This week, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R) and Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) hosted the "Congress, Cognac and Cigars event" to bolster Black support for President Donald Trump (R). Rep. Donalds however has landed himself in hot water after some remarks he shared during the event, where he suggested that Black families were better off during the Jim Crow era,
Rep. Donalds and Hunt ventured to Philadelphia this week in an effort to sway Black male voters to support President Trump and conservative policies. During the event, Rep. Donalds shared that he was beginning to see the "reinvigoration" of Black families, saying that it is "helping to breathe the revival of a Black middle class in America."
Donalds also commented on the "nuclear family," arguing that Democrats have eroded the idea of the nuclear family, which has significantly affected the Black community.
“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more people voted conservatively,” he said. "And then H.E.W., Lyndon Johnson - you go down that road, and now we are where we are," Rep. Donalds added, referencing the former U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
The comments have drawn criticism from Democrats, who were quick to address the statement.
the Florida Democratic Party took to social media to denounce the statement, commenting that "life was *NOT* better for Black Americans under Jim Crow." "Bryon [sic] Donalds wants to be VP but anyone who celebrates Jim Crow era laws belongs nowhere near the Oval Office."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D) also weighed in on the controversy from the House floor. Calling the comments "outlandish, outrageous, and out of pocket," Jeffries voiced that frustration with Rep. Donalds' comments.
"How dare you make such an ignorant observation. You better check yourself before you wreck yourself," said Leader Jeffries.
