BET Founder Says African-Americans Should Give President-Elect A Chance

Media mogul and BET founder Bob Johnson told CNBC Monday that fellow African-Americans should give President-elect Donald Trump “the benefit of the doubt” and that he hoped common ground can be reached with the incoming Republican administration about issues facing the black community.

Johnson met with Trump Sunday at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., a meeting Johnson described as a “great chat” about “business solutions to social problems.”

The Trump transition team said meeting topics included access to capital by small businesses and issues facing the inner cities.

The focus was on the ability of capitalism to create high-paying manufacturing and service industries.

During the campaign, Trump made the case to African-American voters that Democrats let them down, and argued repeatedly “what do you have to lose” by voting for him.

Johnson said he told the real estate mogul that instead of that question, he should be asking and attempting to answer the question of what African-Americans can gain from a Trump presidency.

With the current political climate being so divisive and many Democrats insisting they will not “normalize” Trump by even speaking to him, the BET founder took a different tact, saying he has known the president-elect and his son-in-law Jared Kushner for many years and doesn’t view them the way some others do.

Johnson said he believed Rep. Bill Clay Sr., a Missouri Democrat and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was right when he said black Americans should have no permanent friends, and no permanent enemies, just permanent interests.

In that vein, Johnson said he does not view Trump and the Republicans as enemies or friends.

Johnson said the country needs a leader, “not somebody who’s going to sort of choose sides,” and he is hopeful Trump can be that type of president.

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