In an op-ed for Bloomberg this Friday, Timothy L. O'Brien delves into President Trump's ever-present problems with race relations, specifically the Black Lives Matter movement.
According to O'Brien, the uncertainty as to whether or not Trump will give a speech on race relations is a measure of his failed leadership. "But the chances he’d offer an address that heals rather than divides seems unlikely," O'Brien writes. "We already know quite a bit about the president’s attitudes toward racial equity, given that he’s spent decades trafficking in racism and race-baiting."
Trump's penchant for sowing racial division goes back to his time as host of the reality TV show The Apprentice. In a 2005 interview he did with radio host Howard Stern, Trump talked about possibly pitting black and white contestants against each other on the show.
“On ‘The Apprentice’ there was a concept, OK, thrown out by some person, nine blacks against nine whites,” Trump said. “And it would be nine blacks against nine whites, all highly educated, very smart, strong, beautiful. Do you like it?”
“It would be the highest-rated show on television,” Trump added.
O'Brien writes that although Trump's idea never materialized, he’s now "presiding over the reality of a nation splintered" by racial protests sparked by the death of a black man.
"Millions are watching around the globe, and Trump’s most visible responses have been predictably blunt: using force to disband protesters, encouraging governors to do the same, and threatening to send soldiers into the streets," he writes.
Randal Pinkett, an African-American businessman who won season four of The Apprentice, told O'Brien that he's not surprised that Trump has become a figure that represents racial discord.
“I had the benefit of not being just a contestant on ‘The Apprentice’ but having worked at the Trump Organization, too,” he said. “I saw the utter and complete lack of not only racial diversity but ethnic and gender diversity as well. Donald’s blind spots block out anything that’s different than whatever he holds to be true. It also creates enormous blind spots for understanding other people’s points of view and empathy for how they live.”
Read the full op-ed over at Bloomberg.
