicate how the second court action was resolved.” [Los Angeles Times,8/15/16]
Trump Supported By White Supremacists
KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Said Trump Resonated With Him
KKK Grand Wizard David Duke On Trump: “A Lot Of What He Says Resonates With Me.”According to the Washington Post, “The same rhetoric that frightens critics (‘Trump has really lifted the lid off a Pandora’s box of real hatred and directed it at Muslims,’ said the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mark Potok) draws praise from supporters such as former Louisiana politician and KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. Duke told The Post that while he has not officially endorsed Trump, he considers the candidate to be the ‘best of the lot’ at the moment. ‘I think a lot of what he says resonates with me,’ Duke said.” [Washington Post, 12/21/15]
David Duke: “I’m Overjoyed To See Donald Trump And Most Americans Embrace Most Of The Issues That I’ve Championed For Years.” According to The Guardian, “In an interview broadcastonSunday, Trump had once again to answer questions about one of his loudest and most notorious supporters: David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan who on Friday announced a run for Senate in Louisiana. ‘I’m overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I’ve championed for years,’ Duke said, a day after praising Trump’s platform as reflective of his own.” [Guardian, 7/25/16]
Richmond Imperial Wizard Endorsed Trump
The Imperial Wizard Of The KKK of Richmond Said Trump Was The Best Candidate For President. In an interview with an Imperial Wizard of the KKK of Richmond says that the organization of today is not the same as the organization from the 1950s. The Imperial Wizard says today’s organization is more politically motivated. They say that Donald Trump is the best candidate for President and that a lot of what he believes in they believe in.
He says should Trump drop out he’d back Kasich because Cruz is not an American citizen. One of the commentators says that they like Trump because of his xenophobia. [(WEB) NBC12: 160504_MM_86095_A.mp4, 4/29/16]
Trump Rhetoric “Electrified” White Nationalist Movement
Rachel Pendergraft, National Organization For White Supremacist Group Knights Party: Trump Candidacy “Electrified” White Nationalist Movement, Served As A “Conversation Starter” To Talk About White Nationalist Cause. According to the Washington Post, “But Rachel Pendergraft — the national organizer for the Knights Party, a standard-bearer for the Ku Klux Klan — told The Washington Post that the KKK, for one, has a new conversation starter at its disposal. You might call it a ‘Trump card.’ It involves, say, walking into a coffee shop or sitting on a train while carrying a newspaper with a Donald Trump headline. The Republican presidential candidate, Pendergraft told The Post, has become a great outreach tool, providing separatists with an easy way to start a conversation about issues that are important to the dying white supremacist movement. […] In addition to opening ‘a door to conversation,’ she said, Trump’s surging candidacy has done something else: It has electrified some members of the movement. ‘They like the overall momentum of his rallies and his campaign,’ Pendergraft said. ‘They like that he’s not willing to back down. He says what he believes and he stands on that.’” [Washington Post, 12/21/15]
Neo-Nazi Site The Daily Stormer Endorsed Trump For President
Vice, 2015: “The Daily Stormer, Another Prominent Neo-Nazi Site, Formally Endorsed Trump For President.” According to Vice, “In June, the Daily Stormer, another prominent neo-Nazi site, formally endorsed Trump for president. Trump ‘is absolutely the only candidate who is even talking about anything at all that matters,’ wrote Daily Stormer’s founder, Andrew Anglin. ‘[H]e is talking about actual issues, and this is severely important.’” [Vice, 12/13/15]
Trump Delegates Held Questionable, White Nationalist Views On Race
White Nationalist Leader William Johnson Was Selected As Trump Delegate
Johnson Lead The White Nationalist Group American Freedom Party
Mother Jones HEADLINE: Trump Selects A White Nationalist Leader As A Delegate In California. [Mother Jones, 5/10/16]
Trump’s California Delegate Slate Included William Johnson, Leader Of The White Nationalist Group American Freedom Party. According to Mother Jones, “On Monday evening, California’s secretary of state published a list of delegates chosen by the Trump campaign for the upcoming Republican presidential primary in the state. Trump’s slate includes William Johnson, one of the country’s most prominent white nationalists. […]Johnson applied to the Trump campaign to be a delegate. He was accepted on Monday.[…] Johnson leads the American Freedom Party, a group that ‘exists to represent the political interests of White Americans’ and aims to preserve ‘the customs and heritage of the European American people.’ The AFP has never elected a candidate of its own and possesses at most a few thousand members, but it is ‘arguably the most important white nationalist group in the country,’ according to Mark Potok, a senior fellow for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks hate groups.” [Mother Jones, 5/10/16]
