Former Attorney General Eric Holder fired a shot at America’s past as he questioned the thoughts behind President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan
Holder declared that America’s greatness “never, in fact, really existed” during an interview on MSNBC’s “The Beat With Ari Melber” on Wednesday.
The Obama-era attorney general, who has decided not to run as a Democratic presidential candidate for 2020 so he can focus on issues like partisan redistricting and criminal justice reform, was expounding on those topics when host Ari Melber asked about America’s past.
“There is a lot of talk about America being a leader as a democracy, quote unquote, in the 1800s when women and African-Americans couldn’t vote. What kind of democracy is that?” Melber questioned.
“That’s exactly right. And that’s what I hear these things about ‘let’s make America great again’ and I think to myself, ‘exactly when did you think America was great’?” Holder replied.
“It certainly wasn’t when people were enslaved. It certainly wasn’t when women didn’t have the right to vote. It certainly wasn’t when the LGBT community was denied the rights to which it was entitled,” he argued.
“Does that phrase echo as discrimination in your ears?” Melber asked about Trump’s signature campaign phrase.
“It takes us back to what I think, an American past that never in fact really existed. This notion of greatness,” Holder responded.
“You know, America has done superb things. It has done great things. And it has been a leader in you know, a whole range of things,” he acknowledged. “But we are always a work in process and … looking back, ‘Make America Great Again’ is inconsistent with who we are as Americans at our best where we look at the uncertain future, embrace it and make it our own.”
The prominent Democrat’s stunning remarks were reminiscent of those made by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year which earned him a deserved roasting after stating that America “was never that great.”
“We’re not going to make America great again. It was never that great,” Cuomo said last August during a bill signing event which he turned into a Trump-bashing tirade. The Democrat mayor’s attempt to clarify his remarks only served to stoke the fire he had ignited.
‘Blithering idiot’: Cuomo attempts to ‘clarify’ America ‘was never great’ comment, but only makes it worse https://t.co/wZOj58JR84 pic.twitter.com/a5T6FEnUnF
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) August 16, 2018
Cuomo became the target of Trump’s wrath after his remarks, with the president asking on Twitter how the governor would survive after making his statement.
“WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT.” Can you believe this is the Governor of the Highest Taxed State in the U.S., Andrew Cuomo, having a total meltdown!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
How does a politician, Cuomo, known for pushing people and businesses out of his state, not to mention having the highest taxes in the U.S., survive making the statement, WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT? Which section of the sentence is worse?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2018
Holder’s regard for America, just like Cuomo’s set him up for a heavy fire on Twitter.
Says the man who headed up the program to run guns to Mexican drug cartels, resulting in 100’s of murders. — Eric Holder goes on MAGA attack: ‘Exactly when did you think America was great?’ https://t.co/4YXjkSSeae #FoxNews
— Tom Gresham (@Guntalk) March 28, 2019
Obama’s AG, this is what the Dems think of America- that we were never great?! #WalkAway https://t.co/1MtbVtvqbC
— Jerry DeWolf (@DeWolfJerry) March 28, 2019
When your definition of “great” is color coded, your view is warped by definition. To these communists ‘greatness’ begins and ends with their ultimate power. https://t.co/J5RonKjbzc #FoxNews
— curtis oakes (@curtiseoakes) March 28, 2019
If these DEMS think they can win elections by slamming America they are sorely wrong!!! Eric Holder goes on MAGA attack: ‘Exactly when did you think America was great?’https://t.co/E9canHEKug
— IAMARIZONA (@IAMAZONIE) March 28, 2019
Eric Holder just asked, “exactly when did you think America was great?”
Answer: July 20, 1969.@TheRealBuzz #Apollo11 #Apollo50th @NASA @JackSchmitt17 #MAGA #NASA #Moon pic.twitter.com/Mf89m84h75
— J. Christian Adams (@ElectionLawCtr) March 28, 2019
An American trashes the very nation that emancipated slaves by a bloody civil war, liberated nations at the cost of millions of lives and put men on the Moon. REAL. SAD.https://t.co/r67EssQX9x
— Chris Cappannelli, Ed.D. (@DoctorCappy) March 28, 2019
It was always great, better if u liberals would cut the shit out.
Eric Holder goes on MAGA attack: ‘Exactly when did you think America was great?’ https://t.co/iZhG95EjQo #FoxNews— Nelson Torres (@TorresNt131382) March 28, 2019
Before Obama second term America was doing just fine https://t.co/NqFndja0Cf
— Janie Hsieh, PhD (@JanieHsieh) March 28, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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