When Trump Jr. Claimed His Father Wasn’t ‘Racist’ as He Let Him ‘Hang Out With Michael Jackson'

Donald Trump Jr. described his boyhood, complete with a few famous pals, in a 2019 book Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us that mostly focused on the conservative beliefs that have made him famous during his father Donald Trump's presidency. But there was one occurrence that was really out of the ordinary. To disprove the racist claims leveled about his father, Donlad Jr. said in his book that the former president let him 'hang out with Michael Jackson' when he was a kid.

Donald Jr. mentioned in the book that he had many adventures and played with the King of Pop on several occasions as a kid. As reported by Vanity Fair, the book mentioned, "Oh, and by the way, given all the things my father has been called, particularly a ‘racist,’ it sure sounds odd that he’d let his son vacation with a black man or hang out with Michael Jackson, doesn’t it? If he’s a racist, he’s sure not very good at it." He elaborated that when he and Eric were kids, Jackson would visit him at Trump Tower to play computer games.

Interestingly, Ivana Trump, who was Donald's ex-wife, also discussed Jackson's familial ties in her writings. As reported by The Washington Post, her 2017 book Raising Trump allegedly made the following assertion, "The only person who had an open invitation to come to the triplex for playdates whenever he wanted was Michael Jackson. The King of Pop lived in Trump Tower and was a good friend of the whole family. He’d stop by and chat with Donald and me for a few minutes, and then he’d go up to the kids’ floor to hang out for hours and hours. Michael was a thirty-year-old kid… He was a child himself in a man’s body, tender, sweet, and gentle."

However, coming back to the 'racist' comment, it was quite hard to believe Donald Jr.'s assertions. From accusing Mexican immigrants of being criminals and rapists to suggesting a judge should step down from a case just because he is Mexican, Donald's racist and xenophobic comments were abundant on his campaign trails. This pattern persisted throughout his administration. As reported by Vox, the former president continued his racist behaviors after his 2016 victory, including stereotyping a Black reporter, April Ryan. He also appealed to white supremacists during their violent protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, and made fun of the Trail of Tears.

In fact, even before he became president, Donald faced accusations of racism. As reported by the Associated Press, in the 1970s, Trump was confronted with a federal lawsuit that claimed he had discriminated against Black people who were looking for apartments. The New York billionaire was also accused by black pastors of inciting racial tensions during the 1980s 'Central Park Five' rape case. He came under fire from Native American organizations for his disparaging comments made in the 1990s on tribes' attempts to construct casinos. In addition, Trump was a prominent figure in the 'birther' movement, which claimed that Barack Obama was born in Africa and not a citizen of the United States.