Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been the target of numerous unsubstantiated rumors since he announced he was running for office, and he’s now plagued by yet another rumor of calling black people “lazy and prone to crime.” Yet, it appears as if it’s another claim without any basis.
Snopes reports that on October 26, numerous websites began publishing articles indicating that Trump made racist remarks during an October 25 speaking event in Indiana. One of the sites, Politica , which seems to mimic the official Politico website, states that Trump not only called black people lazy, but he also indicated that they hinder progress in the United States.
“African Americans are very lazy. The best they can do is gallivanting around ghettoes, lamenting how they are discriminated. These are the people America doesn’?t need. They are the enemies of progress. Look at African countries like Kenya for instance, those people are stealing from their own government and go to invest the money in foreign countries.”
The website also claims that Trump took aim at Obama and blamed him for the United States losing its dignity.
“I promise to make America great again by restoring our dignity that we have since lost through Obama. The more reason why I still believe that he, and his Kenyan brothers and sisters should be deported back to Kenya to make America safe.”
Trump did have a speaking event on October 25, but it was not in Indiana. Trump appeared on Face the Nation on October 25, a political show on CBS News. After viewing the show in its entirety, it’s been determined that Trump didn’t make any racist remarks during his segment.
I will be doing a major sit down interview on State of the Union With Jake Tapper at 9:00 A.M. on @CNN . Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2015
There is no indication, other than his appearance on Face the Nation, that Trump made any speeches or even any appearances at all in Indiana on October 25. Although Trump certainly made questionable comments this summer regarding border control, Mexican immigrants, and women, he quickly owned up to the comments. Furthermore, his comments were aired publicly. There is no video or any official transcripts of Trump in Indiana on the day he allegedly made racist comments.
No major news outlet covered any story on a Trump-speaking event in Indiana on October 25, which indicates that the statements were more than likely fabricated.
Meanwhile, former professional boxer Mike Tyson recently showed his support for Trump. CBS News reports that during a recent interview with Huffpost Live , Tyson stated that he backs Trump due to the real estate tycoon’s business sense.
“He should be president of the United States. Let’s run America like a business, where no colors matter. Whoever can do the job, gets the job.”
Even though Tyson agrees that some of Trump’s previous comments on Latins were crude and uncalled for, he feels that Trump simply needs someone to help him express himself more appropriately.
“It was really crude, and he needs somebody to work with him on how to deliver his messages and stuff. As far as what he did, he’s an average guy like everybody else….He needs time to grow.”
Others disagree. Trump’s comments on Latin immigrants landed the Republican presidential candidate in hot water with many Latino advocacy groups. Trump, however, insists he said nothing wrong and refuses to apologize for his remarks, which he claimed were not intended for Mexican immigrants, but for anyone who enters the United States illegally.
“There is nothing to apologize for. Everything that I said is correct. People are flowing through the borders and we have no idea who they are, where they’re coming from. They’re not only coming from Mexico, they’re coming from all over South America and the world.”
Donald Trump has yet to comment on the recent rumors of the alleged Indiana speech.
[Photos By Scott Olson/Getty Images & Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]