John Legend unloads on Donald Trump, calling him a true “racist” at his core.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Sunday (April 21), to discuss his work in criminal justice reform, the R&B singer didn’t hold back, referencing the disgraced former president’s history of racism.
Drawing from personal experience, Legend shared that during his upbringing in Springfield, Ohio, he had an early encounter with the criminal justice system, as his mother, along with other family members, had spent time in jail.
“I know what it feels like to have a family member in jail, I know what it feels like to wonder when they’re going to come home, I know what it feels like to feel that disruption and dislocation that happens to families and communities… it makes this issue very real to me,” said Legend.
Highlighting Trump’s case, Legend underscored the unequal pre-trial treatment, where the wealthy, like Trump, benefit from the presumption of innocence and avoid pre-trial detention, while others, unable to afford bail, face incarceration.
“You watch the life and times of Donald Trump, every trial that he’s a part of, you notice he’s not spending time in jail before he goes to trial, he’s innocent until he’s proven guilty, and we all know that, but what happens with folks who can’t afford bail; they have to languish in jail before their case.
“All kinds of negative things happen because they don’t have maybe $500 to buy their freedom. That’s not keeping us safer, that’s saying, ‘we have a separate system for people who are poor versus people who have the means to pay this cash bail,” he added.
When questioned about Donald Trump’s alleged advocacy for Black people, John Legend promptly rejected the idea, highlighting Trump’s deeply rooted racist beliefs, demonstrated by a track record of derogatory remarks and actions; ultimately concluding that Trump’s expressed support for the Black community is a joke.
“He’s made it clear throughout his life that Black people are inferior, he believes that to his core, in his bones… but also when you hear some of the stray comments he makes, he clearly believes in a genetic hierarchy of humanity and is racially determined, so he is a tried and true, dyed-in-the-wool racist. In the core of his being, he’s a racist,” he continued.
“So, I don’t want to hear what he says to say about what he’s done for Black people. He’s done very little for us and he is at his core, truly, truly a racist.”