Rev. Al Sharpton has publicly pushed back against accusations made by President Donald Trump, who suggested Sharpton was among public figures who accepted payments from the former Vice President for endorsements. Appearing on a morning news program, Sharpton accused Trump of engaging in race-baiting and indicated his intention to pursue a defamation lawsuit against the President.
When directly questioned about receiving payment for any endorsement, Sharpton unequivocally denied it, stating, “Absolutely not.” He further explained that his organization is contemplating legal action given that, as Sharpton highlighted, President Trump himself acknowledged that Sharpton had not endorsed the former Vice President and had personally received no money.
Sharpton suggested that President Trump’s accusations are a calculated effort to divert public attention from significant controversies he faces. “Donald Trump is in very serious problems around this whole question,” Sharpton said. “So, he was trying to flood the zone to take any pressure off of him and try to put his base back together again.”
He continued by outlining what he views as a consistent pattern of distraction attempts by the President. “The fact is he said he was gonna fire the fed chief – that didn’t work. Then he went on to something about tariffs – that didn’t work. Then he decided to do what he started his political career on: he started race-baiting.” Sharpton pointed to instances he considers examples of President Trump’s race-baiting tactics, including actions related to historical civil rights figures and past political figures.
“The race card,” Sharpton concluded, “the thread here is race… it’s all about trying to get past [his issues].”