It seems the White House is playing a game of “keep away” with former President Trump, and perhaps rightly so. This past Wednesday, he graced a Black History Month event with an appearance reminiscent of that one relative who, after a few too many drinks, feels the need to prove their open-mindedness by proudly listing their Black friends—albeit in a rather misguided way.
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Trump remarked:
“Mike Tyson. Boy, I tell you, Mike has been loyal to me. Whenever they come out, they say, ‘Trump’s a racist.’ You know? It’s like a statement. Trump’s a racist. Mike Tyson goes that he is not a racist. He’s my friend. He is. Been there from the beginning.”
“Good times and bad. But Mike Tyson’s a great guy and he’s was so loyal, always been loyal and Herschel Walker, speaking about loyal, how good a football player was. Herschel Walker. Now he’s ambassador to the Bahamas. I don’t know. Bahamas. Bermuda, is he Bahamas? Whatever. It’s nice. A nice place. You’d like that Bruce, wouldn’t you?”
“Bruce wants it. And, uh, a friend, a guy that became real. He liked Trump. Jim Brown. He was tough. He’d come in. He was very silent. He was silent, but deadly. He’d come in and he’d look at people and if he didn’t like ‘em, he’d just look at me and he’d go, no. He’d wanted to rip their heart out. I, I would say they can’t be a better football, greater football player than Jim Brown.”
“By the way, Lawrence Taylor, great friend Lawrence, the great Lawrence Taylor, the greatest defensive player probably of the history of football. He is a great friend of mine and uh, but I’m longer off the tee than him. You know why? Because they take the club back further. He takes the club back this far and he hits it 200 yards.”
“When you can do that, you’re strong. He’s a great, he is a great guy. I’ll tell you that.”
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Now, if we examine Trump’s circle of friends, we find some rather questionable characters—namely, Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, and Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender due to sexual misconduct with a minor. Apparently, these are the “great guys” Trump believes validate his non-racist credentials.
While it’s commendable that Trump attempted to acknowledge Black individuals during this event, it’s worth noting that his focus quickly shifted back to his favorite topic: election conspiracies and the current administration. In terms of substance, the efforts appear more performative than genuine, reflecting an awkward attempt to navigate a complex social landscape.
