Trump uses Jesse Jackson to take dig at ‘Barack Hussein Obama,’ whom the civil rights leader ‘could not stand’

Trump said ‘no other president’ had tried to pass criminal justice reform or long-term funding for historically Black colleges and universities, which was supported by Jackson

President Donald Trump used the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson to highlight his personal accomplishments and take a swipe at former President Barack Obama, asserting the civil rights leader had little tolerance for the former president.

In a Tuesday morning Truth Social post, Trump remembered Jackson as “a force of nature” who set the stage for Obama to win the 2008 election. Jackson’s two unsuccessful presidential campaigns in the 1980s are credited with helping mobilize Black voters and establishing a dominant Black voice in the Democratic Party.

But Trump insisted Jackson, who supported Obama, did not like the former president.

“He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand,” Trump claimed.

Jackson never publicly stated he “could not stand” Obama. However, in 2008, Jackson was caught on a hot mic criticizing Obama for the way he addressed the Black community. Jackson later apologized for making the comments, and Obama accepted his apology.

Donald Trump posted on social media shortly after the civil rights icon’s death. Trump used his message to take a dig at Barack Obama (Bettmann Archive/Getty)

Jackson was with Obama when he won the 2008 presidential election. In a now-famous moment, Jackson could be seen with tears in his eyes as Obama made his acceptance speech in Grant Park, Chicago. He toldVanity Fair in 2020 that he was thinking “about the movement” and how “the people who made that night possible – they were not there.”

Jackson, a protegee of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dedicated his life to expanding civil rights and promoting global peace through his Rainbow/PUSH coalition. His political career shaped the future of the Democratic Party and American politics. He died Tuesday at 84 years old.

“I knew him well, long before becoming President,” Trump said. “He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’ He was very gregarious - Someone who truly loved people!

Jackson ran twice for president in the 1980s as a Democrat (AP1988)

In remembering Jackson, Trump highlighted how he helped the civil rights leader succeed, recalling that he gave Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition office space in 40 Wall Street in the 1990s.

“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,” Trump wrote.

Trump listed policies enacted during his first and current administrations that he claimed Jackson supported and “no other president” had tried to pass.

That includes criminal justice reform, long-term funding for historically Black colleges and universities and economic development for Black communities known as “Opportunity Zones.”

“He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” Trump said.