Trump says he “was a good man” and boasts of his relationship with him: “He hated Obama”
Reverend Jesse Jackson, a historic leader in the civil rights movement in the United States and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, died Tuesday at the age of 84, his family confirmed.
“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped forge a global movement for freedom and dignity,” the statement said, highlighting his “tireless” work for others.
“He gave a voice to the voiceless,” Jackson’s family said, praising him as a friend and collaborator of the renowned Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. “Our father was a servant leader, not only to our family, but also to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the marginalized throughout the world,” they added.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, during the height of racial segregation in the United States. He marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the massive civil rights marches of 1965 before witnessing his friend’s assassination in Memphis in 1968.
Afterward, he founded Operation PUSH, which in 1996 became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition after merging with the National Rainbow Coalition, an organization through which he has continued his advocacy for civil rights.
He served as the de facto senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997, and as a Democratic presidential candidate in the 1980s, he successfully mobilized millions of registered voters. In November 2017, he revealed that he had Parkinson’s disease and admitted that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to perform everyday activities.
“His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love inspired millions, and we ask that you honor his memory by fighting for the values ​​he lived for,” the statement concludes.
“HE WAS A GOOD MAN”
Among the American political figures who have remembered Jackson was the current president, Donald Trump, who has stated that he always maintained a good relationship with the deceased. “I knew him very well… He was a good man,” he said in a message on his social media.
Trump said that Jackson had “a lot of personality, determination, and shrewdness,” in addition to being “very sociable” and “someone who truly loved people.”
“Despite the fact that the scoundrels and lunatics of the radical left, all Democrats, falsely and constantly label me a racist, it was always a pleasure to help Jesse along his path,” Trump said, listing some of these instances of support.
“Jesse was a force of nature like few before him. He played a significant role in the unrecognized election of Barack Hussein Obama, a man Jesse detested. He deeply loved his family, and I send them my deepest condolences. We will miss Jesse!” he concluded.
