Cummings: ‘A Lot Of People Assume That All Black People Know All Black People’

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, during the committee's hearing on 'Examining Preservat... Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, during the committee's hearing on 'Examining Preservation of State Department Records.' (AP Photo/Molly Riley) MORE LESS
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Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) responded to a misstep from President Donald Trump in a press conference Thursday by saying that “a lot of people assume that all black people know all black people.”

During an impromptu press conference Thursday, Trump asked a black reporter, April Ryan, to “set up” a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus. She had asked if the group of lawmakers would be included in his administration’s formulation of an urban agenda.

“Well, I would. I tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting?” Trump asked Ryan. “Do you want to set up the meeting?”

“Are they friends of yours? No, go ahead,” Trump said, after Ryan told him she was a reporter. “Set up the meeting.”

In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Thursday night, Cummings reflected on the exchange.

“I don’t think he knew what the CBC was. And then I think the young lady, Ms. Ryan, cleared it up and made sure he knew of what it was. But I think a lot of people assume that all black people know all black people,” Cummings said.

“And then the idea that the President would ask somebody in the press pool to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus — he’s the President of the United States of America, he can make that phone call himself. I laughed it off, but it’s consistent with what we’ve seen from President Trump all along.”

Watch the exchange below via MSNBC:

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for mantan mantan says:

    Yup. The same people who imagine gay people all know one another.
    Ignorant American racist sexism, a fine-tuned machine…

  2. I would only disagree with this to the extent that it’s not that “a lot of people assume that all black people know all black people" so much as it’s many White people assume that all Black people have an innate connection to each other. Such that, I could walk up to ANY Black person and create an instant mind meld of sorts.

    Yeah, it’s f*cking nuts.

  3. Right, and all Jewish people love to be told to sit the fuck down by a goy—as long as he is “the least anti-Semitic person you’ve ever met”.

  4. > "A lot of people assume…

    And they all know those secret handshakes …like the terrorist fist bump

  5. Avatar for mantan mantan says:

    Then there’s the dreaded…Don Lemon (shudder!) :wink:

    look at your show that goes on at 10:00 in the evening. You just take a look at that show. That is a constant hit. The panel is almost always exclusive anti-Trump. The good news is he doesn’t have good ratings, but the panel is almost exclusive anti-Trump. And the hatred and venom coming from his mouth.

    Trump can’t even say Don’s name…LOL.

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