Trump's campaign chair in a key Ohio county insists there was 'no racism' before Obama was elected
In an interview with The Guardian published Thursday, Donald Trump's campaign chair in Ohio's Mahoning County denied racism existed before President Obama took office. "Growing up as a kid, there was no racism, believe me. We were just all kids going to school," said Kathy Miller, who was a teenager amid the civil rights movement in the 1960s. When asked if she'd noticed any segregation during her childhood, Miller insisted she'd "never experienced it."
Instead, Miller said, she first noticed the issue of racism when the country elevated its first African-American president. "I don't think there was any racism until Obama got elected," Miller said. "We never had problems like this ... Now, with the people with the guns, and shooting up neighborhoods, and not being responsible citizens, that's a big change, and I think that's the philosophy that Obama has perpetuated on America."
Miller also said African-Americans must "take responsibility for how they live," and then told The Guardian's reporter to "get off [the] topic" of racism because "it's of no consequence." Head over to The Guardian to get a glimpse of how the white and black communities of Ohio's Mahoning County are responding to the election — and watch part of Miller's interview, below. Becca Stanek
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What is Roomba’s legacy after bankruptcy?In the Spotlight Tariffs and cheaper rivals have displaced the innovative robot company
-
SiriusXM hopes a new Howard Stern deal can turn its fortunes aroundThe Explainer The company has been steadily losing subscribers
-
Unemployment rate ticks up amid fall job lossesSpeed Read Data released by the Commerce Department indicates ‘one of the weakest American labor markets in years’
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million