“They Did This to Us for a Long Time. Now They’re Doing it to Him” Eric Trump Draws Controversial Parallel in Fox News Interview
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Eric Trump, son of former President Donald Trump, sparked a storm of controversy with his recent comments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he compared his father’s legal struggles to the systemic racism faced by African Americans. Speaking to host Maria Bartiromo, Eric’s statements quickly ignited backlash across social media platforms.
During the interview, the discussion centered on the upcoming sentencing of Donald Trump, scheduled for July 11, just before the Republican National Convention. Eric expressed his suspicion about the timing, suggesting it was deliberately planned. “Well, shocking. The next evening, I’d take the stage at the RNC. Go figure that. Out of all the dates the judge could’ve put this, they have to put it the day before, maybe the biggest day outside of an election day in an election cycle. I mean, Maria, this is planned,” Eric remarked with evident frustration.
The conversation took a controversial turn when Eric linked his father’s legal challenges to the experiences of African Americans. As reported by Radar Online, he claimed, “And you mentioned in your opening about African American support. You mentioned that certain communities are coming over to my father. It’s exactly because of this. They’re doing the same to Donald Trump as they did to so many of those communities for so long.
These people are saying, ‘Huh, it’s really interesting. They did this to us for a long time. Now they’re doing it to him. I might actually want to vote for the guy, you know, who’ll fight back against this as we have tried to for so long.’ I think that’s why my father has done so incredibly well and that’s why these inner cities are embracing him to the extent that they are.”
Donald Trump himself has suggested that his legal predicaments have endeared him to Black voters. At a recent event, he recounted, “And then I got indicted a second time and then a third time and a fourth time! And a lot of people said that that’s why Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against.
As per Newsweek, And they actually viewed me as– I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing. When I did the mugshot in Atlanta, that mug shot was No. 1. You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population.” In defense of Donald Trump, his campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung pointed to the former president’s policies, arguing, “Crooked Joe Biden and his campaign are trying to gaslight and distract from the fact that Black Americans are turning their back on their destructive policies.
By contrast, President Trump delivered policies for Black Americans like passing criminal justice reform, fully funded HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities], created Opportunity Zones, and lowered Black unemployment.” These statements reflect a broader narrative promoted by Trump’s campaign as they gear up for the upcoming election.