- Johnson Claimed He Disclosed Details About His Background And Activism To The Trump Campaign Prior To Being Selected. According to Mother Jones, “Johnson says that in his application to be a delegate for Trump he disclosed multiple details about his background and activism, though he did not specifically use the term ‘white nationalist.’” [Mother Jones, 5/10/16]
Johnson Resigned After Trump’s Campaign Claimed His Inclusion Was A Database Error
Trump’s Campaign Claimed Johnson’s Inclusion Was A “Database Error” And He Resigned At Their Request. According to Mother Jones, “On May 10, Los Angeles attorney William Johnson resigned as a delegate for Donald Trump to the Republican National Convention after Mother Jones reported that Johnson is the leader of the white nationalist American Freedom Party. The Trump campaign, which selected Johnson as one of its California delegates, blamed his inclusion on a ‘database error.’” [Mother Jones, 5/19/16]
But Trump’s Campaign Had Corresponded With Johnson A 24 Hours Prior To The Story Breaking
But Trump’s Campaign Had Corresponded With Johnson A Mere 24 Hours Before The Story Broke. According to Mother Jones, “Although the Trump campaign blamed a ‘database error’ for including Johnson as a delegate, the campaign corresponded with him personally just over 24 hours ago. Trump’s California delegate coordinator, Katie Lagomarsino, sent Johnson a congratulatory email on Monday, and when he asked for clarification about how to send his completed pledge form back to the campaign, she replied.” [Mother Jones, 5/10/16]
Illinois Trump Delegate Tori Gaye Openly Spoke About “White Pride” On Social Media
Tori Gaye, An Illinois Trump Delegate, Openly Spoke About “White Pride” On Social Media. According to Chicago Tribune, “Take Lori Gayne, an admittedly outspoken former Internet talk show host from Chicago, who said she voted for President Barack Obama in his first bid for the White House in 2008. One of Gayne’s social media handles is ‘whitepride.’ ‘With all the racism going on today, I’m very proud to be white. Just like black people are proud to be black and now, as white people, whenever we say something critical we’re punished as if we’re racists. I’m tired of it. I’m very proud,’ Gayne said.” [Chicago Tribune, 5/19/16]
- Gaye: “Black Lives Matter? Those People Are Out Of Control.” According to Chicago Tribune, “‘I’m so angry I don’t even feel like I live in America. You can call me a racist. Black Lives Matter? Those people are out of control,’ she said. ‘I’m all for closing the borders. I’m all for not allowing Muslims in this country. I’m all for keeping illegals out and get as many of them who are here out as soon as possible. … Why do I want my taxpayer money taking care of criminals and murderers who aren’t supposed to be here?’” [Chicago Tribune, 5/19/16]
Trump Failed To Clearly Disavow White Supremacists
Trump Did Not Disavow KKK Grand Wizard David Duke And White Supremacist Groups When Questioned About Them
When Asked If He Would Disavow David Duke, The KKK And Other White Supremacist Groups, Trump Instead Said “I Know Nothing About David Duke. I Know Nothing About White Supremacists.” According to an interview by Donald Trump On CNN’s State Of The Union With Jake Tapper, “TAPPER: I want to ask you about the Anti-Defamation League, which this week called on you to publicly condemn unequivocally the racism of former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who recently said that voting against you at this point would be treason to your heritage. Will you unequivocally condemn David Duke and say that you don’t want his vote or that of other white supremacists in this election? TRUMP: Well, just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke. OK? I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know. I don’t know, did he endorse me or what’s going on, because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. And so you’re asking me a question that I’m supposed to be talking about people that I know nothing about. […] TAPPER: OK. I mean, I’m just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but… TRUMP: I don’t know any — honestly, I don’t know David Duke. I don’t believe I have ever met him. I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet him. And I just don’t know anything about him.”” [CNN’s State Of The Union With Jake Tapper, 2/28/16]
When Asked If He Would Condemn White Supremacist Groups Supporting Him, Trump Said “I Have To Look At The Group.” According to CNN’s State Of The Union With Jake Tapper, “TAPPER: But I guess the question from the Anti-Defamation League is, even if you don’t know about their endorsement, there are these groups and individuals endorsing you. Would you just say unequivocally you condemn them and you don’t want their support? TRUMP: Well, I have to look at the group. I mean, I don’t know what group you’re talking about. You wouldn’t want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I would have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them. And, certainly, I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong.” [CNN’s State Of The Union With Jake Tapper,2/28/16]
