Another excerpt from my upcoming book. Consider this an introduction, nothing more, and if the subject interests you please research further. This was intended to be a concise brief portion of a biographical chapter that has now been cut. If you wish to learn more, remember internet search engines are your friend.
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| Donald Trump and his father in the 1970s, the period in which they were both co-defendants in a federal lawsuit about racial bias in housing. |
During
this time, Donald Trump managed the subsidized housing properties his father had
built. These were rented primarily to working class and lower income people.
In
1973, the United States Justice Department sued Donald Trump, his father and
Trump Management of violating the Fair Housing Act and discriminating against
Blacks and Hispanics in 39 of their properties. The evidence against them was
very solid. Most people would have advised them to settle with the Justice
Department, pay a fine, and fix the practices and comply with the Fair Housing
act, giving all citizens equal access and rights to rent from the Trumps. But
young Donald Trump, then 26, represented, advised, and encouraged by Roy Cohn,
decided to respond in a different way. They denied all charges despite the
evidence and counter-sued against the Justice Department for 100 million
dollars. Then they dragged the case out for two years, occasionally holding
press conferences where they mischaracterized the suit as being over housing
people on welfare and not about racial discrimination, hoping the Justice Department would agree to settle.
In 1975, an agreement was reached, the counter suit from Trump and Cohn was
dismissed as groundless, the Trumps and their company had to change their
discriminatory policies. A government press release announced that the suit had
been “one of the most far reaching ever negotiated” and local papers announced
that the Trump properties were now open to be rented by minorities. Trump
continued to deny that the government never proved its case and continued to
mischaracterize the suit and its conclusion from
Primary Sources
Johnston, David Cay. 2016, 2017. The Making of Donald Trump.
Melville House: Brooklyn.
Kranish, Michael, and Fisher, Marc. 2017. Trump Revealed
-The Definitive Biography of the 45th President. Scribner: New York.
Further Reading
"'Not Wanted': Black Applicants Rejected for Trump Housing Speak Out," by By Cynthia McFadden, Anna Schecter and Hannah Rappleye. October 25, 2016. NBC News.
"A Look Back at the Discrimination Suit Dogging Donald Trump, Trump and his father were sued by the Justice Department in 1973," by Meghan Keneally. August 26, 2016. ABC News.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/back-discrimination-suit-dogging-donald-trump/story?id=41667286
"Decades-Old Housing Discrimination Case Plagues Donald Trump." NPR Staff. September 29, 2016. NPR.
"‘No Vacancies’ for Blacks: How Donald Trump Got His Start, and Was First Accused of Bias," by Jonathan Mahler and Steve Eder. August 27, 2016. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/us/politics/donald-trump-housing-race.html
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