Democrats accuse Kushner of ‘casual racism’ over comments about Black Americans

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner sparked backlash from Democrats on Capitol Hill after he said on Monday that Black Americans had to “want to be successful” in order for President Trump’s economic policies to work more effectively. 

“Jared Kushner is the face of white privilege and nepotism. He doesn’t want to change our racist, broken system because he benefits from it,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said in a tweet shortly after his comments. “He’s the last person that should be lecturing the Black community on the value of ‘hard work.’”

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) was more forceful.

“Trust fund baby slumlord Kushner who has enriched himself in the WH takes the silver spoon out of his mouth long enough to insert his foot with a racist trope about Black people and success,” Moore tweeted.

Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) denounced Kushner’s comments as ignorant and a display of “white privilege” during an interview on CNN.

Richmond also said Kushner’s comments were “to be expected coming from this White House,” while pointing to directives issued from the Trump administration in recent weeks that banned training involving race and sex-based discrimination and teachings of so-called “divisive concepts” for executive departments and agencies, the U.S. military, federal contractors and federal grant recipients.

“This whole thought that the president could want success for Black people more than Black people is just consistent ignorance coming out of the White House,” Richmond said. 

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) accused Kushner of “casual racism” over the comments saying: “Born on third base, thinks he hit a triple. Few in US history have been given as much wealth or power without having to earn a thing as Jared Kushner.” 

“His father-in-law gave him the position he is failing at miserably, with deadly consequences,” he said, referring to President Trump. 

Former President Obama also added fuel to the political firestorm on Tuesday while delivering remarks at drive-in rally for Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Florida. 

“Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?” he said, before also taking aim at Trump’s long-repeated claim that he has done more for the African American community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.

The comments made by Kushner came during an interview on Fox News on Monday. In the interview, Kushner said that “one thing we’ve seen in a lot of the Black community, which is mostly Democrat, is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about.”

“But he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful,” he continued. 

The White House has sought to defend Kushner as he has drawn considerable backlash on social media over the comments. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said “internet trolls” took the senior adviser’s comments “out of context” to “distract from President Trump’s undeniable record of accomplishment for the Black community.” 

The comments by Kushner come amid efforts by the Trump campaign in recent months to drive support among Black voters in a bid to shed some of the strong momentum his opponent, Biden, has seen from the key bloc this year ahead of what some polls are showing is shaping up to be a tight race on Election Day.