Trump: Black communities are 'absolutely in the worst shape they've ever been in'


Despite slavery, lynchings, sitting on the back of the bus, and a litany of other historical injustices, Donald Trump argued Tuesday that today, "our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape that they've ever been in before. Ever. Ever. Ever."
Trump, talking to a mostly white crowd in Kenansville, North Carolina, said he will "rebuild our inner cities," because now, "you get no education, you get no jobs, you get shot walking down the street. They're worse — I mean, honestly, places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities." Trump did not mention, CNN notes, the widely reported shooting in Tulsa last weekend in which Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, was killed by police outside his stalled SUV.
Over the weekend, President Obama called Trump out for earlier comments he made about the modern perils faced by blacks. "You may have heard Hillary's opponent in this election say that there's never been a worse time to be a black person," he said during a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus gala. "I mean, he missed that whole civics lesson about slavery or Jim Crow. But we've got a museum for him to visit, so he can tune in. We will educate him." Recent polls have Trump's support with African-Americans in the low single digits.
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Film reviews: The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Feature A despised mogul seeks a fresh triumph, orphaned siblings land with a nightmare foster mother, and a Jane fan finds herself in a love triangle
-
Music reviews: Tune-Yards and PinkPantheress
Feature "Better Dreaming" and "Fancy That"
-
Withdrawing 529 plan funds for college? Here's what to know.
the explainer Maximize the amount you have stashed away for your education
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs