President Donald Trump could not resist turning the death of civil rights legend Rev. Jesse Jackson into a political jab at former President Barack Obama. In a post on his Truth Social account Tuesday morning, Trump offered what he called “condolences” — and somehow worked in a critique of the first Black president.
“Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him. He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand,” Trump wrote.
Yes, you read that right: in the midst of mourning Jackson, Trump inserted a dig at Obama. He then pivoted to the obligatory family sympathy, adding, “He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!”
Trump didn’t stop there. He praised Jackson’s personality, grit, and “street smarts,” and bragged about his own alleged kindness toward the civil rights leader. “Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way,” he wrote.
Critics are already blasting the president for seizing a moment of national mourning to sling political shots. Jackson, who died at 84, was a towering figure in civil rights, a mentor to Barack Obama, and the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. His decades-long work on racial and economic justice earned him global respect.
Yet Trump’s post barely mentions Jackson’s achievements. Instead, it’s framed as a reminder of Trump’s own self-perceived virtue and a chance to put Obama back on blast.
Trump concluded by reiterating Jackson’s positive traits, calling him “a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’ He was very gregarious — someone who truly loved people!”
Read Trump’s full post below:
