Donald Trump is a world-class liar who has absolutely no problem walking back on his promises. This comes as no surprise, of course, to anyone who has been paying attention, but for someone who ran a campaign telling black folk that he would be a viable alternative to the Democratic Party that has taken us for granted for decades and that he would bring prosperity to our communities, he is a master of talking out of both sides of his mouth. On Sunday night, Trump acknowledged his unwavering support for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), just a mere two days after he suggested that federal financial support of HBCUs was unconstitutional.
In a signing statement on the $1.1 trillion omnibus government spending bill, Trump singled out the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program as an example of provisions in the funding bill “that allocate benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity, and gender.”
Trump said his administration would treat those programs “in a manner consistent with the requirement to afford equal protection of the law under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.”’
Previous presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, often issued such statements when they signed legislation to signal they might ignore or disregard parts of laws passed by Congress.
Talk about disingenuous and backhanded. But then again, this is the same administration that made a big deal of bringing in a bunch of school presidents from HBCUs for a listening tour and White House photo op (remember Kellyanne Conway’s feet on the couch in the Oval Office?) but never actually bothered to listen to their needs and concerns. This is the very same administration that has hired Jeff Sessions, Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller and openly courts racists and white supremacists as friends and allies. So is anyone really all that surprised that they are threatening to withhold funding from universities that educate black students? Even after they trotted out Omarosa to tell us how Trump would be so good for HBCUs?
Congressional supporters of historically black colleges called the signing statement "stunningly careless and divisive."
"Trump’s statement is not only misinformed factually, it is not grounded in any serious constitutional analysis," Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Cedric Richmond (D-La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, wrote in a joint statement. "For a president who pledged to reach out to African-Americans and other minorities, this statement is stunningly careless and divisive. We urge him to reconsider immediately.”
But after the weekend, Trump backtracked. Now it seems that he’s on board with appropriating the funds for HBCUs and supports their educational missions. That is, until he’s not. Again.
But on Sunday, in a second statement, Trump said the signing statement “sets forth my intention to spend the funds it appropriates, including the funds for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), consistently with my responsibilities under the Constitution. It does not affect my unwavering support for HBCUs and their critical educational missions.”
Meanwhile Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos weighed in on this issue as well. Betsy, who knows little about education, public schools or history, reaffirmed her commitment to HBCUs. You may remember when she called HBCUs “pioneers of school choice,” leaving out that pesky part about the fact that they were founded during the height of America’s racial segregation.
DeVos issued her own statement on Sunday night, saying she is “a strong supporter of historically black colleges and universities and the critical role they play in communities and in our higher education system.”
"I am happy to see the president reaffirmed this administration’s support for HBCUs,” DeVos said. “I will continue to be an advocate for them and for programs that make higher education more accessible to all students.”
This administration continues to play with people’s lives and access to opportunity. Nothing about this is making America great again. Playing “will they, won’t they” with funding has dangerous consequences when low enrollment and high debt are reasons that many HBCUs are fighting for their survival. HBCUs are places of safety and refuge for black students in a time when racism and bigotry are prevalent at other institutions of higher learning. Not to mention that HBCUs are responsible for educating the majority of black doctors, lawyers, engineers, dentists and public school teachers. But Donald Trump does not care about black students and whether or not they go to college. Donald Trump doesn’t care about black communities improving or thriving. Donald Trump doesn’t care about anybody but himself.