President Talks With Tim Scott So White House Can Say ‘Trump Remains Committed to Positive Race Relations’

‘Restoration’ of Trump’s ‘Moral Authority Will Be Based on America’s Reaction’

The only Black Republican U.S. Senator for months has been asking President Trump to talk with him about race relations. Senator Tim Scott, after months of refusals, finally got his chance when the White House agreed, and the two talked Wednesday afternoon. The White House was interested in the president speaking with the Republican from South Carolina after Sen. Scott chastised Trump over his comments after the Charlottesville violence.

It is not known how long the conversation lasted. 

“We discussed everything from legislative remedies for those living in poverty, to the incident in Charlottesville, to some of the other issues that are important — diversifying staff,” Senator Scott told USA Today.

Scott also told reporters afterward that he was “encouraged” by the conversation and said “it was nice” President Trump “was very much listening and he had spent some time thinking about those comments and responded in fashion with what he thought was a better frame for his comments.”

After Trump’s horrific Charlottesville remarks, Sen. Scott last month said the president’s “moral authority” had been “compromised” by them.

“The restoration of moral authority will be based on America’s reaction,” Scott said Wednesday after talking with Trump, Bloomberg reports. “And that will take time.”

Scott also appears to have given a history lesson to Trump. 

“I shared my thought of the last three centuries of challenges from white supremacists, white nationalists, the KKK, neo-Nazis. So there’s no way to find equilibrium when you have three centuries of history versus the situation that’s occurring today,

But he also appeared to cover for the Republican president.

The Hill reports that “pressed if Trump specifically expressed regret for how he handled Charlottesville, Scott said Trump tried ‘to explain what he was trying to convey.'”

“We certainly revisited the comments just to start the conversation with great clarity on the importance of why we were meeting,” Scott added.

Meanwhile, the White House released a statement, at one point calling Senator Tim Scott “Tom,” along with the above photo.

The statement says the two “met today to discuss the Administration’s relationship with the African American community, the bipartisan issue of improving race relations, and creating a more unified country.”

“President Trump remains committed to positive race relations and looks forward to continuing the dialogue with Senator Scott, the African American community, and leaders from diverse communities across the country, all of which have a wealth of perspectives and experiences with respect to this issue.”

To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.

If you find NCRM valuable, would you please consider making a donation to support our independent journalism?