Singer John Legend ripped into former President Donald Trump for being a "dyed-in-the-wool racist" in response to Trump's claims that he's an "ally" to Black Americans.
Speaking to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her MSNBC program, Legend said that Trump has "done very little for us and he is, at his core, truly, truly a racist," at one point referencing a federal lawsuit filed against Trump in the 1970s alleging his real estate company had a policy of not renting to Black tenants.
He stressed that Trump has "made it clear" that he views Black people as "inferior" despite Trump's prior claim that he's done more for Black Americans than "any other president since Abraham Lincoln and maybe including Abraham Lincoln," and his emphasis on a bipartisan criminal justice reform package he signed into law in 2018.
Legend said:
“[Trump's] not been an ally. At the same time he’s claiming credit for those small things, he’s also saying if people are stealing something they should get shot in the middle of the store. When we protested the killing of George Floyd, he advocated for the military to shoot us in the streets.”
“He’s made it clear throughout his life that he believes Black people are inferior, like, he believes that to his core, in his bones. He wouldn’t let us live in his buildings back in the day."
“He clearly believes in a genetic hierarchy of humanity and it’s racially determined." ...
“So he is a tried-and-true, dyed-in-the-wool racist. Like, in the core of his being, he’s a racist, so I don’t wanna hear what he has to say about what he’s done for Black people. He’s done very little for us. And he is, at his core, truly, truly a racist."
"You even hear what he says about immigration and what countries he wants people to come in from. They’re all very white.”
You can hear what Legend said in the video below.
From the moment he took office, Trump made it clear there were in-groups—comprised of his followers, many of whom were aligned with growing White nationalist and Christian nationalist movements—and out-groups, largely comprised of people who did not vote for him or who were perceived as a threat to his narrow vision of United States supremacy.
Some of the groups Trump attacked during his presidency include but are not limited to:
- Those from Muslim-majority countries, who were subjected to a travel ban within days of his taking office;
- Those who took to the streets to condemn racism and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd, who he suggested should be shot "when the looting starts," breathing life into stereotypes about people of color being more inclined toward criminality;
- Those from Haiti and African nations, who he suggested should not be allowed to immigrate to the United States because they come from "sh*thole countries";
- Indigenous groups who found themselves in a protracted battle for their tribal and ancestral lands after Trump gave fossil fuel companies even more freedom to drill for oil and natural gas;
- Migrants, predominantly those crossing the nation's southern border who Trump referred to as "rapists" and who were targeted by the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" family separation policy that was widely condemned by human rights groups;
- Immigrants at large, who were undeniably made to feel unwelcome as a result of immigration architect and senior adviser Stephen Miller's draconian policies;
- Chinese people and those from other East Asian countries, who became more likely to be the victims of hate crimes after Trump employed racist rhetoric to blame China for the spread of COVID-19, which the Trump administration willfully ignored on the belief that the pandemic would largely impact only blue states.
Many concurred with Legend's assessment.
Legend's criticisms come just weeks after Michael Steele, the first Black chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), expressed skepticism about Trump's ability to garner support from Black voters.
Steele highlighted the lack of substantive engagement from Trump, citing his history and communication style when addressing Black communities. He said that Trump "thinks so little of the Black community that he [believes he] can get our vote with giving us greater access to menthol cigarettes and a nice pair of gold lamé sneakers," referring to the "Never Surrender High-Tops" Trump introduced at "Sneaker Con" recently.
Underscoring this disconnect, BBC Panorama reported last month that Trump's supporters have been utilizing AI-generated deepfake images featuring Black voters to promote the idea of African Americans endorsing him.
The deepfakes, which manipulate visuals using artificial intelligence, portray Black individuals as Trump supporters, potentially aiming to influence a political narrative and help increase support for Trump among an elusive demographic. Though there is no evidence they are affiliated with the Trump campaign itself, they nonetheless represent an emerging disinformation trend leading up to the presidential election in November.
