Trump: ‘Really Sad’ No Black Actors Had Any Academy Award Nominations

‘You know, Al [Sharpton] is just guy who wants to get publicity for himself’

DOOCY: “I’ve got to ask you about this. This is something in the show business world, and you’re been part of that for a very long time. Al Sharpton is now calling for people not to watch the Oscars because for the second consecutive year, no black actors were nominated in any of the four acting categories. Jada Pinkett Smith, Will’s wife, said she was upset about it. You got Spike Lee saying I’m not going to go. What do you make of this?”
TRUMP: “Well I think it’s a tough situation. I think it’s really sad. And you know, Al is just a guy who wants to get publicity for himself. And I understand him very well. Al would actually probably say that he was a friend of Donald Trump, OK? Maybe not on television, but outside of television. I think it’s a tough situation. I saw somebody on your show today saying well, what do we do with B-E-T? Black entertainment, right? So —“
KILMEADE: “Stacey Dash.”
TRUMP: “You know, because over there — the whites don’t get any nominations or don’t get — and I thought it was an amazing interview, actually. I never even thought of it from that standpoint. But with all of that being said, it would certainly be nice if everybody could be represented properly. And hopefully that’s the case. But perhaps it’s not the case. It’s a — it’s a difficult situation.”
KILMEADE: “But Ronald, if you’re Chris Rock, and again for the second consecutive year there are no blacks who got nominated and now there’s pressure from the black community for him to step out, what would you recommend he do?”
TRUMP: “Well, I think he’ll probably say something, you know, and joke about it a little bit, and do it the way he does. He’s a great guy. I know him pretty well. He’s a very good guy and a very funny guy. He’ll probably make a big issue out of it, and I think that’s fine. Let it be known. And —“
KILMEADE: “Show up.”
TRUMP: “You know, if somebody deserves it — if somebody deserves it, I mean I’ve watched over the years, where blacks have, in fact, received academy awards. And have been very well represented, and this is not one of those years. But over the years I’ve seen, numerous black actors, and African-American actors receive academy awards. And I think that’s great. This doesn’t happen to be one of those years. But, it’s a difficult situation.”
DOOCY: “Yeah, it is.”
TRUMP: “And you know, when Al Sharpton — when Al Sharpton’s jumping up and down, you know, people say, well, give me a break.”

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