MLK’s daughter reality checks Steve Bannon for claiming that her father – Martin Luther King Jr. – would have been proud of Trump.
Bernice King, youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, took to Twitter Thursday to dispute former White House aide Stephen K. Bannon’s claim that her father would have been proud of Trump.
Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, made those remarks during an interview with BBC News that was aired Wednesday.
“If you look at the policies of Donald Trump, anybody – Martin Luther King – would be proud of him, of what he’s done for the black and Hispanic community for jobs,” he stated.
BBC News host Emily Maitlis challenged his remark asking: “You think Martin Luther King would be proud of Donald Trump?”
“You don’t think Martin Luther King would sit there and go: yes, you’re putting young black men and women to work?” Bannon responded, adding: “The lowest unemployment we’ve had in history, and wages are starting to rise among the working class, and you finally stop the illegal alien labor force that’s coming in and competing with them every day, and destroying the schools and destroying the healthcare? Absolutely.”
Bernice King was not buying any of it.
Taking to her Twitter account, she posted a multi-part thread warning that Bannon, Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist, was “co-opting” her father’s legacy to further his nationalist agenda.
“#SteveBannon has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father’s name, work and words. Bannon’s assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy’s commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect.” she began.
Continuing, she tweeted:
- My father’s concerns were not sectional, but global. He was an activist for the civil rights of Black people in America, but he was also an activist for human rights. #MLK
- Further, he would not refer to people as “illegal aliens.” The term is degrading and does not reflect his belief that we are all a part of the human family. #MLK
- In addition, he would never pit one group against another in the struggle for justice, as Bannon attempts to use him to do in discussing those he termed as “illegal aliens” and Black people. #MLK
- Bannon’s comments are like feeding someone empty calories, in that they don’t convey a comprehensive view of #MLK as a global humanitarian who cared about the well-being of all people.
- My father would be extremely disturbed by the climate created by leaders, who have emboldened people to easily express and demonstrate cruelty, predominantly toward people of color and immigrants. #MLK
- Finally, #MLK would be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate. #PoorPeoplesCampaign
My father’s concerns were not sectional, but global. He was an activist for the civil rights of Black people in America, but he was also an activist for human rights. #MLK
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018
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