Published 12:02 IST, June 23rd 2020
Donald Trump says 'it's a shame' he has to ask black voters for support in 2020 elections
US President Donald Trump has said that “it’s a shame” he has to even ask for the black community to support his reelection in 2020 amid nationwide protests.
- World News
- 3 min read
Amid the fresh wave of Black Lives Matter protests in the country, US President Donald Trump has said that “it’s a shame” he even has to ask for the black community to support his reelection in 2020. Trump not only said that he “did more for the black population” than any other US President after Abraham Lincon but said that the entire community should say ‘we love Trump’. In a televised interview with an international media outlet, when the 45th US President was asked how is he planning to bring the country back together amid the nationwide demonstrations against racial injustice, he replied all that he has done for the community in the country.
Trump listed the policies that were put in place under his leadership ranging from criminal justice reform to ‘long-term financing’ of black colleges that as not done by ‘anybody else’. He even mentioned the former US President Barack Obama saying ‘he didn’t do it’. According to him, he has been one of the most supportive US Presidents for the black community and “nobody is even close”. Moreover, Donald Trump showed optimism on receiving support from “great people in the country” including African Americans in the November elections and said, “we’ll soon find out”. However, the clip of this interview was shared by the official handle of Democrats ‘War Room’ receiving criticism from many people on the internet. Watch:
Unrest in the US
It has been several weeks since demonstrations against racial discrimination rocked the entire country after the death of 46-year-old African American George Floyd in police custody. People have flooded the streets of major cities from sea to sea, some even defying the guidelines of social distancing amid COVID-19 pandemic. The gathering of tens of thousands of people had initially sparked fears of a surge in COVID-19 cases for the state governments. Since some of them even went violent, the administrations either deployed curfews or called on National Guard to control the protests.
Even though the 45th US President has repeatedly voiced his concern over the rise in violence and the need for “law and order” in the country, he has not addressed the issue of racism in America head-on. Arguing that a strong economy would combat any injustices, Trump has restated that he has “done more for the black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln. However, since there has not been a substantial conversation about racial discrimination by the White House, a fresh wave of criticism against Trump has begun. The Democrat Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms has reportedly said that the uneven address of racism and violence by some protesters has created a void of an important national conversation about racism.
Updated 12:02 IST, June 23rd 2020