If actions speak louder than words, President Trump’s actions Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day were restrained, amid persistent accusations of racism.
In a sharp departure from his predecessors, Mr. Trump spent the bulk of the holiday at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
President George W. Bush typically marked the holiday with a public event such as attending a service honoring King at a Baptist church in Landover, Maryland, or greeting volunteers at a public high school in Washington.
President Barack Obama normally celebrated the King holiday by taking his daughters to serve food at a soup kitchen in Washington.
Mr. Trump was in relative seclusion, starting the day at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, before hitting Trump International Golf Club and then flying back to Washington late in the day. A large group from South Florida’s Haitian community demonstrated outside Mar-a-Lago with signs proclaiming “Haiti is not a sh—hole,” referring to the president’s reported comments about immigration.
The president did issue a video address Monday commemorating the King holiday.
“We honor the memory of Reverend King, and we rededicate ourselves to a glorious future where every American from every walk of life can live free from fear, liberated from hatred and uplifted by boundless love for their fellow citizens,” Mr. Trump said.
He also signed a King proclamation on Friday at the White House, and met with King’s niece Alveda King last week in Atlanta before the college football championship game to sign a law expanding the King national historic site in the city.
The holiday arrived at an especially tense time for the president’s relationship with the black community. Mr. Trump initiated an uproar last week when he reportedly referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as “sh—hole countries” during an Oval Office meeting on immigration with lawmakers.
The episode spurred accusations from black leaders such as Rep. John Lewis, Georgia Democrat, that Mr. Trump is a racist. Rep. Maxine Waters, California Democrat, tweeted Monday that King would have urged Americans “to march for the impeachment of Donald Trump.”
The New York Times’ editorial page published an article on the holiday headlined “Donald Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List,” citing comments attributed to him dating back to the 1970s and including his criticism of NFL players for kneeling in protest during the national anthem.
Even Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson appeared to chide the president, telling an audience marking the King holiday that he sometimes disagrees with Mr. Trump’s rhetoric.
“I’m a member of this administration, and I don’t agree with the president about everything that he says, or of how it’s said,” Mr. Carson said to shouts of affirmation at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Mr. Carson added, “If the way you say things is so inflammatory that people can’t hear your message, it’s not helpful, and that’s why I don’t do that anymore. I pray that God take that spirit away from me and gives me the spirit of love.”
Pastor Darrell Scott of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a co-founder of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, said Democrats “came out with the race card” to counter political gains he was making with minorities on prison reform, immigration and expanding the King historic site.
“The guy’s not racist,” Mr. Scott said of the president.
Noting that he has been accused by blacks of being an “Uncle Tom” and a traitor to his race, Mr. Scott said, “All of the racism I’ve experienced so far since he announced his candidacy has been from the black community. The hypocrisy is nauseating.”
He also said the administration is preparing to roll out a 13-point, public-private urban revitalization plan because Mr. Trump “wants to make good on his campaign promises to the urban communities.”
Ms. King also stood up for the president Monday.
“I do not believe President Donald John Trump is a racist,” she said on “Fox and “Friends.” “The economy’s up. Jobs are up in the black community. There is great promise to get a lot of people who have been unfairly incarcerated out.”
She said Mr. Trump’s policies benefit all Americans, regardless of race.
“The president is working for America, period, as he is draining the swamp,” Ms. King said. “And African-Americans are benefiting. Our jobs are going up. Our unemployment is going down. Companies are saying they are going to raise their own minimum wage and do bonuses because of the tax cuts. So, the president is helping the African-American community. And I don’t believe President Donald John Trump is a racist.”
With the economy surging and employers hiring steadily, the black unemployment rate in December dropped to 6.8 percent, the lowest level since the government started reporting the data in 1972. Black unemployment has fallen from a high of 16.8 percent in March 2010, during the recession that Mr. Obama inherited.
The Hispanic jobless rate last month was 4.9 percent, also near historic lows. The overall unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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