U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday paid tribute to the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, describing him as a "good man" with a "forceful personality" and insisting that despite "false" accusations of racism, he always maintained a good relationship with the veteran African American activist.
"I knew him well, long before I was president," the New York magnate stated. According to him, he provided Jackson, a renowned civil rights activist and close collaborator of Martin Luther King Jr., and his Rainbow Coalition with office space in Trump Tower in Manhattan "for years."
"He was a good man, with a strong personality, courage, and street smarts," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that Jackson was "very affable, someone who truly loved people."
In his lengthy message, the Republican president listed several issues in which, he said, he supported Jackson, including his backing for his request to pass criminal justice reform and long-term funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), "which Jesse appreciated greatly and other presidents did not want to do."
"Jesse was a force of nature like few before him," Trump noted. He also mentioned Jackson's favorable response to his support for 'Opportunity Zones,' "the most successful economic development package ever passed for Black entrepreneurs."
"He loved his family very much, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences," he concluded. "Jesse will be missed!"
Jackson (1941-2026), a Baptist minister and two-time U.S. presidential candidate, died on Tuesday at the age of 84, surrounded by his loved ones, according to an announcement from his family. He revealed in 2017 that he suffered from Parkinson's disease and was hospitalized in November of last year to receive treatment for a rare and particularly severe neurodegenerative disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
