Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) came on MSNBC with Joy Reid to defend his recently revealed comments at a Black Americans for Trump gathering that "during Jim Crow, the Black family was together" and former President Lyndon Johnson and welfare programs destroyed those family values.
It didn't go well for him.
"The stuff that comes up about Jim Crow, and twisting my words saying I was being nostalgic or Jim Crow was good for Black people, that's all political spin. It's a lie," said Donalds, a close ally of former President Donald Trump and a shortlister for his vice presidential running mate. "It's gaslighting and that's truly unfortunate."
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"Here's the challenge, Congressman," said Reid. "You started out talking about your family, talking about your mom, talking about being raised. And you on your own brought up Jim Crow. In fact, you said Jim Crow three times for emphasis. It wasn't the media or the Democrats or gaslighters who brought up Jim Crow. It was you. You brought up Jim Crow. So why did you use Jim Crow specifically as your reference? You did that, no one else did that, you did it."
"I did," admitted Donalds. "We were having a conversation, just talking, Black people in Philadelphia. But if you're going to use the chronological timeline of America before the Great Society and Lyndon Johnson's time period, you had, unfortunately, the Jim Crow era in America. During that time period, the marriage rates of Black Americans was significantly higher than any other time since then in American history. So it is a divergence if you're talking about marriage rates in the Black community."
After a bit more back and forth, Donalds reiterated, "I want to be clear, higher in the Jim Crow era to mean that I think Jim Crow was great, that's a lie. That is gaslighting. I would never say such a thing, which is why the Jim Crow era—"
"You brought it up," interjected Reid. "You brought it up. You're the one who brought it up. Let's get one more question ... the poverty rate during Jim Crow was 55.1 percent. More than half of families were impoverished. You also said, during Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative, Black people have always been conservative-minded but Black people voted conservatively. Black people weren't allowed to vote at all during Jim Crow."
"First of all, there were areas in the United States where Black people did vote," said Donalds.
"Last question, and then I'm going to let you go. One more question," said Reid. "During Jim Crow, could your family have existed? You are in an interracial marriage. Your wife, and a white conservative activist. Could your family have existed at all during Jim Crow?"
"No, it could not, and we all know that," said Donalds. "That's why I'm blessed to live in America today, as opposed to America during that time. But we cannot ignore the realities of not having fathers in homes. That is important to our Black people today and all people today as we move forward toward a better America."
Watch the video below or at the link.
Joy Reid confronts Byron Donalds about comments praising Jim Crow era www.youtube.com
