"I've had great success." Trump hijacks civil rights celebration to brag about himself
Donald Trump used an event designed to honor civil rights pioneers to once again indulge his considerable ego and re-hash one of his political victories. Because no matter what the topic of conversation is supposed to be, Trump cannot help but always turn it to his favorite subject: himself. While speaking at the opening of […]
Because no matter what the topic of conversation is supposed to be, Trump cannot help but always turn it to his favorite subject: himself.
While speaking at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Trump made sure to highlight that he has had success in the state.
It was a moment of rhetorical whiplash, as Trump went from praising the “inspirational” people in the room to noting that Mississippi is “a state where I’ve had great success.”
TRUMP: And I want to congratulate your great governor, and all of the people in this room who were so inspirational to so many others to get out and get this done. This is an incredible tribute, not only to the state of Mississippi – a state that I love, a state where I’ve had great success. This is a tribute to our nation at the highest level.
While Trump easily won Mississippi in the presidential election, his approval rating there is underwater, with an anemic net approval of 34 percent.
The ego-stroke is the latest misstep in Trump’s handling of the museum opening.
His history of racism and support for white supremacists prompted the NAACP to ask him to call off his impromptu visit. Trump had been invited by Mississippi’s Republican governor, Phil Bryant, an avowed Trump loyalist who did not give museum officials advance notice of the offer.
Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights hero and pioneer, followed up by announcing that he would not attend in protest of Trump’s bigotry and support for hate. Other invited officials like Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Jackson mayor Chokwe Lumumba, and former governor Ray Mabus also chose to boycott the event.
Trump’s stubborn insistence on visiting prompted the museum to create a segregated event just for Trump to make his remarks.
And he still couldn’t resist the urge to make the event about him and what he has accomplished.
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