After Oscar nominations were revealed last week without a black artist among the nominees, several celebrities, including director, Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith announced they would not be attending the ceremony.
Naturally, Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, was asked what he thought during an interview on FOX and Friends. After actress turned conservative pundit, Stacey Dash, called out Black Entertainment Television for giving awards to mostly black people, declaring it a double standard, later in the show, Trump said he thought she had a point.
“I saw somebody on your show today say, ‘Well, what do we do with BET?'” Trump said, calling in to the show the morning after Sarah Palin endorsed him for president. “The whites don’t get any nominations, and I thought it was an amazing interview, actually. I’ve never even thought of it from that standpoint.”
He continued: “I mean, I’ve watched over the years where African Americans have in fact received Academy Awards and have in fact been represented,” Trump said. “And this is not one of those years, but over the years I’ve seen numerous black actors and African American actors receive awards and I think that’s great. This doesn’t happen to be one of those years. … It’s a difficult situation.”
“I think it’s ludicrous, because we have to make up our minds,” Dash, told Steve Doocy earlier in the show. “Either we want to have segregation or integration. If we don’t want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you’re only awarded if you’re black. If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It’s a double standard.” Dash, known mostly for a role in the 90s movie Clueless, is African American.
Trump’s BET remarks begin at the 8:11 mark. Listen to the full interview for a discussion on his new best friend, Sarah Palin.
Via US Magazine
