Cedric Richmond, head of black caucus, slams Trump’s ‘racist rhetoric’ in State of Union speech

The chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus is criticizing President Trump’s State of the Union speech for “racist rhetoric” on immigration and saying blacks “have a lot to lose” under the president.

“President Trump is still who we thought he was and we won’t be fooled by this speech,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond, Louisiana Democrat.

The head of the CBC belittled the president’s efforts to reach out to Democrats on a solution to immigration. He said Mr. Trump’s reported comments denigrating immigrants from Haiti and countries in Africa show that “the only immigrants he thinks are worthy of coming to this country are white ones.”

“The Congressional Black Caucus can now answer the question he posed to the African-American community in 2016 with 100 percent certainty: African-Americans have a lot to lose under the Trump Administration and we have lost a lot already, especially when it comes to his justice, voting rights, education, housing, and health care policies,” Mr. Richmond said.

Like many Democratic lawmakers, Mr. Richmond said Mr. Trump is stealing credit from former President Barack Obama for the strong economy.

“It is not something he can take credit for. Much like the money he inherited from his father to start his business, President Trump inherited a growing economy from President Obama,” he said.

Mr. Richmond said although Mr. Trump boasted about the historically low black unemployment rate, “it is still double the rate of white unemployment.” He also complained that in the president’s $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild infrastructure, “he said nothing about contracting with minority firms.”