If you didn't already know Donald Trump is, well, a very questionable human being. Although the Republican presidential nominee has chilled out recently on making offensive remarks, he's still as ignorant as ever, speaking to problems happening within the United States but not fully exploring the intricacies of them.
Such was the case recently when, during a North Carolina rally, Trump made an absurd claim in hopes of gaining support from black voters.
"Our African American communities are absolutely in the worse shape they've ever been in before," Trump declared. "Ever, ever, ever."
The statement seems to overlook the fact that slavery was legal for nearly a century after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and that black people endured the oppressive and unfair Jim Crow laws throughout a good portion of the 20th century.
The tone deaf comment wasn't followed up with any insightful commentary, the remark a testament to why so many people don't feel comfortable with this man possibly running our country.
Throughout this election Trump's attempts to gain black voter support haven't gone well. Last month during a visit in Michigan he offered another tone deaf remark that failed to work in his favor.
"What do you have to lose by trying something new, like Trump," he asked an audience in Michigan. "You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. Fifty-eight percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?"
President Obama has rebuked Trump's comment though, addressing him head on during an awards dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation last week.
"You may have heard Hillary's opponent in this election say that there's never been a worse time to be a black person. I mean, he missed that whole civics lesson about slavery and Jim Crow," Obama said. "He says we got nothing left to lose, so we might as well support somebody who has fought against civil rights, and fought against equality, and who has shown no regard for working people for most of his life. Well, we do have challenges, but we're not stupid."
