President Donald Trump announced he has done more for the Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.
While protests and riots are ongoing across the country citing racial bias in law enforcement, police brutality and racial inequality and injustice, Trump has repeatedly condemned the protesters.
However, his most recent statements took many by surprise.
In 3 1/2 years, I've done much more for our Black population than Joe Biden has done in 43 years. Actually, he set them back big time with his Crime Bill, which he doesn't even remember. I've done more for Black Americans, in fact, than any President in U.S. history, with...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2020
....the possible exception of another Republican President, the late, great, Abraham Lincoln...and it's not even close. The Democrats know this, and so does the Fake News, but they refuse to write or say it because they are inherently corrupt! See “pinned" above.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2020
This comes at a time when some polls show Trump losing to democratic nominee, Joe Biden in the November election. But even if you can ignore the blustering, what is there to his claims?
Almost nothing. President John F. Kennedy pushed for the Civil Rights Act, which was eventually signed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Johnson also signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
You can dig through history and easily find someone who's done more than Trump, which isn't difficult since according to every objective assessment he's done almost nothing.
Thanks for telling black people what their experiences are. #BunkerDon
— Devin Nunes' cow 🐮 (@DevinCow) June 5, 2020
Trump just said either he or Abraham Lincoln have done the most for black people.
I'm not kidding.
I can't tell if he's more narcissistic or delusional.
— Brian O'Sullivan (@osullivanauthor) June 4, 2020
Yo trump just said he's arguably done more for black people than Abraham Lincoln. I'm not even gonna comment on it, just needed to make sure y'all didn't miss this one. pic.twitter.com/J55qfA2nht
— Levi ࿃ (@LeviGrimm) June 3, 2020
Any good Trump can be debated to have done for Black Americans—which most economists attribute to inheriting a strong economy on an upswing from President Barack Obama—is going to have to overcome the long history of racist acts by Trump.
In the 1970s, Trump was credibly accused of discriminating against Black people wanting to rent apartments from him. He settled out of court.
As a casino owner he made racist statements about Native Americans when he testified before Congress about Indian Gaming laws. And former casino employees stated he made racist statements about Black people who worked for him and would have Black employees taken off the floor for the optics.
He also pushed hard for the death penalty against the Central Park Five, four Black and one Latino teenager accused of attacking a New York City jogger. They were later exonerated with DNA evidence, but even in 2016, Trump still insisted they're guilty.
Even in his presidency, he hasn't stopped, saying of the White nationalists who rioted in Charlottesville in 2017 that they were "fine people."
He's tried since to defend these remarks to little success.
Trump has said that he has done more for Black People than Abraham Lincoln and I'm currently on the floor.
— ✊🏾 (@Mas_Bility) June 4, 2020
Shorter: "Hey black people, me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me"
— Jack 🇺🇸 (@jackresists) June 3, 2020
The only person you've done "more for" is yourself.
— MusicSoothsSouls 🌴🐴🎧🎯 (@MusicSuthsSouls) June 4, 2020
What Did You Do? We all would like to know.
— Kelvin Johnson (@Kelvinnjt) June 4, 2020
As the protests are ongoing, Trump has threatened military force against U.S. citizens to quell the unrest. He also tear-gassed a peaceful protestors for a photo op in front of a church.
It's possible he's feeling the squeeze of dealing with a pandemic, riots and the encroaching election that he's at risk of losing. But making such a provably false claim is bad even for him.