Donald Trump says no president in American history has done more for the black community than him — including Abraham Lincoln, whose “end result,” Trump said, was “questionable.”
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Harris Faulkner of Fox News , pushing back over criticism of his reaction to Black Lives Matter protests and reiterating past claims that no president has done more for black people than him. Trump even put himself above Lincoln, who ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation.
In the interview, Trump said that he needs to “take a pass” on Lincoln due to his “questionable results.”
“So, I think I’ve done more for the Black community than any other president, and let’s take a pass on Abraham Lincoln, because he did good, although it’s always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result,” Trump said, before being cut off by Faulkner.
“Well, we are free, Mr. President, so I think he did pretty well,” said the interviewer, who is black.
“We are free,” Trump said. “You understand what I mean.”
Trump did not elaborate on what he meant by saying that the end result of Lincoln’s presidency was questionable.
As Business Insider noted, the remark was not well-received by many, especially those who have criticized Trump’s efforts on race relations. He has been frequently accused of racism, dating back to before his time in politics.
“This may well be the president’s most audacious claim ever,” Michael K. Fauntroy, a professor of political science at Howard University, told The New York Times . “Not only has he not done more than anybody else, he’s done close to the least.”
Trump’s response to protests that have erupted nationwide since the death of George Floyd has been met with sharp criticism, especially after he made what many took to be a threat to authorize the U.S. military to shoot looters. Trump has promised to bring “law and order” in crackdowns on protests, but this came under fire after local and federal police used force to crack down on a peaceful protest outside the White House, allowing Trump to pose for a photo op at a nearby church that had caught fire the day before.
This is not the first time that Trump has invited criticism by drawing comparisons with Lincoln. As The Inquisitr noted, Trump had previously said that he has been treated worse by members of the press and critics than any president in American history, including Lincoln. Many pointed out that Lincoln was shot to death by a political opponent.