WS Chronicle

BY CASH MICHAELS 

FOR THE CHRONICLE

On Tuesday, Aug. 2, President Obama raised eyebrows when, during a press conference at the White House, he bluntly told reporters that “the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president.”

But Obama wasn’t the first black-elected official to make that declaration about controversial businessman Donald Trump.

North Carolina U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1), who also serves as chairman of the

Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), took the stage at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week to tell conventioneers, a national television audience, and Trump himself (if he was watching), “You are not qualified to serve as president of the United States.

“In my community, you judge a man’s heart by his words and deeds.” Butterfield continued. “Donald J. Trump, your words have been hostile, been bigoted, and insulting. You’ve used every opportunity to talk about your wealth, to denigrate people who don’t hold your views, even in your own party.”

Trump has ignited numerous controversies since he announced his candidacy in July 2015, calling illegal Mexican immigrants “rapists and murderers,” demanding that Muslims from countries that have had terrorist activity be temporarily banned, and recently, he criticized the Gold Star family of a deceased Muslim U.S. soldier who was killed in action in 2004, just because the father criticized Trump publicly at the Democratic convention.

While Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have severely criticized the controversial businessman, few, if any GOP leaders have revoked their endorsement of the Republican nominee.

North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has endorsed Trump, and appeared with him as recently as last week in Winston-Salem, along with other state GOP leaders.

Butterfield further charged that Trump would “use your status to alienate African-Americans and other groups, and you would use the office of president to take our great nation in the wrong direction.”

“We know, we know that you have no plan to address issues directly affecting the African-American community, such as gun violence and voting rights, historically black colleges and universities, raising the minimum wage and addressing persistent poverty,” Butterfield continued.

Butterfield’s public rebuke of the Republican nominee carries weight because the black Democratic congressman says he is committed to doing everything he can to ensure that Trump does not win North Carolina in November.

The Tar Heel State is considered a prime battleground state that could go either for Trump or his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.  In 2008, Barack Obama won the state on his way to the presidency, but four years later, Republican nominee Mitt Romney won North Carolina in his failed attempt to unseat President Obama.  According to many political analysts, if Trump is to have any real chance of tallying the needed 270 electoral college votes to win, he needs North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes in his win column.

Both Trump and Clinton have made numerous campaign stops to the state, and many more are expected. Their vice presidential running mates –Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Democrat U.S. Senator from Virginia Tim Kaine – are also scheduling appearances across the state. Pence will be in Raleigh today (Thursday, Aug. 4) and Kaine was in Greensboro on Wednesday.

So there was very little surprise when Butterfield, after stating that he felt Donald Trump was “unfit to be president,” began to spell out the reasons why at the convention.

“Instead of putting forth details to address income equality and opportunity for everyday Americans, you use your celebrity status to paint a picture of gloom and doom,” Butterfield charged.

“You want to know why your polling numbers are so dismal among African-Americans?” Butterfield continued, referencing recent NBC/Wall Street Journal polls that show Trump getting zero support from blacks in Ohio and Pennsylvania. “We know you have gotten rich through your business, but we also know your wealth has come at the expense of other people.”