President Donald Trump and celebrating Black History Month are not two things that one might expect to go together. And yet, the current president did just that recently, marking the occasion Thursday with a reception hosted by several notable figures, including golfer Tiger Woods.
While Trump’s first and second administrations have made sweeping efforts to end DEI programs, discredit critical race theory, control how race can be discussed in classrooms, and undermine civil rights when possible, he used the reception as a place to celebrate Black Americans and their impact on the country.
It speaks to the oft-confusing dichotomy of Trump and his presidencies. What he says and does can sometimes seem at odds with one another. However, Bomani Jones thinks he’s got a handle on why someone with such a poor record regarding the treatment of Black people would go out of his way to celebrate them.
Jones appeared on this week’s edition of CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five. CNN anchor Abby Phillip wondered why Trump would go out of his way to hold this reception when it feels like his administration is “erasing” Black history. Jones responded by saying that he wonders if Trump’s appointees are often acting out of a fear based on what they think Trump wants.
“Let’s operate under this assumption,” said Jones. “That you may think that Black History Month is okay, but you are terrified of being the person that says it’s okay, because everything that you’re hearing implies that it’s not okay. So you’re going to play it safe and be like, ‘Sorry, we’re not doing Black History Month over here.’ I think that is an argument a lot of those people could ultimately make.”
The Right Time with Bomani Jones host then turned his attention directly to Trump, positing that the president may not like Black people but he really wants Black people to like him.
“I think Trump becomes interesting because he reminds me of a lot of people that I’ve met at various points, where I am not sure how much he likes Black people, but he does like the idea or thought that Black people like him. He really gets off on that notion and that idea.
“So he could get Tiger Woods and Kodak Black in the same room to tell him how dope he is. He loves that! His ego absolutely loves that And so when I saw that, I was like, oh, okay, I think I see what’s going on. And also his belief that Blacks get more of our votes in all of these things. So that’s not something that’s wise for him to turn off is the Black History Month thing.
“It makes all the sense in the world for him to do this as he has.”
Any attempt to analyze Donald Trump’s psyche is a minefield, but when you compare what the man says to what he does, Jones’s theory does seem to hold water.
