Fact Check: Video of Trump Asking if Audience Preferred Black or White President Lacks Context
By Jordan Liles,
3 hours ago
A video circulating online in October 2024 showed former U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to an audience and asking, "Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got $1.7 billion off the price? I think they want the white guy right now."
For example, on Oct. 10, 2024, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign shared the 13-second clip on the @kamalahq rapid response account on TikTok ( archived ). The onscreen caption featured a truncated version of what Trump said, reading, "Would you rather have the Black president or the white president? I think they want the white guy." The post received around 10 million views in just 24 hours. It included no details about where or when Trump made the remark, and instead only displayed the text caption, "Let's turn the page."
However, Trump did not outright say, as the Harris campaign's onscreen caption read, "Would you rather have the Black president or the white president? I think they want the white guy." The brief video lacked some context from a story Trump told seconds before. Also, the setting of the speech was in front of a Black conservative group. Further, as of October, the clip was months old and did not directly reference Harris. At the time Trump made the comment, President Joe Biden was still seeking reelection.
The Context of Trump's Words
Trump originally delivered the remark during a speech at the Black Conservative Federation (BCF) Honors Gala. The BCF website describes the group as "the premier hub for Black conservatives throughout the country." The event took place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, South Carolina, on Feb. 23, 2024.
While telling a story about Air Force One and the call sign for when a U.S. president is aboard the aircraft, Trump referenced its age and also former President Barack Obama, telling the BCF audience, "I love this great equipment. Although the plane's 32 years old, I ordered new ones, and I saved $1.7 billion from what Obama was willing to pay. I have to tell you, [he's a] Black president, but I got $1.7 billion less. Would you rather have the Black president or the white president who got $1.7 billion off the price? I think they want the white guy right now. Got $1.7 billion off the price."
On the same day as Trump's speech, the @kamalahq account on X — previously named @bidenhq — posted ( archived ) the same 13-second clip, only captioning it with the truncated quote, "Trump: Would you rather have the Black president or the white president? I think they want the white guy."
The comments begin at the 3:32:58 mark in this full speech video from Right Side Broadcasting Network on YouTube:
In 2023, CNN reported Boeing lost $1 billion on each of the two 747 jets the aircraft manufacturer agreed to retrofit for future presidential flights, following a fixed-price deal made with Trump in 2018.
"LIVE REPLAY: Trump Keynotes the Black Conservative Federation Gala in S.C. - 2/23/24." YouTube , Right Side Broadcasting Network, 23 Feb. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/live/Ioa2UsmFzA4 .
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