
African American activist Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, 50 years ago today.
The civil rights activist won a Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless work in helping to gain equal rights for black people in the US.
He is a legacy.
However, on a CNN panel, Jeffrey Lord, a Reagan administration staffer, compared Donald Trump to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Donald Trump has a history of bigotry and misogyny. He's probably among the worst role models to have taken the Oval Office.
On the 2017 panel, Obamacare was discussed. The number of Americans without health insurance rose, according to statistics, and the Republicans' repeal plan had been panned by Democratic opponents.
While making his point, Lord began to call Trump:
The Martin Luther King of healthcare.
Symone Sanders, former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders and political activist, stepped in immediately.
Okay Jeffrey.
You do understand that Dr. King was marching for Civil Rights because people that looked like me were being beaten?
Dogs were being sicced on them?
Basic human rights were being withheld from these people merely because of the colour of their skin?
So let’s not equate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — a humanitarian, a Nobel Peace Prize winner — to the vagina-grabbing President Donald Trump.
You could also point out that he was threatening to withdraw subsidies, essentially holding millions of Americans' healthcare hostage to push through a repeal.
Not very much like Dr. King.
Sanders posted the video to Twitter:
The reaction was pretty consistent:
Symone Sanders for the win #CNN #JeffreyLord https://t.co/QUzJfRrAge— Dr. C (@Dr. C) 1492094330
@justin_kanew Symone Sanders snatched his wig.— ColoradoMom (@ColoradoMom) 1492089552
@LeonardPittsJr1 Symone Sanders. Amazing voice of sanity. Love her!— Lynn Groshong (@Lynn Groshong) 1492090448
Dear @CNN please remove Jeffrey Lord from tv. Thank you.— djonathandavids' (@djonathandavids') 1492091552
Dear @CNN , Remove Jeffrey Lord from your network. Signed, The majority of your viewers.— ɥsı⊥ (@ɥsı⊥) 1492093767
First Sean Spicer minimizes Hitler atrocities and now Jeffrey Lord minimizes MLK hard work , courage , and sacrifices. Wake up GOP .— Jacob Gil #VetsForBiden #RBGLegacy (@Jacob Gil #VetsForBiden #RBGLegacy) 1492090905
Retweet if you think CNN should keep this #JeffreyLord the Propagandist hack off the air. https://t.co/ckKuWNTHqY— ;😷Name's H͎o͎w͎, the OG VOR😷; (@;😷Name's H͎o͎w͎, the OG VOR😷;) 1492094858
Jeffrey Lord compares Trump's health care plan to civil rights. He's right. Trump wants to take away both.— Tea Pain (@Tea Pain) 1492086300
In short, here's the point:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr:
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of 'interposition' and 'nullification' — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
Donald Trump:
You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it, you can do anything.
Grab them by the p***y, you can do anything.