News, White House Report

The Impact of the President’s Language

April Ryan
October 22, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the delegation lead by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, looks on Ghana’s Parliament in Accra, Ghana, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Ghana as the head of a Congressional delegation to address Ghana’s lawmakers on Wednesday. While in Ghana, Pelosi and other members of the U.S. Congress plan discussions on “regional security, sustainable and inclusive development and the challenges of tomorrow including the climate crisis.” (AP Photo/Christian Thompson) hake with Ghanas Menbers of Paliament as she exit the chamber. Ghana,Accra. 31 jul;y 2019 AP IMAGES/CHRISTIAN THOMPSON

President Trump incited the ire of African Americans and many others when he used the word “lynching” to describe the impeachment inquiry. Member of Congress Barbara Lee (D-TX) comments on the impact of the president using such language.

Click ▶️ to listen to AURN Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan’s White House Report:

How dare you?! Since the founding of our nation, African Americans have been lynched and killed just for being black.

This is a disgusting and ignorant message from a man who has shown no respect for history. We will not stand for it. pic.twitter.com/2d1Jin5gHP
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) October 22, 2019

April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House, a position she has held with AURN since the Clinton era. Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her heightened insight into the racial sensitivities, issues, and attendant political struggles of our nation. April has written three books; The Presidency in Black & White: My Close-Up View of Three Presidents and Race in America, At Mama's Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White, and Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House. Twitter: @aprildryan