The Trump administration has made a habit of saying things that are incredibly offensive, but today Vice President Mike Pence went too far. Just a day before Martin Luther King day, Trump’s right hand man made a stunning show of disrespect by using a quote from Dr. King to make a case for Trump’s racist border wall. Yes, you read that right.
In an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation, host Margaret Brennan asked Pence about Trump’s latest scheme to get out of his disastrous government shutdown, in which the president offered to provide temporary protection for DREAMers in exchange for funding his border wall.
In the interview, Brennan asked Pence if this was a “genuine” attempt by the president to end the shutdown. Pence didn’t have to go there, but he did. He brought up Martin Luther King right away. He said:
Honestly, you know, the hearts and minds of the American people today are thinking a lot about it being the weekend we are remembering the life and the work of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.”
And things only continued to spiral downward from there, as Pence invoked a quote from the civil rights leader to promote a racist agenda. He said:
One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make real the the promises of democracy.’ You think of how he changed America, he inspired us to change through the legislative process.”
This was a quote from Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, and it is absolutely disgusting to hear Pence use it in these terms and this context. Dr. King is likely rolling over in his grave over this, for good reason. This is not how he intended for his words to have an impact, and Pence deserves to be dragged for it. You can watch the interview below:
Featured image via screen capture
