White House mentioned Frederick Douglass during meeting with black leaders and it didn't go so well - Blurred Bylines

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Donald Trump appears to have just learned who Frederick Douglass is.

At a roundtable meeting with African American leaders to commemorate Black History Month, Trump said, “I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Rev. [Martin Luther] King, so many other things, Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who has done an amazing job that is being recognized more and more, I noticed.”

Good news, Frederick Douglass, you’re finally famous! If a 70-year-old billionaire who appears to be the embodiment of YouTube comments in human form actually acknowledges your existence, then you’ve made it bigly, right?

Common knowledge to the rest of us recalls Douglass being a freed slave from the 19th century whose famous speeches and writings helped persuade thousands to abolish slavery across the country. Most, if not all of us, have read at least one of his books or speeches sometime in our education.

Or, at the very least, most of us are aware that a man named Frederick Douglass existed sometime in American history a long time ago, if nothing else.

Trump clearly didn’t stay awake in his high school history classes. So why is this so bad?

Because he didn’t stop there.

At this meeting dedicated to recognizing the triumphs and ongoing challenges the black community has faced since this country’s inception, the leader of the free world took time out of this humbling occasion to complain about the free press in the U.S.

Here is a transcript of President Trump's comments on Dr. Martin Luther King at his Black History Month gathering this morning. pic.twitter.com/qHq9i1Ligg

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 1, 2017

Trump is referring to a tweet CNN reporter Zeke Miller posted saying the bust of MLK was removed from the Oval Office. Miller quickly corrected his mistake within a few hours of the first tweet. And that should’ve been the end of it.

Tweeting again: wh aide confirms the MLK bust is still there. I looked for it in the oval 2x & didn't see it. My apologies to my colleagues

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 21, 2017

But Trump just couldn’t live and let live. So instead of smiling politely and listening to the concerns of these national leaders, Trump showed his true colors.

And they’re not red, white and blue.

Shari Rose

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