Last week, the Trump campaign issued a press release: "Mr. Trump will be joined by a coalition of 100 African American Evangelical pastors and religious leaders who will endorse the GOP frontrunner after a private meeting at Trump Tower."
On Wednesday, Donald himself told the media that 100 black pastors would be endorsing him during a meeting that is scheduled for 1:00 PM tomorrow.
The Facts:
Darrel Scott, pastor of the New Spirit Revival Center in Ohio, assisted in organizing the event. Mr. Scott later told the media that the invitations were never meant to be seen as an endorsement of Mr. Trump's candidacy. (Give La Donald an inch...)
Black pastors on the invitation list are not happy that their names are being circulated by the Trump campaign as examples of Mr. Trump's support from the black community. Bishop Corletta Vaughn, Senior Pastor of Detroit's Holy Spirit Cathedral of Faith, said she was shocked to see her name on a list of black pastors endorsing Donald Trump. "Let me be clear. I was invited to attend a gathering of clergy to listen to Mr. Trump... I respectively (sic) declined as I do not support nor will I endorse Donald Trump."
Bishop Paul Morton, a pastor from Atlanta replied to his presumed endorsement by tweeting, "I was asked 2 meet with Mr Trump too but I refused because until he learns how to respect people you can't represent me thru my endorsement."
Bishop Clarence McClendon of Los Angeles responded, "I am not officially endorsing ANY candidate and when I do you will NOT need to hear it from pulpitting courtjesters who suffer from intellectual and spiritual myopia."
Rev. Jamal Bryant, an AME pastor in Baltimore said "The 100 pastors they say are endorsing Donald Trump? I don't know where those 100 are from."
The Trump campaign did not respond to inquiries from the Daily Beast as to which pastors will be endorsing Mr. Combover. CNN likewise was greeted with silence when they questioned campaign representatives if the black pastor conclave was, perhaps, not exactly as advertised.
m'eye Verdict:
Ah, Donald, Donald, Donald. You may claim to have the best memory in the history of mankind, (you wouldn't exaggerate about that would you?), but there seems to be a blind spot in your mastery of the English language. "Meeting" and "endorsement" do not mean the same thing; they're not even close.
However, La Donald doesn't deserve the full 5 out of 5 treatment for his latest bit of personal puff-uppery. To be honest, (someone has to be), he probably believes that his preternatural powers of persuasion are such that he will easily have these black pastors calling for his coronation and toasting him with single barrel Trump Kool-aid by 1:15.
Since the meeting hasn't actually taken place yet, and I can't prove that Mr. Trump will not be able to find 100 black clergy who accept that encouraging the beating of a black protester during a Trump rally is really a sign of respect, I'm forced to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Had I waited and posted this tomorrow, I expect he would have earned a full compliment of Gops; but with the facts we have today--and because delusional aggrandizement is more mental illness than prevarication--Mr. Trump's fantasy earns him 3 1/2 out of 5 Gops.
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