At a recent rally in Atlanta, former President Donald Trump claimed credit for the survival of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), specifically referring to Clark Atlanta University. He brought on stage Michaelah Montgomery, founder of Conserve the Culture and a former student of the university, stating, "She looks at me, says, 'It's President Trump. You saved my college.' And I said, 'How the h-ll do you know that?'... This one is so smart, so sharp," as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. Trump went on to say, "She grabbed me. She gave me a kiss," followed by, "I said, 'I think I’m never going back home to the first lady.'"
In response to the former President's remarks, Clark Atlanta University released a statement clarifying that while grateful for the bipartisan support received during the Trump administration, they were not "saved" by COVID funding. The statement, "As amongst our nation's 4,000 Higher Education institutions, multi-national corporations, hospitals, and others to have benefited from CARES and HEERF bipartisan support garnered during the administration of Former President Donald Trump, Clark Atlanta University is appreciative of such support, but was not ‘saved’ by COVID funding," was shared on their Instagram as indicated by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The New York Post covered the same event, noting Montgomery's presence and her remarks to the crowd. She emphasized the importance of spreading the conservative message among HBCU students and asked, "Nobody needs this message more than my folks, so do y’all care for real?" to a cheering audience, according to the New York Post. Montgomery's charisma was spotlighted as Trump called her "incredible" and acknowledged her "tremendous future."
These statements at the rally come amid recent scrutiny Trump faced for comments on Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity. He remarked, "She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage", adding confusion over her ethnicity with, "I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?", as was covered following his appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson supported Trump by praising him for "answering tough questions" at the conference, as per the New York Post.
