https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNdEuqkQlg0
Pastor Darrell Scott, a prominent Donald Trump supporter, discussed plans Wednesday to host a summit about race among Black athletes and artists with the President.
He dished on the plans to Politico May 2 saying that stars from various political sides will be invited to two summits with Trump: one for sports stars and another for musical entertainers. The athletes’ summit would likely be held between the end of the NBA finals in mid-June and ahead of NFL training camp in late July. A summit for entertainers would happen sooner, before the sports-based one.
The Cleveland-based pastor said discussions are preliminary and no dates have been set, but he’s gearing up to meet with Trump on Thursday about making the summit happen. Scott, who said the idea has been aided by Kanye West expressing support for Trump on Twitter last week, is confident the president will attend once the details are hashed out.
“It’s going to be unscripted, unfiltered, blunt,” Scott said. “No topic is off the table.”
Stars who Scott and co-organizer Andrew Giuliani of the White House Office of Public Liaison are looking to invite to the summit include Trump supporters West, ex-Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown along with basketball Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes and boxer Evander Holyfield.
Scott also said non-Trump backers are also welcome, but was doubtful that they’d sit down with the president face-to-face.
“A lot of people have spunk and courage on Twitter,” he said. “I wonder how many will actually show up.”
While speaking to TMZ Wednesday, Scott said an invite had also been extended to Colin Kaepernick, who’s free agency Trump had mocked after the quarterback’s national anthem protest.
“We have reached out to someone who knows Colin Kaepernick and we extended an invitation,” Scott says. “I don’t know if he received it yet, but we did tell him someone who knows him to reach out to him. We would love to have him there.”
Scott also noted that West, who drew controversy by saying slavery sounds “like a choice” earlier this week, was invited to the summit regardless of his Trump-backing tweets of late.
“A lot of people took offense to it,” Scott says of West’s slavery comment. “I know what he was trying to say, I just don’t think he articulated it the way that would appeal to masses. But his heart is right in this respect.”
The pastor hopes that the different perspectives result in “heated” debates but “I want it to stay respectful. I don’t anticipate anybody throwing any blows.”
He hopes the summit results in “understanding, a lessening of hostility, a truce, a peace accord” but he noted it “might be harder to do than the Korean talks.”
