DAY 108: Trump tries to justify his racist threat about defunding African-American Universities

Last Friday, May 5, Donald Trump issued a series of signing statements about the $1.1 trillion budget billed pass by Congress. One of the statements was about a relatively tiny part of the budget: $20 million dollars set aside for loan subsidies and other forms of aid for historically Black universities.

This is the exact text of the statement signed by Trump:

My Administration shall treat provisions that allocate benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity, and gender (e.g., Division B, under the heading "Minority Business Development"; Division C, sections 8016, 8021, 8038, and 8042; Division H, under the headings "Departmental Management Salaries and Expenses," "School Improvement Programs," and "Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program Account"; Division K, under the heading "Native American Housing Block Grants"; and Division K, section 213) in a manner consistent with the requirement to afford equal protection of the laws under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution's Fifth Amendment.

In other words, Trump was threatening with defunding historically Black colleges.

The clearly racist threat caused a storm of criticism that forced Trump to backpedal by issuing another statement claiming he supported Black colleges. The statement, however, is contradictory, because while it claims support for Black colleges, it also defends his original racist statement:

The statement that accompanied my signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, sets forth my intention to spend the funds it appropriates, including the funds for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), consistently with my responsibilities under the Constitution. It does not affect my unwavering support for HBCUs and their critical educational missions.

So basically, Trump reacted to the budget approved by Congress with racism; then he expressed that racism in his signing statement; and then he tried to convince people he's not a racist... while at the same time defending his racist statement.