Angela Rye was not having it when a Trump administration’s surrogate tried to justify yet another instance of the Trump family's tone-deafness.
Rye, writer Marc Lamont Hill and Trump Advisory Board member Paris Dennard joined Don Lemon for a CNN segment addressing Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s meeting with Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, following the Trump administration's unveiling of a controversial new American embassy in Jerusalem. Yosef has been accused racist and sexist comments.
When Lemon asked Dennard for his reaction to the Kushners' meeting with a rabbi “who once referred to black people as monkeys,” Dennard said he knew nothing about the comments and Yosef should apologize.
However, he then went onto compliment the couple’s willingness to meet with the rabbi.
“I think that it just shows that if the Kushners knew about that ahead of time … it shows great compassion, grace and love and acceptance. I think that’s an amazing thing,” said Denard.
That’s when it went left.
“What?!” Rye and Hill screamed in unison.
Hill tried to respond, but was so shocked, he could only say, "Go on, Angela, give 'em that work."
Rye was visually taken aback as well, so Lemon repeated Dennard’s statements and allowed him to explain his point.
“What I’m saying is because its such a derogatory thing, for them to not make a scene about it shows grace,” Dennard continued. “There have been many people, many pastors who have said things … Minster Louis Farrahkhan. I wouldn’t be disrespectful. I wouldn’t call him out and be rude or nasty towards him. I would try to show some grace.”
Rye proceeded to go all the way in.
“Paris, if someone calls you a monkey, you looking to show grace and love? You can’t do that with correction?” said Rye. “You can’t tell them who you really are. You’re a man! You cannot allow someone to call you an animal.”
Dennard tried to clapback by saying he didn’t need Rye to remind him of his manhood but she was undeterred.
“That wasn’t shade, I was just saying I think that you should just show grace and love by correcting brotha man,” she replied.
Rye went on to inform Dennard of other instances of bigotry from Yosef, including using slurs to refer to black Jews and comparing "women who dress 'immodestly' to animals." She then reiterated her point that allowing a blessing from him isn’t showing “grace and love;" and said the way to "shun bigotry [is] by making sure those people don't have a place in your life."
She finished by saying, “You don’t show grace and love to someone by allowing them to lay hands on you and bless you."
Dennard never stood a chance.
Check out the whole segment below:
