Jared Kushner Said That Black People Should « Want to Be Successful » — and I Don’t Understand Where He Is Wrong ?
The comments made by President Trump’s son-in-law and former Senior Adviser weren’t offensive and didn’t deserve the storm of hate and overreaction that followed.
On October 26, 2020, during an interview with Fox News, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, then his Senior Advisor, said that the policies his father-in-law has put in place are policies that « can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about », but that he alone could not « want them to be successful more than they want to be successful ». And in the hours and days that followed this interview, many people reacted on social media and TV shows, citing vile, meaningless and racist remarks.
But here’s the thing — I’m Black myself, having a more than indifferent opinion about Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka, and I don’t find his comments offensive. I even agree with what he said. So what’s the problem ?
Black people and unemployment : A long and troubled history
For Jared Kushner, Black Americans — but the same goes for blacks in the rest of the world, especially in Europe, where I have lived all my life — must « want to be successful ». This is especially true when we remember the dark days of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the United States.
For centuries, Black people were denied the most basic rights. In 1877, in order to impede the exercise of the constitutional rights of African-Americans acquired in the aftermath of the Civil War (the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments), Jim Crow laws introduced racial segregation in public places and services (restaurants, cinemas, cafés, schools, hospitals, waiting rooms, etc.) and restricted social interaction between whites and blacks to the strict minimum, under the principle of “Separate but Equal”.
And this inevitably had consequences for Black people’s lives — getting work was difficult and when they did, they were paid much less than White workers (although this was due to a lack of training for Black people, but this said lack of training was purely out of racism). Today, it is clear that the situation has changed — but the trauma of the past is still present among the Black American population, which has difficulty finding work.
It is clear that there is an employment gap affecting Black people and this is, unfortunately, not new. As Rand Corporation notes, when the Great Recession began, the black unemployment rate « increased to double digits and remained that high for more than six years. » And it took more than a decade for Black workers’ incomes to return to pre-Recession levels.
Despite the past, at the beginning of 2020, the unemployment rate among blacks was at its lowest. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and turned everything upside down. While the situation has raised the stakes for everyone, it cannot be ignored that Black and Latino populations have suffered the most — and today, in the midst of the Covid-19 economic recovery and recession, Black people are the ones subject to lower hiring rates and more layoffs.
With these data, it is obvious to notice that the economic recovery is (still) putting Black people on the spot and thus perpetuating a systemic racism that has, unfortunately, been present for centuries.
The suffering endured in the past should not normally affect Black Americans, at least not to such an extent, and they should instead use it as a force to rise up and show that they too can succeed. Although the recent economic crises may have led us to fear significant repercussions for Black people, they have shown that, despite the difficulty, they are able to overcome these hardships.
Black people and Trump : A relationship based on trust and change
Jared Kushner’s comments were directly labelled as « racist », « disrespectful » and indicative of the « casual racism » he has always shown. Many internet users and political figures reacted by pointing out the social background Kushner comes from and is part of, how he achieved his success — thanks to his rich family — and the privilege he has always had to date. A certain luck that Black people never had.
The mere idea that Black Americans lack the will to succeed is repugnant and outrageous to the populace. The vast majority of them will put forward the argument of systemic racism suffered years ago and, in their view, still suffered today, to justify the lack of opportunity Black people are given to undertake things and succeed. But here’s the thing — extending this to the global black population worldwide, I say that this is completely wrong. And that there is some truth to what Kushner said.
Indeed, in an excellent article by the media outlet Vox explaining why, in the 2020 presidential elections, former President Donald Trump won many more Black voters than he did in 2016, it is reported that the black population is deeply disillusioned with Barack Obama’s eight years in office and the fact that they have always voted for Democrats for « 50 and 60 years » without ever seeing any change.
Marco Bisbee, a Black American citizen who voted for Trump in the 2020 election and whom The New York Times interviewed at a Republican rally for the President in Michigan, said : « We’ve been voting for Democrats for 50 and 60 years and no progress — y’all had eight years of a Black man as President, he ain’t give you what you need. » And I think that’s very true.
I will always remember the immense excitment that Barack Obama’s accession to power in 2008 and his re-election in 2012 caused — the black population of the United States and the world was particularly proud to see the first Black man in history become the President of one of the world’s powerful countries, and we all expected that this would bring about significant and momentous changes for Black people. How can I describe how we all fell from a (very) high place when we realized that we had got it all wrong.
Former President Obama was never going to act for Black people, especially Americans but also those in the rest of the world, he was going to act first and foremost for his country. The interests of the country he promised to protect and make shine internationally came before everything else — before the needs and interests of the black population.
Former President Donald Trump promised to change the situation of Black Americans, particularly in economic and financial terms, rather than in ethical terms, but this did not seem to bother his Black supporters. Quite the contrary.
Still relying on the Vox analytical article, according to Ationza Smith, a Joe Biden supporter during the election and co-founder of the activist group Revolutionaries Demanding Justice, Donald Trump’s Black supporters liked the fact that he had « improved employability » — « they’re basically kind of looking at things on a business level and not necessarily an ethics level », she said.
Trump promised real economic change and progress for Black Americans, including his “Platinum Plan”, which announced a commitment to « uplift Black communities across the country through a $500 billion investment. » This money would have funded « 3 million new Black jobs », « 500,000 new Black businesses », an « increase in Black homeownership » and « new opportunities for Black churches to receive federal dollars ».
