Kushner Says Black Americans Must 'Want' Success

Jared Kushner is finding himself on the receiving end of some Twitter ire following a Monday appearance on Fox & Friends in which he stated that Black people need to "want to be successful." The quote, per Bloomberg: "One thing we’ve seen in a lot of the Black community, which is mostly Democrat, is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about. But he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.” He went on to say that the Black community recognizes all the things Trump has delivered on, which is translating into a "groundswell of support" for the president. More:

• NBC News reports Trump ended up with 8% of the Black vote in 2016, and it points to a FiveThirtyEight analysis suggesting Kushner is right to some degree about growing support. While not a groundswell, 10% of Black voters between ages 18 and 44 supported Trump in 2016 according to UCLA Nationscape’s polling; that figure is now 21%. "Black voters remain an overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning constituency," says FiveThirtyEight, "but a notable reduction in their support could still be a problem for Biden."

• Kushner also talked Black Lives Matter, swinging at the many people "who were just virtue signaling. They go on Instagram and cry or they would put a slogan on their jersey or write something on a basketball court and quite frankly that was doing more to polarize the country than it was to bring people forward."
• Reaction from attorney Ben Crump, who is currently leading the legal team for George Floyd's family: "Kushner speaks as if Black people are lazy complainers who don't want to be successful. This blatant DISRESPECT shows he has NO understanding of the Black community and its challenges that have spanned centuries. You can't 'fix' these problems from this level of ego."
• From former DNC Chair Donna Brazile: Kushner "disparages Black Americans' concerns of inequality as 'complaining' ... Right, if we want to be successful. He’s talking to folks who have suffered and endured systemic racism and historic tokenism. Geez us, we just better vote."
• From Padma Lakshmi: "Ah yes, Trump's 39 year-old ghoulish son-in-law on TV spouting casual racism & the 'bootstrap' myth 8 days before the election." She then went on to share resources about the bootstrap myth.
• White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany offered this statement, per the Hill: "It’s disgusting to see internet trolls taking Senior Advisor Jared Kushner out of context as they try to distract from President Trump’s undeniable record of accomplishment for the Black community."

(More Jared Kushner stories.)