President Donald Trump tweeted out a videotaped statement hailing Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of racial harmony, just hours after declaring himself ‘not a racist’ in response to his reported comments in an immigration controversy.
‘Dr. King’s dream is our dream. It is the American dream. It’s the promise stitched into the fabric of our nation, etched into the hearts of our people, and written into the soul of human kind,’ Trump said in the statement.
His pre-recorded statements were interspersed with clips from the historic 1963 March on Washington and King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
‘It is the dream of a world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from,’ Trump said in a plain-spoken paraphrase of King’s lofty rhetoric.
President Donald Trump tweeted out a videotaped statement hailing Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of racial harmony
Just hours earlier, Trump defended the content of his own character, when he told reporters at Mar-a-Lago: ‘No, no, I’m not a racist.’
He added: ‘I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you.’
Trump got asked the question after the Washington Post reported he railed against immigration from ‘s***hole countries’ in Africa, something the president and his allies later denied.
Trump began MLK Day with a trip to his Trump International Golf Club just after 9:00 am.
Trump’s MLK statement came hours after he was forced to answer a question about people who say he is racist
Trump’s comments are interspersed with footage from King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and the March on Washington
Trump’s comments are interspersed with footage from King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and the March on Washington
In this Dec. 6, 2017, file photo, demonstrators hold up balloons during an immigration rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), programs, near the U.S. Capitol in Washington
Trump said King’s words ‘have inspired Americans of all backgrounds since they were spoken on that historic day.’
‘Dr. King’s dream is our dream. It is the American dream. It’s the promise stitched into the fabric of our nation, etched into the hearts of our people, and written into the soul of human kind,’ he said.
‘It is the dream of a world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from,’ said Trump.
IT’S A SIGN: Trump’s video about Dr. King ends with his own signature
‘It is the dream of a nation that offers life and dignity and hope to every American, regardless of color or creed,’ Trump said.
Trump’s statements about universal dignity came after continued fallout from the Oval Office meeting Thursday, where he reportedly lashed out at immigration from countries like Haiti and El Salvador.
While there is a dispute over the language he used, the White House has not denied the substance of the president’s position, that he favored immigration from countries like Norway and from Asia, but not from the other countries.