What also attracted more Black people to Trump was the fact that he made success accessible to all. As Vox notes, through his many self-help books and his Trump University, Donald Trump « promised that everyone could be like him, even if they were not born wealthy as he was. » By emphasising the wage increase, the previous low unemployment rate and his Platinum Plan, he was sending a clear message to blacks that their financial and economic aspirations were not unattainable, provided he wins « a second term ».
And this was particularly applauded by many Black people, including celebrities such as 50 Cent and Lil Wayne, who even met the President to discuss his Platinum Plan.
Now, to really understand the substance of Jared Kushner’s comments, we have to look at the past. Nash County’s South Carolina Democratic Party First Vice Chair Kevin Jones told Vox that « Trump’s promise to give Black Americans the tools they need to build themselves a better life speaks to something deeply ingrained in many Black Americans », especially for those residing in the South, like himself. The southern United States is known for having established the racist and segregationist Jim Crow laws and for having been, in particular, the capital of the Confederate and pro-slavery States at the time. History therefore resonates, and Black Americans in the South have, for a very long time, experienced difficulties in improving their living conditions.
« Nobody believes in bootstrapping more than Black people in the South », Jones said. And Trump promised to facilitate that bootstrapping, and said that the opportunity was only waiting for those ready to seize it.
Jared Kushner’s comments : A truthful lesson on the path to success
Many failed to understand the message behind Kushner’s comments. Success is not achieved by snapping your fingers. It takes willpower, « hard work », « effort », « vision » and « courage ». Thus, the hidden message in the former President’s son-in-law’s remarks was passed on to those who see success as such and « believe in bootstrapping ».
And this will, this hard work, is not present among Black people. At least, not very much.
It is common knowledge that the past has been particularly harsh for Black people. Between the numerous segregation laws, the murders and assassinations due to racism, the basic rights that were not granted to them, the systemic racism and so on, it is clear that we’ve come a long way and that we’ve had it rough. But this systemic racism and this racism experienced in the past has changed — although it is still present, it is less so. Today, everyone — and I mean everyone — has access to the tools and has the opportunity to succeed, they just have to take the chance.
A majority of Black people, unfortunately, spend their time hiding behind the past to justify their unwillingness to succeed, to take advantage of the opportunities and tools available to them to do so. A majority of Black people defend Black (often career) criminals on the basis that the past has made it difficult for them to find work, improve their lives and work their way up the ladder.
When Jared Kushner said, on October 26, 2020, that Black people must « want to be successful » and that it is not Trump who can make them want to be successful (but they, through willpower), he was right. He was not being racist, as some have said, but realistic. He was telling the plain and simple truth.
The serious lack of willpower, effort and hard work that Black people show is the reason why they have a high crime rate. Of course, some Black people do and have always done well — they have worked, believed in their ability and used the tools made available to them to succeed, but, sadly, I fear that this is only a minority.
The constant victimhood that Black people unfortunately show is the reason why they are under-represented in achievement graphics and rankings. Beware — I am not saying that racism no longer exists or anything, it is still present in some professions and areas (cf. the Covid recession, as noted above), and Black people are still subject to difficulties with employability and so on, but it’s still less present and serious than it once was. As a result, Black students now have a greater advantage in university admissions than Asian students and students of other races, as this Harvard study shows.
It is not said that Black people are lazy, but the majority of them (those who do not want to use the tools provided to help them) must want to be successful. They must want to put in effort and work. It is this willingness that will change the game. And that is a sad truth that many people do not want to hear and realize.
References :
- Twitter. Jared Kushner on the Black community. Freelance journalist Aaron Rupar. October 26, 2020.
- Wikipedia. “Separate but Equal” (legal doctrine).
- The Atlantic. Searching for the Origins of the Racial Wage Disparity In Jim Crow America. Gillian B. White. February 9, 2016.
- Rand Corporation (2x). Laid Off, Hired Less: Black Workers in the Covid-19 Recession. Jhacova Williams. September 29, 2020.
- Urban Institute. How Covid-19 Is Affecting Black and Latino Families’ Employment and Financial Well-Being. Steven Brown. May 6, 2020.
- American Progress. Black Men and the U.S. Economy: How the Economic Recovery Is Perpetuating Systemic Racism. Lorena Roque, Rose Khattar, Arohi Pathak. March 28, 2022.
- USA Today. Jared Kushner says Black people need to ‘want to be successful’. William Cummings. October 26, 2020.
- Vox Media (3x). Trump made gains with Black voters in some states. Here’s why. Sean Collins. November 4, 2020.
- The New York Times. Can Trump Woo Enough Black Men to Hurt Biden in Battleground States?. Astead W. Herndon, Nick Corasaniti, Kathleen Gray. October 31, 2020.
- Facebook. Revolutionaries Demanding Justice (activist group).
- CNN. Trump unveils ‘Platinum Plan’ for Black Americans. Maegan Vasquez. October 7, 2020.
- NME. 50 Cent confirms Trump support once again: ‘I don’t want to be 20 Cent’. Nick Reilly. October 22, 2020.
- Twitter. Lil Wayne’s meeting with former President Trump to discuss Platinum Plan. October 29, 2020.
- Twitter. Jared Kushner on Fox News about the Black community. Bloomberg journalist Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou. October 26, 2020.
- Vanity Fair. In Election Hail Mary, Jared Kushner Tells Black People They’re Lazy and Unambitious. Bess Levin. October 26, 2020.
- The Harvard Crimson. Asian-American Harvard Applicants Saw Lowest Admit Rate of Any Racial Group From 1995 to 2013. Shera S. Avi-Yonah, Molly C. McCafferty. October 19, 2018.
