According to Donald Trump, love was in the air at Trump Towers during Monday’s closed door meeting with a group of Black Christian pastors. Trump, of course, touted the event as another huge success. This event actually may have appeared to be a success if you listened to Darrell Scott, the organizer of Monday’s event. Scott proclaimed that history was made and a formal endorsement was soon to follow.
Not everyone in attendance, however, agreed with Trump or Scott’s reflections about how the meeting went. Though some walked away believing that Trump might have good intentions about building “bridges across minority communities,” they also left discouraged because Trump did not apologize despite pleas from some in attendance for him to repent.
Trump claimed that during Monday’s event, not one of the “more than 100 leaders of the [B]lack Christian community” who were at Trump Towers asked him to change his controversial rhetoric on minorities, immigrants, and the disabled. Though love may have been in the air, Trump’s twisting of the truth was ever present.
Ohio pastor, Victor Couzens, one of the Christian leaders behind the closed doors with Trump, has claimed that Trump was lying by not completely describing what took place on Monday afternoon.
Couzens alleged that the pastors in fact pleaded with Trump to change his rhetoric; they “spent a lot of time…discussing the overall tone of the campaign.” He claimed he personally told Trump that “[h]e needs to repent” for all the damaging and disparaging comments he made regarding every community Trump has bashed since starting his presidential campaign.
After asking Trump to repent and to “own up” to his inflammatory remarks, a Trump staffer interrupted the conversation questioning why Trump would need to do that. Couzens reported that this seemed rather odd that someone other than Trump responded to this very important request.
Couzens was also bothered about Trump’s over-inflation about the amount of pastors in attendance. During the impromptu news conference, Trump and one of the pastors alleged there were over 100 people in attendance at the meeting. Couzens claims, however, that the numbers were more likely between 40 to 50 Christian leaders.
Though discouraged by his lies and the inability of Trump to speak up when staffers make stupid comments, Couzens felt that Trump is actually not a racist, rather Trump just has a “terrible bed side manner.” He believes Trump appeared “receptive” when issues were discussed about police brutality, protests (even though the Black Lives Matter movement was not discussed), and economic mobility for minorities.
I realize Trump may have appeared receptive, after all, Trump is a business man who only aims to appease the people who are right in front of him. I highly doubt, however, that any concern Trump expresses is genuine. If Trump is concerned, then, as Couzens points out, Trump would apologize for his previous comments. Trump needs to apologize or he will “lose a lot of minority votes.”
Sadly, Trump will not apologize; and why should he when, despite all the horrible things he has said, he is still polling high compared to other GOP contenders. As much as I can hope for him to repent, I know he will not seek forgiveness so long as he believes there are people who agree with him.
Trump’s Impromptu News Conference:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkLNpa6r3mk&w=560&h=315]
Featured image is a screenshot from the above video.
