Byron Donalds believes black people were better off during Jim Crow when families were united.

Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who was being considered as a possible vice presidential candidate for Donald Trump, sparked controversy with his recent comments about Black families during the Jim Crow era. At a Black voter outreach event in Philadelphia on June 4th, Donalds made alarming statements about the state of the Black community, claiming that things were better during the time of racial segregation.

Speaking at the event, which was called “Congress, Cognac, and Cigars” and also featured Representative Wesley Hunt, Donalds talked about his own upbringing and how he believes things have deteriorated for the Black community since then. He specifically pointed to the influence of Democratic policies, such as food stamps, housing assistance, and welfare, which were introduced by President Lyndon Johnson.

During his speech, Donalds stated, “During Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative – Black people have always been conservative-minded – but more Black people voted conservatively.” He went on to say, “What’s happened in America for the last ten years, you’re starting to see more Black people being married, in homes, raising kids. And then you look at the world, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this does not look right.’”

His comments did not go unnoticed, as they received strong criticism from various individuals, including NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, whom Donalds had tagged in a video of his speech. In an interview on CNN, Johnson accused the congressman of pushing a false narrative for his own benefit. "During Jim Crow, a majority of Black people who lived in the South couldn't even participate and vote because of Jim Crow laws," he stated. "Here we are now, someone seeking to be a VP nominee, trying to capture national headlines tap dancing, so to speak, just so he can be considered."

Harrison also took to Twitter to refute Donalds' claims, referring to Johnson's presidency as the "Great Society" and listing some of the major advancements in civil rights for African Americans during that time. He wrote, "Johnson's Great Society saw some of the largest advancements in civil rights for African Americans; Civil Rights Act of '64 - banned discrimination in employment & accommodations; desegregation of schools, 24th amendment - prohibited poll taxes, Voting Rights Act of 1965... I know history is iffy for you and DeSantis down there in FL... but it is time to brush up."

Minority House Leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries also voiced his disapproval of Donalds' comments, taking to the House floor to call them "factually inaccurate." He reminded Donalds of the brutal realities of the Jim Crow era, saying, "That's an outlandish, outrageous and out-of-pocket observation. We were not better off... when a young boy named Emmitt Till could be brutally murdered without consequence because of Jim Crow, we were not better off when Black women could be sexually assaulted without consequence because of Jim Crow... How dare you make such an ignorant observation. You better check yourself before you wreck yourself."

The attempts by Trump and his Republican allies to reach out to Black voters have been met with criticism from Democrats. In response to news of the campaign's plan to mobilize Black voters, Biden-Harris spokesperson Sarafina Chitika released a statement condemning their actions. "Donald Trump spent his adult life, and then his presidency undermining the progress Black communities fought so hard for – so it actually tracks that his campaign's 'Black outreach' is going to a white neighborhood and promising to take America back to Jim Crow," she said. "From touting his mugshot to hawking fake sneakers, Trump and his campaign have shown Black Americans how little they think of us. Black voters are about to show Trump how little they think of him, his allies, and his racist agenda this November."

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