A national coalition of black churches on Tuesday called on GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race, saying the New York billionaire is campaigning on a divisive message that runs counter to its history of fighting to “overcome racism and racist ideology.”
The National Black Churches Initiative, which represents 34,000 churches and claims 15.7 million members, said Mr. Trump has “assaulted everyone except for poor whites” and likened him to Eugene “Bull” Connor, an outspoken segregationist during the civil rights movement.
“We will oppose him and others through our moral goodness. He is the biggest racist since Bull Conner, and we believe Donald Trump should drop out the race,” said the Rev. Anthony Evans, NBCI’s president. “As you might recall, Bull Conner was determined to kill or lock up every black that spoke against his racist concept of America.”
Mr. Trump met Monday with a separate group of black evangelicals and originally announced that they would endorse him after the meeting.
Mr. Trump, though, had to walk back his endorsement announcement and instead held an impromptu press conference after the meeting.
On Tuesday, the NBCI said Mr. Trump has “assaulted Blacks, Mexicans, Latino, Muslims and anyone who he believed is not contributing to America or not American.”
“For whatever reason, he has assaulted everyone except for poor whites,” the group said. “Donald Trump is clearly dividing us by giving one group of Americans a false sense of superiority thus indicating the rest of us are un-American.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.