As Donald Trump announced, a meeting with 100 black ministers at his Manhattan headquarters was expected to end in a resounding endorsement from the group. The endorsement was crucial for Trump as an argument to those who say his campaign has employed racist rhetoric and policy proposals. However, hours after Trump's announcement, enraged ministers told the public they never planned to endorse Trump. Bishop Hezekiah Walker of Love Fellowship Tabernacle church in Brooklyn said, "I also want it to be clear that I never had any intentions on endorsing Mr. Donald Trump" and would "never [have] been persuaded to."
However, the meeting commenced Monday as scheduled and resulted in a large embarrassment for the billionaire real estate mogul. As he headed into the meeting, Brehon Hall, a preacher from Toledo Ohio, said, "It appears as if he's a possible racist based upon some of the things he said about black America."
The alleged endorsements provoked the ire of black leaders across America. Many felt their constituencies were being misrepresented by those who fell under the charm of the racially divisive billionaire. Many also took issue with Trump's comments regarding the Syrian refugees and his desire to track all American Muslims through a database. Reverend Al Sharpton said, "Let us not forget. Jesus was a refugee, and they are meeting with someone who has taken a mean stance against refugees. I don't know how you preach Jesus, a refugee, on Sunday and then deal with a refugee-basher on Monday without raising the question."
Trump has caused a great deal of controversy in recent days over comments regarding an incident at one of his rallies. Apparently, a "Black Lives Matter" protester was beaten by Trump supporters, after which the candidate indicated the protester may have deserved his fate. He said, "Maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing."
