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Trump tweets in defence of Tiger Woods and cites low unemployment rates for African-Americans

The president cites the unemployment rate any time a black celebrity has publicly commented on him

Mythili Sampathkumar
New York
Sunday 02 September 2018 15:32 BST
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Donald Trump defends Tiger Woods comments about their friendship and respecting the office of the president in his latest tweets
Donald Trump defends Tiger Woods comments about their friendship and respecting the office of the president in his latest tweets

Donald Trump has tweeted in defence of golfer Tiger Woods after his comments about respecting the office of the presidency and tied it to unemployment rates for African-Americans.

Mr Trump wrote Woods showed “great class” when answering a question about his friendship with the president after the Northern Trust golf tournament last week.

Woods had said “you have to respect the office [of the US president]. No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office."

It was less than a full-throated endorsement of Mr Trump himself, but that did not stop the president from showing support for Woods.

The actual connection between unemployment rates and his relationship with Woods is unclear, but the president has repeatedly cited the statistic any time a black celebrity has commented on him publicly or he has been accused of being racist by critics.

“Now they say the so-called “left” is angry at him. So sad, but the “centre & right” loves Tiger,” Mr Trump wrote.

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He also wrote: “The fact is that African/American unemployment is now the lowest in the history of our country. Same with Asian, Hispanic and almost every other group”.

He also referenced several other prominent African-Americans who have publicly stated support for him like rapper Kanye West, former boxer George Foreman, and former NFL player Jim Brown.

Woods had also commented on his relationship with Mr Trump, noting the pair have “played golf together. We've had dinner together. I've known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency,” but did not elaborate further.

Mr Trump also tweeted his administration “has already produced like no other, and everyone sees it!”

However, while it is true black unemployment rates hit a historic low of 5.9 per cent in June 2018, it is still higher for blacks than any other racial group, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It is also true the rate actually began falling under Barack Obama’s administration and have been in steady decline since then, so full attribution for that likely does not lie with the Trump administration.

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