Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest daughter berated former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon for claiming her father would be “proud” of President Trump.
Shortly after Bannon made the statement on Wednesday, Bernice King tweeted that Bannon “dangerously and erroneously co-opted” her fathers “name, work and words.”
#SteveBannon has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father’s name, work and words.
Bannon’s assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy’s commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018
“Bannon’s assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy’s commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect,” she continued.
The daughter of the late civil rights activist went on to pick apart Bannon’s argument that King would be proud of Trump’s work for minority communities by securing U.S. borders and curbing “the illegal alien labor forces.”
“Further, he would not refer to people as ‘illegal aliens,’” she wrote. “The term is degrading and does not reflect his belief that we are all a part of the human family. #MLK”
In addition, he would never pit one group against another in the struggle for justice, as Bannon attempts to use him to do in discussing those he termed as “illegal aliens” and Black people. #MLK
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018
“In addition, he would never pit one group against another in the struggle for justice, as Bannon attempts to use him to do in discussing those he termed as ‘illegal aliens’ and Black people. #MLK,” King said.
In conclusion, King offered an alternative perspective of what her father would have wanted, including a livable wage for all and a less hostile political climate, suggesting that Trump’s record of job creation for minorities isn’t enough.
Finally, #MLK would be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate. #PoorPeoplesCampaign
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018
The former White House insider made his remarks on King during an interview with BBC’s “Newsnight” that aired on Wednesday.
