President Trump lauded the "amazing job" that 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass "has done," while speaking at a meeting Wednesday celebrating the start of Black History Month. "Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who has done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice," Trump said.
Douglass died in 1895.
Trump led the meeting with HUD secretary nominee Ben Carson, the only black man Trump nominated to his predominantly white, male Cabinet. Aside from Douglass, Trump also mentioned Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and CNN's "fake news" during the discussion meant to kick off Black History Month.
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.
Watch Trump's statement on black Americans' "big impact" below. Becca Stanek
-
Why has America’s economy gone K-shaped?Today's Big Question The rich are doing well. Everybody else is scrimping.
-
Democrats: Falling for flawed outsidersfeature Graham Platner’s Senate bid in Maine was interrupted by the resurfacing of his old, controversial social media posts
-
A most profitable presidencyfeature Donald Trump has added $3 billion to his wealth since returning to the White House. How?
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
