Leavitt Fires Back as Media Revives Racism Claims Against Trump

Another day, another attempt to revive the tired narrative. But this time, the White House wasn’t letting it slide.

During a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt openly scoffed at a reporter who questioned when President Donald Trump had been “falsely called racist.” Her response was immediate and incredulous: “You’re kidding?” When the reporter confirmed he was not, Leavitt promised what she described as a “plethora of examples” of Democrats and media figures repeatedly leveling that accusation over the years.

The question stemmed from Trump’s recent statement honoring Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away at 84. In that message, Trump remarked that despite being “falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics and the radical left Democrats,” he had always been willing to help Jackson.

The reporter pressed for specifics. Leavitt did not hesitate.

“I’m going to get my team in that room to start going through the Internet of radical Democrats throughout the years who have accused this president falsely of being a racist,” she said. “And I’m sure there’s many people in this room and on network television across the country who have accused him of the same.”

For supporters of Trump, the exchange felt familiar. For nearly a decade, accusations of racism have been a centerpiece of attacks from Democrat lawmakers and legacy media outlets. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 59% of Republican voters believe media coverage of Trump has been unfair, compared to 18% of Democrats a partisan gap that reflects just how polarized the conversation has become.

In his statement on Jesse Jackson, Trump highlighted specific actions he said demonstrate his commitment to Black Americans:

• Providing office space for Jackson and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

• Supporting and signing criminal justice reform legislation.

• Securing long-term funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The First Step Act, signed in 2018, led to the release or sentence reduction of thousands of federal inmates, with a significant percentage benefiting minority communities. Additionally, in 2019, Trump signed legislation permanently funding HBCUs at $255 million annually a move widely praised by university leaders at the time.

Leavitt pointed to those policy accomplishments during the briefing, noting that the president was also marking Black History Month with a White House event.

“There is a lot this president has done for all Americans, regardless of race,” she said, adding that the administration would gladly provide “receipts” backing up the claim that Trump has been unfairly smeared.

Accusations of racism have been a recurring line of attack from prominent Democrats, including former President Joe Biden. During the 2020 campaign, Biden infamously suggested that African Americans who didn’t support him “ain’t Black” a remark that sparked its own controversy.

Meanwhile, Trump has consistently rejected the label, often pointing to:

• His economic record before the pandemic, when Black unemployment reached a historic low of 5.3% in 2019.

• His celebrity-era relationships with prominent Black entertainers and business leaders.

• Criminal justice reform efforts that had bipartisan support.

It’s also worth noting that Trump increased his share of the Black male vote between 2016 and 2020, and early polling for 2024 has suggested further gains. A 2024 Wall Street Journal poll showed Trump drawing roughly 20% support among Black voters significantly higher than previous Republican nominees.

For Trump’s base, the repeated “racist” label is seen less as a serious accusation and more as a reflexive political tactic. Critics argue the label is warranted. Supporters counter that it has been weaponized to silence debate and delegitimize policy disagreements.

Leavitt’s sharp response reflects a broader strategy: confront the narrative head-on rather than allow it to go unchallenged.

As the 2024 election cycle intensifies, these exchanges are likely to become more frequent. The debate over Trump’s record and over the fairness of how he has been portrayed remains central to the political fight ahead.

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