Michigan Congresswoman says Trump Now Better Aware of African-American Concerns
Members of Congressional Black Caucus say Trump was respectful, curious about the community during recent meeting.
“He wasn’t rude. He wasn’t flippant. He listened. Some things you could tell he was hearing for the first time.” — Michigan Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, on meeting with President Trump
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they looked President Trump in the eye and told him his comments were sowing seeds of discontent in the African American community.
The group held their first meeting this week with the president, who repeatedly made overtures to the African-American community during the recent presidential campaign.
Then-candidate Trump argued that Democrats had done little to deserve the black vote. He was also harshly criticized for painting most African Americans as unemployed and living in poverty
U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) was part of the Black Caucus meeting with the President. She says he struck a very respectful tone with the delegation.
“He wasn’t rude. He wasn’t flippant. He listened. Some things you could tell he was hearing for the first time, he wasn’t aware of,” she says, offering one example: the President’s apparent surprise at hearing that after-school programs, which are slated for deep cuts in his proposed budget, help keep kids off the streets and can prevent them from criminal activity.
Lawrence talked about the meeting with WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter. Click on the audio link above for the full interview
