Lawmakers React to Trump’s ‘Black Jobs’ Comments

Peppered between one of former President Donald Trump’s tirades against immigrants during the presidential debate on Thursday, Trump lamented the loss of “Black jobs” due to immigration: “The fact is that his big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They’re taking Black jobs now.” Trump’s insinuation that there are certain racially specific jobs inevitably raised eyebrows. He echoed similar comments at a rally on Friday. “This is what I do at my “Black Job” Trump!” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) wrote in an X post. Added Rep. Jasmine Crockett (R-TX) also wrote in an X post: “As one of less than 60 black women to swear into Congress, I’m assuming Trump doesn’t think my job is a ‘black job.’” Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones, who was expelled by the GOP-led Tennessee State House for leading a protest on the floor of the Tennessee State House, posted a picture of himself during his expulsion with the caption “Me walking into my ‘Black job’ tomorrow.” Trump allies, however, claim Trump was sending a different message altogether. “He meant the jobs of Black people. And we’ve been using that term for a while,” said Diante Johnson, president of the Black Conservative Federation, according to the Associated Press. “It’s any job. Instead of Black people having unlimited accessibility to all types of jobs, illegal immigrants are taking their jobs from them.”