U.S.
Democratic Representative from New York and chairman of the Congressional Black
Caucus Political Action Committee (CBCPAC) Gregory Meeks announces the CBCPAC's
endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for the
November election, in Washington, D.C, on February 11, 2016. (Nicholas
Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)
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Rep. Cummings Tells Dems
to Accept Trump As Legitimate President And Get to Work
By Cortney O’Brien
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) rejects his colleague John Lewis' (D-GA) assertion that Donald Trump is not a legitimate president. Lewis led the inauguration boycott last month that left about 70 seats empty at his swearing in ceremony.
Cummings has repeatedly suggested that is the wrong
attitude - not to mention unproductive.
“I think we have to work with him," Cummings said on
CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "I’ve got people who -- you
know, I keep telling people, this is our president. He’s going to be our
president for the next four years. I’ve got people in my community who are
suffering from cancer. They need treatment. I’ve got people who need jobs, and
I’ve got to work with this president, but at the same time, there’s nobody that
has been tougher on this president than I have been,” Cummings said.
When asked at his press conference last week if he plans
to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss matters important to the
African-American community, Trump insisted he'd be happy to, but Rep. Cummings
had not returned any of his calls. Cummings rejected that claim, yet said he
too would be glad to schedule a meeting. Trump and the CBC are expected to sit
down and chat next week.
Trump has indicated many times that his ear is open to
the needs of the African-American community. He has offered key White House
positions to African-Americans, including Ben Carson for HUD secretary and
Omarosa Manigault to help with public engagement. He met with several
African-American leaders to recognize Black History Month early in February
and, most recently, he spent his Tuesday morning at The National Museum of
African American History and Culture.
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President Trump Visits the African American History
Museum
President Trump talks to Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton in front of the "Paradox of Liberty" exhibit. (Associated Press)
By Jackie Mansky
President Donald Trump toured the Smithsonian’s newest
museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, for the
first time on Tuesday morning.
“This is a truly great museum,” Trump told reporters
during a press appearance following his visit. “I’ve learned and I’ve seen and
they’ve done an incredible job."
President Donald Trump delivers remarks after touring the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on Feb. 21, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Trump was joined by Dr. Ben Carson and Alveda King. (Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)
Click here to view President Trump’s Remarks.
Museum director Lonnie Bunch and Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton led the tour for the president, who was accompanied by the nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, presidential aide Omarosa Manigault and his daughter Ivanka Trump.
As they stood in front of the “Paradox of Liberty”
exhibit, Bunch discussed how each of the 612 bricks flanking a statue of Thomas
Jefferson were inscribed with the name of an enslaved worker Jefferson owned.
“You can’t understand Jefferson without understanding
slavery,” Bunch said. Even more than that, he added, the point of the exhibit
is to explore the forgotten people that shaped America. “For us, this whole
museum is about humanizing stories of people that have been left out of
history.”
During his stay, Trump hailed the exhibit about Ben
Carson in the “Making a Way Out of No Way” gallery. “We’re proud of Ben, very
proud of Ben, especially Candy,” he said, referring to Carson's wife.
The president’s visit during Black History Month provided
an opportunity for him to touch on his frequent promise to deescalate racial
tensions in the country. "We have a divided country. It’s been divided for
many, many years. But we’re going to bring it together," he said.
Before leaving, the president promised to return to the
museum soon. “What they’ve done here is something that probably cannot be
duplicated,” he said. ”It was done with love and lots of money, right Lonnie?
We can’t avoid that. But it was done with tremendous love and passion and
that’s why it’s so great.”
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The White House: President Trump’s Messages
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View President Trump's Weekly Address Videos
