Ben Carson declined to say if he supports Donald Trump’s claim that he’s the president who’s done the most for black Americans since Abraham Lincoln
Ben Carson dodged questions on Sunday over whether Donald Trump has done more for black Americans than any other president – like he has claimed several times in the midst of three weeks of nationwide protests over racial injustices.
The Housing and Urban Development Secretary, and Trump’s only black cabinet member, told ABC’s This Week on Sunday morning that he doesn’t think it’s productive’ to make the case for which president has made more strides for minorities.
‘To get into an argument about who’s done the most probably is not productive, but it is good to acknowledge the things that have been done,’ Carson told George Stephenopoulos.
The ABC News host played a clip of Trump’s interview from his recent interview with Fox News during a trip to Dallas, Texas where he made the claim that he is the best president for black Americans since Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation – effectively freeing black slaves.
‘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,’ Trump said.
His comments came while discussing with Fox News host Harris Faulkner the riots and protests following the death of George Floyd.
‘Quite a claim there from President Trump, done more for black Americans than any president since Lincoln. Do you stand by that claim?’ Stephenopoulos prompted.
Carson told ABC’s George Stephenopoulos: ‘To get into an argument about who’s done the most probably is not productive, but it is good to acknowledge the things that have been done’
The deflection came as the ABC News host asked Carson about Trump’s claim during his interview with Fox News. ‘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,’ Trump said
Those comments come in the midst of weeks-long protests all over the country following the death of George Floyd as racial tensions have risen between the black community and law enforcement
‘Well, I will say, rather than get into an argument about who’s done the most, what has, in fact, been done, you know, the opportunity zones where they’re designed in order to bring money into areas that are traditionally neglected. And that’s been quite successful. Prison reform has been quite successful. It’s just the first step,’ Carson responded, ignoring the question, and instead listing Trump administration accomplishments for minority communities.
‘Making funding for the HBCUs regular, rather than done on an annual basis and increasing the amount of money for that. That’s been very useful,’ he continued.
‘There are other things that need to be done,’ Carson conceded that there is still far to go in amending injustices toward black people in America.
‘That’s a fair point. So should the president stop making that comparison?’ Stephenopoulos pushed, listing what other presidents have done for black Americans – including Lyndon B. Johnson passing the Civil Right Act, Ulysses S. Grant taking on the Ku Klux Klan and Dwight D. Eisenhower enforcing Brown v. Board of Education by sending in troops to defend the ruling.
‘All of which is a significant part of our history,’ Carson admitted, still dodging the main question. ‘And that’s an important thing for us to acknowledge, what has happened in the past. And, you know, we should be willing to look at what we’ve done together collectively to make progress.’
Trump has repeated a few times since protests broke out in the last three weeks that he has done more for black Americans than any president since Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president who saw the country through the Civil War.
‘My Admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln,’ Trump asserted in a tweet June 2.
‘Passed Opportunity Zones with @SenatorTimScott, guaranteed funding for HBCU’s, School Choice, passed Criminal Justice Reform, lowest Black unemployment, poverty, and crime rates in history…AND THE BEST IS YET TO COME!’ he asserted.
Trump has claimed for weeks that he is the president who has done the most for black Americans, with the exception of Civil War-era President Abraham Lincoln
The tweet came the day after a stunt where he cleared Lafayette Park of peaceful protesters outside the White House so he could walk across Pennsylvania Avenue for a photo-op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was set on fire by rioters.
‘In 3 1/2 years, I’ve done much more for our Black population than Joe Biden has done in 43 years,’ Trump tweeted June 3, taking a hit at the presumed Democratic candidate, who has earned steam in polling since protests ensued in cities across America. ‘Actually, he set them back big time with his Crime Bill, which he doesn’t even remember.’
‘I’ve done more for Black Americans, in fact, than any President in U.S. history, with the possible exception of another Republican President, the late, great, Abraham Lincoln…and it’s not even close,’ Trump continued. ‘The Democrats know this, and so does the Fake News, but they refuse to write or say it because they are inherently corrupt!’