Trump referred to HBCU presidents as ‘you people’

Sources tell Buzzfeed that during White House visit, President Donald Trump called the presidents of HBCUs "you people."

Presidents from historically black colleges and universities met with President Donald Trump in the White House, and while the meeting was lauded by Trump as the biggest gathering he had seen in the Oval Office, the tone was jarred a bit when Trump called the presidents “you people.”

“You people are doing an amazing job,” Trump said, according to four people who were there, with two saying that he used the phrase three different times.

While one president said that the phrase was “very insensitive,” he also admitted that it was “very Trump-ish.”

One president from the Deep South said that he had heard much worse growing up under Jim Crow.

–Trump’s viral HBCU photo is more than meets the eye–

“I’ve heard a lot worse than that, and I mean a lot worse,” the college president told BuzzFeed News. “I’m sure if you’re from the North or whatever you might be offended by something like that.”

“I was waiting on him to say something worse,” he added.

However, White House adviser Omarosa Manigault flatly denied the use of the phrase during the meeting, saying it was “the most ridiculous spin I have heard about this historic meeting where 69 HBCU president were invited to a meet and greet with the president of the United States” and that Trump “was praising the amazing work of HBCU presidents… he was laughing and shaking hands and meeting each of the presidents.”

Still, the HBCUs did acknowledge that the opportunity to meet with the president was one they had not get under the previous administration.

“The people who have been here eight years or longer know that this is not an opportunity that we got under Obama,” one of the college presidents said. “So was he the most graceful? No, but we all know there’s something to be said about this president that we’re here.”

 

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE