At a cabinet meeting, Trump didn’t remember Aretha Franklin for her strength as an artist or as a civil rights leader. Trump had to point out that Franklin once worked for him.
Here is the summary of Trump’s comments on Franklin, as provided to PoliticusUSA by the White House press pool, “Trump offered his “warmest best wishes and sympathies” to the family of Aretha Franklin. He described her as a person he knew well and who worked for him. Trump also said her “legacy will thrive and inspire” many generations.”
There was also a tweet on Trump’s Twitter account that judging from the lack of ALL CAPS was not from Trump:
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead. She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice. She will be missed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
As usual shallow Trump can’t muster up even a hint of humanity. The death of Aretha Franklin has to be all about him. Trump had to point out that he is so rich and powerful that he could hire the Queen of Soul to work for him. Given the fact that there is a crisis swirling around this president over the potential existence of a tape of him calling African-Americans the N-word, it wasn’t the best decision for Trump to point out that Aretha Franklin once “worked for him.”
Trump’s two impulses of racism and bragging are always there, and even on a day when the country mourns the loss of an American icon, Donald Trump has to say something that will both self-promote and divide.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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