Michael Steele, the first Black chair of the Republican National Committee, responded forcefully to Donald Trump’s comments at a black-tie event for Black conservatives. As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, several Democratic and civil rights leaders already responded to Trump’s comments.
As Huffington Post reported, during a Feb. 27 appearance on MSNBC’s “The Morning Joe” program, Steele told the show’s hosts that he was doubtful that the former President’s comments about Black people came from a healthy place.
“With Trump, there is nothing there substantively because of his own history that would tell me that I would have something to gain with him,” Steele said. “That’s been proven time and time again as you listen to him talk to Black people as if they’re not there.”
Steele continued, “When I hear him say ‘the Black people,’ it reminds me of some 1950s redneck who is referring to them, ‘other,’ even though they’re in the room.”
Steele then turned his attention toward the offensive nature of Trump’s low-brow pandering, calling attention to the racist nature of Trump’s low estimation of Black people.
“He 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.”Steele explained his frustration with Trump’s lack of policy recommendations, saying, “Nothing about health disparities in Black neighborhoods. Nothing about the education disparities in Black neighborhoods,” Steele said. “Nothing about the mortality rate among Black women and babies. Nothing about fair housing.”
In addition to his appearance on “The Morning Joe,” Steele discussed Trump’s appeals to Black voters using racism and stereotypes with Clay Cane during a later appearance the same day on MSNBC ‘s “The Reid Out.”
Cane, like Steele, believes Black voters are more intelligent than to fall for the pandering of Trump, as he told Steele, “I don’t think it works for Black voters, I think Black voters are much smarter than this, than what the polls may say and so on.”
Cane continued, “If anybody in my hometown of West Philadelphia did what Trump did, they’d be behind bars. That’s a clear distinction that Trump, the GOP, Byron Donalds, and Black Republicans don’t seem to make. I don’t think any of us can relate, with all due respect, to a rich white guy from Queens who has more felony counts than I can possibly imagine anybody in my neighborhood having.”
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