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President Donald Trump on Tuesday reacted to news of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death, calling the late political figure a “good man” who was a “force of nature like few others before him.”
Jackson, a well-known civil rights advocate in the United States, passed away at the age of 84, according to the Associated Press.
“The Reverend Jesse Jackson is Dead at 84,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and “street smarts.” He was very gregarious – Someone who truly loved people!”
The president said that he was happy to help Jackson over the years:
“I provided office space for him and his Rainbow Coalition, for years, in the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street; Responded to his request for help in getting CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM passed and signed, when no other President would even try; Single handedly pushed and passed long term funding for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), which Jesse loved, but also, which other Presidents would not do; Responded to Jesse’s support for Opportunity Zones, the single most successful economic development package yet approved for Black business men/women, and much more.”
President Trump also acknowledged Jackson’s role in electing former President Barack Obama.
Jackson’s work as a civil rights activist, coupled with his natural skill as an orator, cemented him in the 1980s as a well-known figure amid his two presidential campaigns. While he never won the Democratic Party nomination, his campaign was often seen as a key stepping stone in paving the way for President Obama’s much-later successful presidential run.
“Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him,” said President Trump. “He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand. He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!”
Interestingly, reports did indeed surface over the years about potential friction between the late Jackson and President Obama. In a 2008 report from NPR, Jackson was caught on a hot mic criticizing Obama’s rhetoric while speaking to the African American community. Jackson later apologized to the then-sitting president.
On Tuesday, President Obama released a statement offering his condolences to the Jackson family. He wrote on X, “We will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and everyone in Chicago and beyond who knew and loved him.”