Louis Staples
Jan 21, 2019
Another day, another completely bizarre quote from a member of the Trump administration.
Just ahead of Martin Luther King Day, which is held on 21 January, vice president Mike Pence used a line from his legendary “I have a dream” speech to build support for president Donald Trump's proposed border wall.
Speaking on CBS, Pence said:
Now is the time to make real the promises for democracy.
Pence suggested that King's belief creating change through legislation is exactly what Trump is doing by, er, shutting down the US government.
The "I Have a Dream" speech continues to resonate as a symbol of the struggle against racial inequality. Of course, given Trump’s history of making racially charged comments, Pence’s attempt to link the two men’s philosophies hasn’t exactly gone down well.
Trump kicked off his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants “rapists”, presided over family separations at the US border and took 48 hours to condemn white supremacist protestors following riots in Charlottesville. The president even said that there were “very fine people” among the neo-Nazi marchers in the Virginia city.
Although MLK’s legacy is open to interpretation, most historians would agree that if King were alive today, he would not be pro-Trump. In fact, most believe he would be leading direct action against Trump.
People on Twitter were not afraid to let Pence know exactly what they think of the comparrison.
H/T: CNN
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