President Donald Trump seemingly admits to thinking that Diamond and Silk, the duo known for being his most vocal supporters, were the same person, sending Twitter into a frenzy on Sunday.
Conservative and liberals were caught in a back and forth after a political pundit tweeted video of Trump speaking about his relationship with the sisters on Saturday during a memorial service for Lynette “Diamond” Hardaway, who died on Jan. 8.
“I’m serious. I thought I knew them both. I didn’t. I knew Diamond, but I didn’t know Silk at all,” the former Republican president said to the crowd at the Crown Theatre in Fayetteville, North Carolina. “I just learned about Silk. You’re fantastic. You’re going to carry on beyond, beyond anybody’s wildest imaginations.”
The service, dedicated to the life of the 51-year-old Black woman who died suddenly in her home, became a love fest for the former president and a stage for MAGA talking points. Her sister Rochelle “Silk” Richardson said it was the way Hardaway would’ve wanted it to be, quoting one-liners that her sibling infamously said over the last six years in support of Trump in her eulogy.
While Trump dedicated some of his speech to his memories of Hardaway, he spent much of the hour talking about his own accomplishments and disdain for his critics. He also touched on his dedication to historically Black colleges and universities. However, his comments that caused a stir on Twitter the following day were not as they seemed and were made in response to Richardson’s fiery speech.
Attorney and former Republican turned GOP critic Ron Filipkowski shared a snippet of Trump’s speech on Sunday morning, pointing out that the former president said he only knew one of the two women who made several appearances with him together.
“After Silk goes on and on about how much she loves Trump and all the great times they had together, Trump gets up and says this: “I knew Diamond, but I didn’t know Silk at all. I just learned about Silk. You’re fantastic.”
Filipkowski’s tweet did not provide the full context of Trump’s statement. The GOP leader was complimenting the woman’s eulogy, which was filled with idioms, buzzwords and echoes of his own political jargon. Trump said he was surprised because Richardson had always appeared to be the quieter sister.
“I thought you were the quiet one,” Trump said. “I said Silk is really smart, but she’s very quiet. She’s not quiet.”
Richardson spoke for about 45 minutes in memory of her sister. First proclaiming that she is “not trying to fill her sister’s shoes,” which were displayed on a table in front of a large photograph of Hardaway on stage. Still, she vowed to carry on their political talk show solo.
“She is the original, and no one, and I do mean no one, can ever take her place,” Richardson said. “No one. She’s our magnificent diamond, shining and bright in the heat of the night. She wasn’t new to this. She was true to this.”
During the eulogy, Richardson also said her sister was a generous person who loved people and who would willingly give to anyone she saw was in need. She also highlighted Diamond’s love for her country and dislike for those who spoke against Trump.
“Diamond was a patriot. She hated the way this country went from greatness to unrecognizable,” Richardson said. “She hated how it went from God-fearing to demonic.”
Filipkowski’s video was viewed more than 4 million times and retweeted nearly 5,000 times by noon Sunday. Over 3,000 also replied to the clip on Filipkowsk’s page.
“That’s gotta hurt,” wrote media personality Benjamin Dixon.
“10-to-1 Trump thought Diamond and Silk were the same person,” wrote Manda Posthumously.
The sisters who were born 10 months apart were often referred to as Irish twins, Richardson said. Hardaway said she was shocked after her sister’s death at their North Carolina home. They had just returned home from a brother’s birthday party and were discussing ideas for an upcoming project and their current show. Richardson said she left the room for a few minutes and returned to her sister “looking strange.”
Hardaway ended a phone conversation with their younger sister and told her older sister, Richardson, she couldn’t breathe.
“I got her to the kitchen table. I opened the back door so she could get some air,” Richardson recalled. “And each breath was less and less and less until her eyes became a stare.”
Richardson and her husband performed CPR under the instruction of a 911 dispatcher, but they could not revive Hardaway. Neither could the emergency personnel who arrived at the home.
Still, Richardson somehow tied the death into politics, immediately segueing into claims that the pair were conspiracy theorists.
“Don’t you dare call me a conspiracy theorist because I saw it happen. I saw how it happened. I was there when it happened. And it happened suddenly,” Richardson, referring back to an earlier part in her speech where she said more attention needs to be drawn to sudden adult death syndrome.
Research shows the syndrome has most often been used to categorize deaths of people under 40, with a rise in cases since the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, those suspicious of coronavirus vaccines believe the shots may have contributed to a spike in sudden deaths.
“I want America to wake up and pay attention. Something ain’t right. It’s time to investigate what’s really going on here and get some answers to why are people falling dead suddenly,” she added.
Still, there was also public speculation that Hardaway died because of COVID-19 complications, which her sister has vehemently denied.
During the speech, Richardson said her sister’s spirit told her to say she wasn’t an “anti-vaxxer” but was “anti-mandates.” She also channeled through her a message about the 2020 election being stolen and pointless mask mandates.
