DeSantis team resurfaces clip of Trump saying he’s ‘fine’ with affirmative action
FILE – This combination of photos shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking on April 21, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md., left, and former President Donald Trump speaking on March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. A Florida ethics board has dismissed a complaint that allies of Trump filed against DeSantis, finding no legal basis for allegations that the governor violated campaign finance laws with a “shadow” run for the White House. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) presidential campaign resurfaced a 2015 clip of former President Trump saying he was “fine” with affirmative action on Thursday following the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck a blow to the college admissions practice.
The governor’s team posted a clip on the campaign’s war room account from the 2015 interview with then-candidate Trump on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I’m fine with affirmative action. We’ve lived with it for a long time. And I lived with it for a long time. And I’ve had great relationships with lots of people,” Trump tells host Chuck Todd in the interview.
When asked by Todd whether it should be expanded, Trump responded, “You have to also go free market. You have to do capability. You have to do a lot things.”
But Trump praised the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday, calling it “a great day for America.”
“People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “This is the ruling everyone was waiting and hoping for and the result was amazing. It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world. Our greatest minds must be cherished and that’s what this wonderful day has brought. We’re going back to all merit-based—and that’s the way it should be!”
More on the Supreme Court’s ruling from The Hill
- Supreme Court upends affirmative action in college admissions
- READ: Supreme Court’s affirmative action majority opinion
- Trump praises SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action: ‘This is a great day for America’
- Five things to know about Supreme Court’s decision to curtail college affirmative action
- How GOP presidential candidates are reacting to the Supreme Court affirmative action decision
The pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. gave Trump credit for the ruling, citing his nomination of conservative justices to the high court.
“President Donald Trump made today’s historic decision to end the racist college admissions process possible because he delivered on his promise to appoint constitutionalist justices,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the PAC. “America is a better nation as a result of the historic rulings led by Donald Trump’s three Supreme Court nominees.”
DeSantis also issued a statement Thursday, saying the high court ruled “correctly.”
“College admissions should be based on merit and applicants should not be judged on their race or ethnicity,” DeSantis said in a tweet. “The Supreme Court has correctly upheld the Constitution and ended discrimination by colleges and universities.”
