The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

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Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:21 PM

Rev. Martin Luther King's Niece, Dr. Alveda King Says It's Outrageous Critics Are Calling President Trump Racist

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece ripped accusations that President Trump is a "racist" for speaking in an off-color manner about third world countries.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin claimed Trump referred to Haiti and the African continent as a "s**thole," prompting critics to label the president a racist.

Dr. Alveda King said Saturday on "Fox & Friends" such claims about Trump are "outrageous."

She said that Trump has done excellent work in highlighting the important accomplishments of her uncle, including officially declaring his Georgia birthplace a national historic park.

"Racism is just a word that is being bandied about and thrown... at the president unjustly," she said. "President Trump is not a racist."

King said that, in his reported remarks, Trump was not disparaging Africans or Haitians but instead calling attention to the fact many of their governments are inadequate and corrupt.

"Some of their own leaders have taken advantage of them," she said.

She also criticized American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan, who repeatedly shouted "are you a racist" at the president during the King Birthplace park signing ceremony.