'No more of Jared's woke s**t!' Donald Trump tells allies he regrets following Kushner's advice on criminal justice reform and will follow his own instincts - as he calls Black Lives Matter sign a 'hate symbol'
- President Trump is regretting listening to son-in-law Jared Kushner's advice on passing bipartisan criminal justice reform
- Trump has pointed to the First Step Act when he's come under fire for racism and when he needs to prove he's helped black Americans
- But sources told Axios he feels the bill, which he signed in December 2018, has hurt him politically
- One person familiar with Trump's thinking described it as 'No more of Jared's woke s***'
- Since the death of George Floyd and Trump's fall in the presidential polls, Trump has leaned in to culture war themes
- Axios reported that Trump believes he needs to unequivocally support law enforcement to successfully win re-election
- Several hours before the story broke, Trump angrily tweeted about a 'Black Lives Matter' mural to be painted on New York's Fifth Ave. calling it a 'symbol of hate'
President Trump is regretting listening to son-in-law Jared Kushner's advice on passing criminal justice reform, back-pedaling on his most bipartisan accomplishment, which he's used to attract black voters and combat claims of racism.
Axios reported Trump's turnaround Wednesday, hours after Trump further sided with police in the cops-versus-Black Lives Matter debate, referring to a planned 'Black Lives Matter' street mural in New York City as a 'symbol of hate.'
The president's current thinking, one source told Axios, is 'no more of Jared's woke s***.'
President Trump is regretting listening to son-in-law Jared Kushner in supporting criminal justice reform, which he's used to talk up his record on helping black America. Axios reported Wednesday that Trump believes the move hurt him politically
Jared Kushner, captured leaving his D.C. home for work at the White House Tuesday, pushed for passage of the First Step Act and thought the president should promote it heavily as he campaigns for re-election
In December 2018, Trump signed the First Step Act, with the president pushing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, to get the bipartisan bill over the line.
The legislation had brought together top Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Mike Lee and prominent Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Dick Durbin.
In the House, Rep. Doug Collins, a staunch Trump backer during impeachment, worked alongside Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and civil rights activist, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat and rising Congressional star, to get it done.
Kushner, whose father had been imprisoned, pushed hard for the bill.
And it had the support of celebrities and media personalities including Kim Kardashian and CNN's Van Jones.
But Trump, according to Axios, feels like the Kumbaya moment, has hurt him politically.
Politico reported a similar story back in September 2019.
'It was clear he thinks it's a total dud,' said a source who attended a meeting with Trump, Kushner and campaign ads, as the president's son-in-law suggested that the president promote the First Step Act heavily as part of his re-election strategy.
'He made is abundantly clear he doesn't think it's worth talking about,' the source said of Trump.
Trump has brought up the First Step Act recently, but has used it to prove his administration has been good for black Americans, especially in the wake of George Floyd's death and the 'Black Lives Matter' demonstrations that followed.
On June 10, the same day he announced he wasn't supportive of renaming military bases named for Confederate figures, Trump hosted a roundtable with black supporters.
There, after one of the attendees pointed to his record, he called criminal justice reform a 'big thing,' and chided past administrations for not being able to get it done - and wagged his finger at any Democrats who might try to claim credit.
'I keep hearing about, "Oh, criminal justice reform," and everyone is trying to take the credit,' Trump said. 'And this one, I will say, we will take the full credit because they couldn't have done it without us.'
'So we've done a lot for the black community, and we've done a lot for all communities,' he added at the June 10 meeting.
Trump will mention criminal justice reform, further funding historically black universities and colleges and bringing down the black unemployment rate, when he's called a racist.
But since the death of George Floyd and his downward momentum in the presidential polls, Trump's broader strategy has been leaning hard into the culture war.
On Tuesday night, he threatened to veto the National Defense Authorization Act for an amendment pitched by Sen. Elizabeth Warren that would rename the country's outstanding military bases that are still named after Confederate fighters.
President Trump feels he needs to be unequivocally on the side of law enforcement to win re-election later this year. On Wednesday he said a 'Black Lives Matter' mural would be a 'symbol of hate' and would 'further antagonize New York's Finest'
On Wednesday, Trump slammed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Black Lives Matter activists, who he accused of chanting 'Pigs In A Blanket, Fry 'Em Like Bacon' at the police, for the planned Black Lives Matter art piece on Fifth Avenue.
He said the mural would be 'denigrating this luxury avenue.'
He also suggested police should interfere in those plans.
'Maybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them, won’t let this symbol of hate be affixed to New York’s greatest street,' Trump wrote.
'Spend this money fighting crime instead!'
The mural will be painted outside of Trump Tower.
The mayor clapped back writing, 'The fact that you see it as denigrating your street is the definition of racism.'
Axios reported that Trump feels that it's best for him politically to be unequivocally supportive of law enforcement.
In response to the publication's reporting, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president is 'very proud' of the work he's done to benefit 'all communities.'
'The First Step Act made historic strides toward rectifying racial disparities in sentencing while his executive order to secure America's streets works with our nation's heroic police officers to ensure we have safe policing and safe communities,' she said.
The latter reference was to an executive order Trump signed in the aftermath of Floyd's death to reform policing, which activists say doesn't accomplish their aims.
Trump's thinking on the First Step Act also likely means that the police reform bills being discussed on Capitol Hill won't get any White House support.
Another source told Axios that any leaks from unnamed sources about a Trump-Kushner rift are being purposely hurtful.
'Numerous anonymous sources have attempted to provide separation between Jared and the president,' a senior White House official said. 'They have failed for the last three and a half years.
They are not going to be successful today either.'
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