Al Sharpton: Nobody in New York Took Donald Trump Seriously Until Birtherism

‘You have to remember many of us in New York never took Donald Trump seriously’

EXCERPT:

SHARPTON: "I think he thinks that any visible black, because he could have picked on other civil rights guys, but he thinks they know my name and they’re visible. It doesn’t matter whether it’s me or Cummings or Maxine Waters. We’re good targets because people know me. So I happen to play into the stereotype. You have to remember many of us in New York never took Donald Trump seriously. So the reason you can have this complicated relationship is I’m in New York, I grew up here. You always had these bigger-than-life figures. Broadway is down the block. You see this guy is out two or three years and then he dies out as a career. So nobody took him seriously. I jumped on him on the Central Park Five case and housing. Go to fights, Don King, I'm close to Mike Tyson, and the character Donald Trump sitting there, no big deal. Until birtherism, and then he becomes the face of a political movement that we started taking him seriously. So it wasn’t like we were all cool with Donald Trump. We were nothing with Donald Trump. It was like if a guy walked in here right now and was the head of the circus at Madison Square Garden, you know, I like him or not like him but nobody really took him that seriously. You would say to him, oh, can I have that seat or something. Donald Trump was not a player. Nobody was running to him if they were running for office in New York and say I need your endorsement. Nobody was saying I need a photograph with you. He was not that kind of figure until birtherism."

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