Barack Obama had some words for President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who mocked Black Lives Matter protestors. Obama criticized the president during a Joe Biden rally in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday (October 27). The former president said Trump frequently claims he's done many things for Black Americans, particularly unemployment rates.
″[Trump] loves to talk about Black unemployment — ‘look how low Black unemployment’ — well, you know what? Unemployment was really high when I came in and we brought that unemployment low ... And he wants take credit for it; says he’s the best president for Black folks since Abe Lincoln," Obama said.
He then switched to Jared Kushner, who said people that spoke out after George Floyd's death were "virtue signaling" on Fox & Friends Monday (October 26). He added that the president's policies could help Black Americans “break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”
“Now [Trump’s] advisors are out there saying ― including his son-in-law ― his son-in-law says Black folks have to want to be successful. That’s the problem. Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?” Obama fired back at Kushner's remarks. One woman shouted, “They don’t read!”
“Don’t read? Is that what is going on?” the former president responded back. Obama then claimed Black unemployment almost reached 17% during the Great Recession over 10 years ago.
“Through a lot of hard work, Joe Biden and I helped get it down," Obama said. “And it kept on going down. Not because Trump did anything. And then, this year, because they’ve screwed up the pandemic response, it soared back up to above 17% here in Florida. But it doesn’t have to be that way, Florida, if you go out and vote.”
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