In Sarasota, people were telling me yesterday they used to live in New Jersey.
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Donald Trump is insisting he was right that thousands of Muslim-Americans in New Jersey celebrated 9/11, despite being confronted with lack of evidence he’s correct.
“I am not officially endorsing ANY candidate and when I do you will NOT need to hear it from pulpitting court jesters who suffer from intellectual and spiritual myopia”, he posted in response to the release.
Last Wednesday, Trump’s campaign announced to reporters that it would be holding a Monday-afternoon “press conference”, and that he would be “joined by a coalition of 100 African American Evangelical pastors and religious leaders who will endorse the GOP front-runner after a private meeting”.
He said that Trump’s campaign “thought it was going to be a press conference for an endorsement when it wasn’t”.
A “Trump insider” told Politico that 40 pastors were prepared to endorse the billionaire after their Monday meeting, but when the group expanded to 100 pastors, it also included some religious leaders who opposed Trump’s candidacy.
Many of those invited denied Monday’s event was to announce an endorsement, with some taking to Facebook to say the meeting was pitched as a discussion.
TRUMP: It did happen in New Jersey, I have hundreds of people agreeing with me.
The situation with the black pastors is the latest misstep by Mr. Trump. They accused Mr. Trump of being an insulting individual but they’ve levied insults at us that I wouldn’t levy against people I hate…
For his part, Trump shrugged off the confusion during his Monday “Morning Joe” interview. The campaign, they said, had mischaracterized their meeting. He said some were meeting Trump for the first time.
An open letter published in Ebony magazine from more than 100 African-American religious leaders cautioned others to “think of Trump’s rhetoric before meeting with him”.
Like McClendon, Bishop Corletta Vaughn, the Senior Pastor of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of Faith in Detroit, and prominent Atlanta pastor Bishop Paul Morton set the record straight on social media whether or not they’re endorsing Trump.
“I don’t mean I had two calls, Chuck”, he said. You have a huge muslim population in Patterson and different places, Jersey City, and unbeleiveable large populations, if they’re going to do it at soccer games, all around the world, it was, when the trade center came down it was done all across the world and you know that because it has been reported. Just play cool. There’s people in this country, that love our country, that saw this – by the hundreds they’re calling, they’re tweeting.
Scott goes on to mention that while there may be some pastors who will endorse Trump, there are some who may not endorse him at all.
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“You’re running for president of the United States”, Todd added. “Which Black lives do you claim to be liberating”, the leaders wrote.
