Trump on slavery: 'Boy, that is just not good'

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch - Pool/Getty Images)

last updated 22 February 2017

Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, Alveda King, claims she heard what might seem to be two rather understated reactions from President Trump during his Tuesday visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

The first came when [Trump's] gaze fell on a stone auction block from Hagerstown, Maryland, on which slaves would stand before being sold.King, part of a small delegation to tour the new Smithsonian with the president, overheard Trump say: "Boy, that is just not good. That is not good."Later, they came upon a set of shackles that were used to restrain children."That is really bad," King quoted the president as saying. "That is really bad." [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

While King described Trump as being "visibly moved," others were less sure about what Trump might have learned from the exhibit. "History is always instructive and the museum tells a powerful story, so it is unlikely that he wouldn't be moved by his visit," said Janice Mathis, the executive director of the National Council of Negro Women. "Now it is my hope that the visit will move beyond a celebration of Black History Month and that he will now consider public policy that is appropriate for a culturally and racially diverse nation today."

For his part, Trump said: "This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance, and hatred in all of its very ugly forms."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.