Trump Retweeted A Neo-Nazi Twitter Account
2016: Trump Retweeted Neo-Nazi Twitter Account Called “@WhiteGenocideTM.”According to NBC News, “Donald Trump on Friday retweeted what appears to be a neo-Nazi Twitter account that posted a photoshopped picture mocking rival Jeb Bush. The tweet by user ‘@WhiteGenocideTM’ featured an image of Bush dressed as a panhandler outside Trump Tower with a ‘Vote Trump’ sign.” [NBC News, 1/22/16]
Trump Reportedly Did Not Like “Black Guys Counting My Money”
John O’Donnell, Trump Associate, Said Trump Did Not Like “Black Guys Counting My Money” And Preferred “Short Guys In Yarmulkes.” According to Donald Trump: A Biography Of The Mogul Turned Presidential Candidate, “For instance, a former Trump associate, John O’Donnell, wrote that Trump would often describe black people as being lazy and stupid; he would bemoan the ‘black guys counting my money.’ He would prefer the ‘short guys that wear yarmulkes.’ It wasn’t only African-Americans who had earned Trump’s derision. Years later, Trump told Playboy that these remarks were ‘probably true.’” [Donald Trump: A Biography Of The Mogul Turned Presidential Candidate, 2015]
2005: Trump Proposed A “Race-Based” Season Of Apprentice Where Black Contestants Were Pitted Against Blonde White Contestants
2005: Trump Proposed Segregating Apprentice Teams By Race, Skin Tone
2005: Trump Proposed Race-Based Season Of The Apprentice, Which He Thought Would “Be The Highest-Rated Show On Television.” According to Buzzfeed, “In early 2005, Donald Trump explained to radio host Howard Stern that he had considered hosting a version of his show The Apprentice pitting black contestants vs. white ones. Trump thought the concept, which BuzzFeed News reported Thursday Trump pushed the idea on his syndicated radio show, would be the highest rated show on television. ‘On The Apprentice there was a concept, okay, thrown out by some person, nine blacks against nine whites,’ said Trump. ‘And it would be nine blacks against nine whites, all highly educated, very smart, strong, beautiful. Do you like it? Do you like it, Robin?’ ‘I think you’re gonna have a riot,’ Stern co-host Robin Quivers said, after Stern said he liked the idea. ‘It would be the highest-rated show on television,’ interjected Trump.” [Buzzfeed, 5/20/16]
2005: Trump Wanted To Do A Season Of The Apprentice With A Team Of All Black Contestants With “An Assortment” Of Skin Tones Competing Against A Team Of All-Blonde White Contestants. According to Buzzfeed, “Stern went on to ask Trump a series of questions. ‘Very dark blacks, or light-skinned blacks?’ Stern asked. ‘Assortment,’ Trump responded, ‘against whites.’ When a laughing Quivers asked how many blondes, Trump added he wanted all nine whites to be blonde. ‘This was a thought that was given to us, and I don’t think NBC is thrilled with the idea, with the concept,’ says Trump.” [Buzzfeed, 5/20/16]
1989: Trump Called For Death Penalty For African-American Teenagers Using Racially-Charged Rhetoric
1989: Five Black Teenagers Were Convicted Of Raping And Assaulting A Woman In Central Park; In 2002, All Were Exonerated And Released From Prison.
1989: Five Black Teenagers Known As The Central Park Five Were Convicted Of With Raping And Beating A Women In Central Park; In 2002, All Five Were Exonerated And Released From Prison. According to The New York Times, “THIRTEEN years ago, a 28-year-old Manhattan investment banker jogging in Central Park was raped, beaten and left for dead..[…] In the 1989 jogger case, the victim was white. Six black or Hispanic teenagers were charged. Five confessed, then recanted. Even though DNA evidence pointed to someone else, four of the five were convicted of rape, the fifth of sexual assault. They served from 9 to 13 years. […]Then, earlier this year, Matias Reyes, a former delicatessen clerk now imprisoned for a separate rape and murder committed that same year, said he alone had raped the jogger as well as another woman in Central Park two nights earlier. DNA tests support his claim. The evidence now available suggests the five youths would have been found not guilty of rape.” [New York Times, 10/20/02]
1989: Trump Took Out Racially-Charged Newspaper Advertisement Calling For Death Penalty For Black Teens Accused Of Rape And Assault
April 1989: Trump Bought Full-Page Advertisement Calling For The Death Penalty For The Central Park Five, Whom He Referred To As “A Roving Band Of Wild Criminals”According to The New York Times, “In 1989, Mr. Trump paused in building his real estate empire to run the 600-word ad in The New York Times, The Daily News, The New York Post and New York Newsday, at a total cost of $85,000, under the boldfaced heading, ‘Bring Back the Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!’ In the ad, Mr. Trump said Mayor Edward I. Koch had stated ‘that hate and rancor should be removed from our hearts,’ to which Mr. Trump replied: ‘I do not think so. I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.’ At the time, the attack victim was still in a coma. The ad does not name any defendant, instead referring collectively to ‘roving bands of wild criminals.’” [New York Times, 10/23/02]
