President Donald Trump’s record on racial discrimination has often been debated. While he has consistently claimed that he is not prejudiced against any race, critics argue that his actions suggest otherwise. Former Catfish co-host Kamie Crawford recently spoke about her encounter with Trump and his friends, once again bringing the issue of alleged racial bias surrounding the president into public discussion.
Former Miss Teen USA Kamie Crawford says she witnessed Trump’s racism, was told he didn’t like black people https://t.co/aWE2e904GG pic.twitter.com/6qdMV7NC4H
— Blavity (@Blavity) October 14, 2016
Crawford was crowned Miss Teen USA in 2010, when Trump was the owner of the Miss Universe Organization, which gave him access to parts of the competition. Crawford met Trump shortly after she emerged as the winner of the pageant, which also made her the first Black teen titleholder in over a decade.
Appearing on the Awf the Record podcast in February 2025, Crawford said she firsthand experienced Trump’s racial prejudices and claimed he had a “certain type of Blacks” that he liked. Recalling her first meeting with Trump, Crawford said, “I was told before I met him from a Black person at the organization, who is like my travel-manager person, that, you know, ‘You’re gonna meet Mr. Trump today; I’m just letting you know now he doesn’t like Black people.’”
She added that the staffer further said, “So if he doesn’t want to shake your hand, if he doesn’t really communicate with you, don’t take it personally. But if he does, maybe you’re just the type of Black that he likes, so good for you.”
Crawford said the warning was shocking. “This is like my first month on the job, and I was 17… Coming from where I come from, I was just like, ‘What?’ I was so confused,” she said. She also said she had “witnessed him do something very racially charged, like, in my presence, and I tweeted about it before the 2016 election.”
As Atlanta Black Star reported, “Crawford saw Trump and his billionaire friends drooling over Miss Switzerland, who was ‘his type,’ but then turned his back to the stage, acting out vomiting, when Miss Tanzania walked down the runway. ‘Doesn’t even watch her finish what she was doing… I was so stunned by this,’ she recalled.”
She then added that the staffer further mentioned, “So if he doesn’t want to shake your hand, if he doesn’t really communicate with you, don’t take it personally. But if he does, maybe you’re just the type of Black that he likes, so good for you.”
This was naturally shocking for Crawford, as she said, “This is like my first month on the job, and I was 17… Coming from where I come from, I was just like, ‘What?’ I was so confused.” Moreover, she also mentioned, she had “witnessed him do something very racially charged, like, in my presence, and I tweeted about it before the 2016 election.”
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However, Trump’s reaction to her was completely different. As she recalled, the president said, “‘Oh my God, oh my God, she’s so beautiful. Listen to her speak. Listen to her talk. Wow, she’s so smart.’” She then added, “Then he starts tapping all his friends. … I literally felt like I was an animal in a cage because now I have all these grown men over me gawking at me.”
In the comments section, some users said his behavior was not surprising, arguing that it reflected how he has long treated Black people. One person commented, “Omarosa and Ben Carson are his type of black apparently.”
Crawford’s experience showed how Trump and his friends either exoticized Black people or denied them basic human decency. While Trump is no longer part of the Miss Universe Organization, critics argue his racial bias has remained unchanged, with him continuing to make controversial and inappropriate remarks about Black people and individuals of other races.
