Trump: Martin Luther King Jr's 'Dream' Has Advanced During the Last Two Years
President Donald Trump honored the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, noting one of the civil rights leader’s main dreams was creating economic opportunity for African-Americans, which, the president argued, has occurred in an unprecedented fashion during the last two years.
Trump tweeted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
“Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.”
Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by God. #MLKDay https://t.co/pEaVpCB8M4
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2019
In a statement accompanying the tweet, the president noted, King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech occurred at the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
“His extraordinary message that momentous day in August of 1963 stirred to action Americans of every race and creed, and it continues to reverberate in the hearts and minds of patriotic citizens across our great land,” Trump declared.
“Today, as we pause to mark the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we recommit ourselves to the advancement of equality and justice for all Americans, and to the full realization of his worthy dream,” he added.
The president contended that part of the dream King articulated was that “every citizen should have the opportunity to build a better and brighter future.”
Trump said that economic opportunity for all has expanded on his watch.
“We have added more than 5 million new jobs to the economy over the past 2 years and unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Americans without a high school degree have reached record lows,” Trump stated.
The president also pointed to the recently signed “First Step Act,” which is intended to give those who have been incarcerated for non-violent crimes a “second chance at life,” through new sentencing guidelines and education and job-training programs designed to make their transition back into society easier.
“We have also made great strides as a Nation, but we acknowledge that more work must be done for, in the words of Dr. King, ‘justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream,'” Trump stated.
“United as one American family, we will not rest — and we will never be satisfied — until the promise of this great Nation is accessible to each American in each new generation.”
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also paid a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Washington Mall, where they placed a wreath. The two paused for a moment of silence on a frigid, sunny day in the capital.
President Trump and Vice President Pence at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC.#MartinLutherKingJrDay #MLKDay #MLK2019 pic.twitter.com/h4Xp1rIt1d
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 21, 2019
“It’s a great day, a beautiful day. Thank you for being here,” Trump said before departing.
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