MLK’s Son Rejects Pence Comparing Trump to His Father: ‘Love, Not Hate, Will Make America Great’
On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence compared President Donald Trump to Martin Luther King Jr. on the eve of the day celebrating the life and legacy of the iconic civil rights leader. On Monday, son Martin Luther King III pushed back.
On Face the Nation on Sunday, Pence used a quote from King to characterize Trump’s border wall push.
“Honestly, you know, the hearts and minds of the American people today are thinking a lot about it being the weekend where we remember the life and the work of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.,” Pence said. “One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.'”
“You think of how he changed America, he inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union,” Pence continued. “That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do.”
On Monday, Martin Luther King III reportedly took exception to Pence’s attempt to paint the two men as having a common goal, in remarks in D.C. from the National Action Network’s annual MLK Day breakfast. Staff writer at The Atlantic Edward-Isaac Dovere tweeted the quote.
“The vice president attempted to compare the president to Martin Luther King Jr.,” it reads. “Martin Luther King Jr was a bridge builder, not a wall builder. Martin Luther King Jr. would say, ‘Love, not hate, will make America great.'”
.@OfficialMLK3 in DC blasts Pence for invoking his father:
“The vice president attempted to compare the president to Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr was a bridge builder, not a wall builder. Martin Luther King Jr. would say, ‘Love, not hate,will make America great.'”— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) January 21, 2019
It has been pointed out that MLK spoke specifically on the topic of a wall when he gave a speech in East Berlin in 1964.
“It is indeed an honor to be in this city, which stands as a symbol of the divisions of men on the face of the earth. For here on either side of the wall are God’s children and no man-made barrier can obliterate that fact. Whether it be East or West, men and women search for meaning, hope for fulfillment, yearn for faith in something beyond themselves, and cry desperately for love and community to support them in this pilgrim journey.”
[Featured Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images]
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