Al Sharpton Responds to Donald Trump’s Racist Slam
Donald Trump has made his opposition to renaming bases named after confederate generals a hallmark of his campaign. And when he talks about this opposition, it is hard for him to keep his racism in check.
The President was asked about military bases during his Sunday interview with Chris Wallace. To answer the question he took a shot at MSNBC personality Al Sharpton. Soon after the moment, Sharpton fired back in kind.
Trump was asked about renaming Fort Bragg in North Carolina. General Braxon Bragg lost nearly all his battles during the Civil War and is considered, by many, among the worst Generals from the Confederacy.
“Are you going to name it after Rev. Al Sharpton,” Trump replied.
Trump on Fox, asking who the people who want to rename military bases want to rename Fort Bragg after: “Are you going to name it after Rev. Al Sharpton?”
That’s kind of a revealing name to pluck out of the air.
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) July 19, 2020
Sharpton responded to the critique during his Sunday show. “I appreciate the boost, Mr. President, and I do have parents from the South, but let me say this,” he started.
The Reverend continued:
“Why not take seriously the contributions of people — than those that have these military bases named after them, fought to either keep them enslaved and in free servitude and treated them as less than human? That’s what Mr. Bragg and Mr. Lee stood for.”
Sharpton closed his comments by saying, “Donald Trump has turned into a battle cry for his failing re-election campaign. But then, much like his insults on Lewis while Lewis was alive, the president intentionally boxed himself into a corner with voters of color. Elevating racists by dismissing the concerns of those who insist that Black lives matter.”