After The Central Park Five Were Exonerated In 2002, Trump Continued To Cast Doubt On Their Innocence And Their Pasts Using Racist Undertones
2014: Donald Trump On The Central Park Five After Their Exoneration: “These Young Men Do Not Exactly Have The Past Of Angels.” According to an opinion by Donald Trump, “My opinion on the settlement of the Central Park Jogger case is that it’s a disgrace. A detective close to the case, and who has followed it since 1989, calls it ‘the heist of the century.’ […] Speak to the detectives on the case and try listening to the facts. These young men do not exactly have the pasts of angels.” [Donald Trump- New York Daily News, 6/21/14]
2013: Trump Tweeted About The Central Park Five: “Tell Me, What Were They Doing In The Park, Playing Checkers?” According to The Grio, “The tweet drew a response from a high school coach, who reminded Trump of his untoward calls for death back in 1989, saying, ‘With all due respect, after your rant about the Central Park Five, perhaps you should keep law and order comments to yourself.’ Never one to leave a comment un-responded to, Trump tweeted back: ‘Tell me, what were they doing in the Park, playing checkers?’ […]Of course, the answer to that question is that the Central Park Five were doing what many other teens were doing in the park: hanging out. What they were not doing, as confirmed 30 years too late by New York prosecutors, was committing gang rape.” [Grio, 4/23/13]
1989: Trump Said He Wished He Was Black So He Could Take Advantage Of Affirmative Action
Trump, 1989: “If I Was Starting Off Today, I Would Love To Be A Well-Educated Black, Because I Really Do Believe They Have The Actual Advantage Today.” According to Newsday, “The most idiotic statement of the show – if not the year – was uttered by Donald Trump. In attacking affirmative action, the billionaire said: ‘If I was starting off today, I would love to be a well-educated black, because I really do believe they have the actual advantage today.’” [Newsday, 9/24/89]
2015: Trump Retweeted Racist, Grossly False Crime Statistics About African Americans
Trump Tweeted An Image That Showed A “Masked, Dark-Skinned Man With A Handgun,” And With “Racially Loaded And Incorrect Murder Statistics.” According to Politifact, “A day after a black activist was kicked and punched by voters at a Donald Trump rally in Alabama, Trump tweeted an image packed with racially loaded and incorrect murder statistics. The image shows a masked, dark-skinned man with a handgun and a set of points, ostensibly about deaths in 2015: ‘Blacks killed by whites — 2%’ ‘Blacks killed by police — 1%’ ‘Whites killed by police — 3%’ ‘Whites killed by whites — 16%’ ‘Whites killed by blacks — 81%’ ‘Blacks killed by blacks — 97%’ The image cites the ‘Crime Statistics Bureau – San Francisco’” [Politifact, 11/23/15]
[Politifact, 11/23/15]
Politifact: “Almost Every Number In The Image Is Wrong” And Trump’s Data “Exaggerated” The Number On White Victims “Five-Fold.” According to Politifact, “Trump tweeted an image that made various statistical claims, including that blacks kill 81 percent of white homicide victims. Almost every number in the image is wrong. The statistics on white victims are exaggerated five-fold. The police-related deaths are off as well. We rate this claim Pants on Fire.” [Politifact, 11/23/15]
Trump Organization Had “Few, If Any” Black Executives In Its Upper Ranks
Associated Press Review Concluded There Were “Few, If Any” Black Executives In Trump Organization’s Upper Ranks
The Associated Press Found “Few, If Any, Black Executives In The Upper Ranks Of The Trump Organization.” According to The Associated Press, “There are few, if any, black executives in the upper ranks of the Trump Organization, a review by The Associated Press has found. Other minorities are also scarce at that level though Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has employed scores of executives. […]The AP limited its review to the circle of senior executives who hold titles of vice president or higher within the Trump Organization, an amorphous corporate entity in which Trump and a group of top executives oversee hundreds of different companies and partnerships that control real estate, licensing and hospitality businesses. Some subsidiary businesses have their own hierarchies of presidents and vice presidents, but those executives are generally not located within Trump Tower headquarters and do not have the same authority and prestige.” [Associated Press,6/16/16]
Former Trump Organization Executives “Say They Cannot Recall A Single Black Vice President-Level Executive” At The Trump Organization Headquarters Starting In The 1980s. According to The Associated Press, “Former executives say they cannot recall a single black vice president-level executive at Trump’s headquarters during their combined tenures at the Trump Organization LLC, which ranged from 1980 to late in the past decade. Reviews of social media postings by Trump and his family and Trump’s acknowledgements thanking executives in his books also fail to identify any senior black employees past or present.” [Associated Press, 6/16/16]
Published: Sep 2, 2016