Silke Jasso
A heated debate over between CNN analyst Marc Lamont Hill and Bruce LeVell, a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s National Diversity Coalition, quickly turned racial on Monday evening.
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Host Don Lemon brought up entertainer Steve Harvey’s much-criticized meeting with Trump at Trump Tower the week before.
“I love Steve Harvey, and I have respect for Steve Harvey, and I think his intentions were appropriate, but my disagreement is the way in which he’s being used by folk like Donald Trump,” Hill began. Hill urged the Trump campaign to meet with experts, not entertainers.
“It’s demeaning, it’s disrespectful, and it’s condescending,” he criticized.
LeVell jumped in to say, “You weren’t even there.” LeVell spoke of the various black pastors and community leaders who had already met with Trump. “Pastor Darryl Scott, Mike Cohen, they are in the process of bringing all types of people from all over the country, from all different backgrounds,” he reminded Hill.
But Hill was unimpressed.
“Yeah, it was a bunch of mediocre Negroes being dragged in front of TV as a photo-op for Donald Trump’s exploitative campaign against black people,” Hill jabbed. “And you are an example of that,” he said, addressing LeVell.
LeVell accused Hill of “name-calling” and the men continued to argue until they were interrupted.
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Some in the black community who did not even support the president-elect during the election season, such as Harvey, have reached out to promote an active conversation with the Trump team.
Though many have since criticized Harvey and others for meeting with Trump, Harvey revealed that he was acting on advice from President Obama’s farewell address to engage the other side.
(H/T Mediaite)
