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Kushner Says Trump Policies Work For Black People Who ‘Want To Be Successful’

This article is more than 3 years old.
Updated Oct 26, 2020, 02:17pm EDT

Topline

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law, said Monday on Fox and Friends that Black people have to “want to be successful” if the administration’s policies are going to help them, drawing sharp criticism from the left.

Key Facts

Kushner said his father-in-law’s policies can help the Black community “break out of the problems they’re complaining about,” but Trump can’t “want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”

His comments come as Trump’s campaign has made headway with Black voters: In 2016 he lost among Black voters by 82 percentage points; this go-round he’s 71 percentage points in the polls, according to FiveThirtyEight.

The data showed support for Trump slipping among white voters, especially women and the elderly, who have shifted their allegiance to the Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.

Kushner also brushed-off Black Lives Matter supporters during the interview, claiming many were “just virtue signaling,” or feigning outrage in order to seem righteous or genuine, according to Bloomberg.

He said often BLM supporters “go on Instagram and cry” or “put a slogan on a jersey” as a form of protest when in actuality they are “doing more to polarize the country than” bring people together.”

Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans quickly fired back on Twitter, saying he implied Black people don’t want to be successful, and mocked Kushner for “evil signaling.”

Key Background

Trump has taken credit for legislation that reduced prison sentences for non-violent offenders, and a bump in funding for historically Black colleges. The Black unemployment rate fell to the lowest level on record last year, Bloomberg reported, though it was still 2% higher than the white unemployment rate. 

Crucial Quote

“President Trump may not always say the right things, but he does the right things. He says what’s on his mind and he gets results,” Kushner said on Fox and Friends.

Surprising Fact

Trump has often referred to himself as the president who has done the most for the Black community since Abraham Lincoln.

Further Reading

Jared Kushner Says African-Americans Must ‘Want to Be Successful’ (Bloomberg)

Trump Is Losing Ground With White Voters But Gaining Among Black And Hispanic Americans (Five Thirty Eight)

Evaluating what Trump has done for black America, by his own standards (Washington Post)

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