Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee Chairman, publicly criticized Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds on MSNBC over the weekend. Steele stressed that Donalds should refrain from making references to the discriminatory Jim Crow laws, bluntly stating, “Enough of this.”
Donalds recently made comments on Jim Crow, a period of segregation following the Civil War until the 1960s, during an event in Philadelphia. He also mentioned former President Donald Trump‘s efforts to garner support from Black voters as the presumptive GOP presidential candidate.
“During the Jim Crow era, Black families stayed united. More Black individuals not only held conservative views but also voted conservative,” Donalds remarked, sparking controversy and drawing criticism, with Reverend Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s Politics Nation joining in.
In response to Sharpton’s questioning, where he accused Donalds of glorifying Jim Crow, Donalds defended himself by calling Sharpton a “liar,” clarifying that he did mention Jim Crow but did not endorse it as better for Blacks.
Steele chimed in, emphasizing that any allusions to Jim Crow are inappropriate and should not be defended. Reflecting on his own segregated childhood in Washington, D.C., Steele urged everyone, especially Black Republicans, to confront this issue head-on and not sugarcoat the past.
He adamantly stated, “Let’s not forget the struggles of the past and paint a false picture of those times. Black people, especially Republicans, need to stop this rhetoric and acknowledge the reality.”
Both President Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s re-election campaigns condemned Donalds’ comments on Jim Crow. Trump’s campaign asserted that his actions contradicted the progress Black communities had fought for and insinuated that his “Black outreach” efforts were insincere.