President Donald Trump went off-script at the Young Black Leadership Summit at the White House, criticizing famous black leftist activists to the delight of the crowd.
Trump recalled working with leftist activist Van Jones to help pass criminal justice reform in 2018. He said that Van Jones was extremely nice to him in private conversations at the White House but expressed amazement that the activist and TV host did not give the president any credit on his show afterward.
“He didn’t name me!” Trump said with amazement. “And I’m the one that did it!”
He recalled that Jones gave Al Sharpton credit for helping pass the bill, prompting the crowd of young African Americans to boo at the mention of Sharpton’s name.
Trump called Al Sharpton a “third-rate con guy” but noted that he used to get along with him when he was a businessman in New York City.
“He liked me until I ran and succeeded in politics, then it wasn’t to his benefit,” he said as the crowd laughed. “But look Al’s a con-man, we all know that.”
Trump recalled being outraged after seeing Van Jones on television demanding that everyone work together to defeat the president in 2020.
He said that Jones later apologized, after hearing from Jared Kushner that he did not appreciate it.
“He apologized, but I don’t accept those apologies,” he said.
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