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Donald Trump’s Controversial Message To African-Americans Sparks Media Firestorm As Jim Brown Praises Him

By Meaghan Ellis
Published on: 13:02 PST, Dec 18, 2016

Donald Trump has made many controversial statements over the past few months but the most recent one has caused serious conflict. According to Think Progress, he extended his gratitude to African Americans during his Thank You tour. However, the “thank you” he extended wasn’t exactly what it seems.

Apparently, the President-elect thanked black people for not voting. On Thursday, Dec. 15, the billionaire businessman turned politician stopped in Hershey, Pennsylvania for a “thank you” rally. Trump, who only received a meager eight percent of the black vote, expressed how he feels his efforts to encourage blacks to stay at home worked, reports the publication.

“And they’re smart and they picked up on it like you wouldn’t believe. And you know what else? They didn’t come out to vote for Hillary. They didn’t come out. And that was a big — so thank you to the African American community.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0CIOyZodL4

As expected, Trump’s words have drawn criticism from opposing Americans across the country. But this isn’t the first time. Not long before the election, he made a comment asking blacks what do they have to lose as if pondering a new alternative would be better than the present. Those comments didn’t go over well either.

Now, he’s facing the same issue yet again. Since Hillary Clinton’s popular vote now exceeds the President-elect’s by more than 2.8 million votes, many social media users strongly disagree with his sentiments. The seemingly insulting statement has sparked outrage and frustrated Americans have wasted no time voicing their opinions on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.

Here are some of the tweets:

Although most African-Americans are already displeased with the President-elect, there’s one man who has made his admiration clear. NFL Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown believes he will do an excellent job. During a recent interview with CNN, he shared details about his meeting with Trump and how he admires the work he’s done and all that he intends to do.

“He won it fair and square,” Brown said of the election during the interview on CNN.“We talked about making America a better country,” Brown said, adding that “it isn’t really just about Donald Trump, it’s about him and the position he occupies. When he went through what he went through to become President, he got my admiration,” Brown added. “No one gave him a chance.”

The former Cleveland Browns’ fullback went on to discuss the black community and how he feels Trump will have a positive impact despite all of the speculation of about him being a racist. He also touched on his views of racism noting that the tree most influential people in his life weren’t black.

“The three greatest people in my life were white, OK. My high school coach, my high school superintendent, and my mentor in Manhasset, Long Island,” Brown said. “I can’t speak for the pastor, but I fell in love with him, because he really talks about helping African-American, black people and uh that’s why I’m here,” he added.

Since the election, Trump has been criticized for a number of reasons. From the seemingly impulsive, unprofessional tweets and misinformed statements to the alleged voting scandal, speculated racism, and reported miscommunications with world leaders, many Americans are questioning whether the president-elect is for the people or the advancement of his own businesses. Is there a hidden agenda with Trump? At this point, no one really knows what his presidency will bring or how the country will be impacted. Everyone will just have to wait and see how things pan out.

Do you agree with Jim Brown’s take on the President-elect? Share your thoughts.

[Featured Image by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images]

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