Why would anyone want this ……………. to be president?
Trump doubles down on claims about the exonerated Central Park Five
Donald Trump doubled down on his claims that the exonerated Central Park Five – Black teenagers who were arrested in connection with the rape and assault of a white female jogger in 1989 and convicted based on police-coerced confessions.
Back then, Trump called for the execution of the five children. When Kamala Harris brought up Trump’s stance, he dug in: “They pled [sic] guilty … They badly hurt a person, they killed a person, ultimately.”
The facts: All of them were exonerated after a convicted murderer confessed to the crime in 2002. In 2014, they were awarded a $41m settlement.
In 1989, before any of the boys had faced trial, Trump paid a reported $85,000 to take out advertising space in four of the city’s newspapers, including the New York Times, calling for their execution. The headline read: “Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!” and above his signature, Trump wrote: “I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence.”