Donald Trump Jr. recently defended his father from charges of racism in an interview with The Daily Caller, offering as evidence a past history of photographs taken of the elder Trump with African American celebrities: "It’s amazing—all the rappers, all his African American friends, from Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, have pictures with him.” Since the mid-20th century, U.S. presidents and those who dream of becoming president have all made a practice of being photographed with prominent African American performers and artists. Below, a sampling, from President Harry Truman meeting with Duke Ellington in 1950 to President-Elect Trump with Kanye West in 2016.
Other Presidents Who Have Met Famous Black People
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President Richard M. Nixon stands on stage before an estimated 8,000 of his supporters at a youth rally in Marine Stadium in Miami Beach, Florida, on August 22, 1972, after the Republican National Convention nominated him for re-election. With him are Pam Powell, head of Young Voters for the President, and Sammy Davis Jr., the rally master of ceremonies. #
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Composer and bandleader Duke Ellington presents a manuscript for one of his musical compositions to fellow pianist President Harry Truman, at the White House in Washington, D.C., on September 29, 1950. #
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Opera singer Marian Anderson meets with President Lyndon Johnson, shaking hands as they are introduced at a State Department reception prior to Johnson's inauguration in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 1965 #
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Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong uses a mouthpiece to demonstrate to Vice President Richard M. Nixon the technique he uses to "make the horn cry" in his office in Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1957. #
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President Nixon and Duke Ellington break into laughter on stage in the East Room of the White House, on April 29, 1969, during Ellington's 70th birthday party. The president presented Ellington with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. #
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After lending his hit song "Beat It" to a campaign against drunk driving, Michael Jackson was rewarded with a Presidential Special Achievement Award by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. #
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Entertainer Pearl Bailey throws back her head in laughter as she talks with President Reagan in the Oval Office of the White House on November 25, 1985. Ms. Bailey, the American Lung Association's 1985 National Christmas Seal Chairman, presented the president with the first family's official Christmas seals. #
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President George H. Bush embraces country singer Charlie Pride on stage as he thanks the performers at his Texas-style rodeo in Houston on July 8, 1990. On stage are also Roy Acuff, second from right, and Bill Monroe. #
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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton stands with award-winning producer, singer, and songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmunds at a news conference in New York on July 31, 2001, to announce his partnership with International AIDS Trust and Babyface to combat AIDS around the world. #
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Blues musician B.B. King smiles while President George W. Bush presents him with a medal during a ceremony for 2006 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on December 15, 2006, in the East Room of the White House. #
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President Bush shares a laugh with recording artist Al Green during a performance by the Dance Theater of Harlem School in the East Room of the White House on February 6, 2006. #
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President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to ambassador and actor Sidney Poitier during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on August 12, 2009. #
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President Barack Obama, joined by Kendrick Lamar, left, and Janelle Monae, right, speaks during an Independence Day celebration for members of the military and their families in the East Room of the White House on July 4, 2016. #
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President Barack Obama shakes hands with Chance the Rapper as former first lady Michelle Obama watches during a community concert at the Obama Foundation Summit on November 1, 2017, in Chicago. #
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