Ray Lewis is shedding some light on exactly what went down during his much talked-about meeting with Donald Trump earlier this week.
Lewis and NFL legend Jim Brown sent fans, political pundits and media cohorts into a frenzy on Tuesday afternoon when they were photographed at Trump Towers en route to an impromptu sit-down with the reality-star-turned-President-elect.
Many struggled to find the good that could come from such a meeting, given Trump’s documented history of showing little regard for issues affecting people of color, but Lewis insisted their discussion actually yielded positive results, with a specific focus on improving economic conditions in the country overall.
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“Urban development and job creation are everything,” Lewis told reporters following the meeting. “What we believe with the Trump Administration is if we can combine these two powers of coming together — forget black or white. Black or white is irrelevant. The bottom line is job creation and economic development in these urban areas to change the whole scheme of what our kids see.”
Brown echoed his cohort’s sentiments, but took things a step further by suggesting he has heard Trump speak about improving things for the Black community.
“I fell in love with him because he really talks about helping African-American, black people and that’s why I’m here,” Brown told CNN after the meeting. He later admitted that while he didn’t personally vote for Trump, he admires him for “surviving” the election.
Unfortunately for Trump and those sending praise his way, he’ll continue to have an uphill battle with Black voters after running a campaign that seemed to empower White supremacists and embracing political policies that stand to have an increasingly negative effect on African-American communities in the U.S.