Steve Harvey met with the man who will become the 45th President of the United States. On Friday, January 13, the comedian and Donald Trump had what has been described as a successful meeting. Some African-Americans have criticized Harvey for meeting with Trump.
The meeting
During the meeting, Trump and Harvey talked about golf, mutual friends, and television shows. The men also discussed Detroit and Chicago, since Harvey has connections to both places. Harvey's talk show is taped in Chicago where 762 murders occurred in 2016. Harvey hopes to use his influence to bring positive change to the inner cities.
He says he realizes that the president will need some allies to help him with this serious problem. Harvey believes he can use his popular radio show and his television show to make an impact.
Harvey was pleased to meet Trump's two daughters. He was introduced by a conference call to Housing and Urban Development nominee Dr. Ben Carson.
People's reaction
Some people blasted Harvey on Twitter. They obviously didn't think it was funny for the comedian to meet with Trump. Others supported Harvey's decision and saw nothing wrong with it. After receiving so much backlash, Harvey tried to justify his meeting. He told people that he stepped from behind his microphone and did what he was supposed to do.
Even though Harvey didn't vote for Trump, he understands that after he takes the Oath of Office on January 20, he will be the President of the United States. Therefore, Harvey is hoping he can use his platform to help America, and he wanted Trump to be aware of that.
Other African-Americans have met with Trump
Steve Harvey is not the only African-American to have met with Trump over the last months.
BET Founder Robert Johnson met with Trump last November to discuss potential economic strategies. Kanye West met with Trump last month. Former NFL stars Ray Lewis and Jim Brown also recently met with the President-elect.
Harvey let everyone know that he would not be attending the inauguration, and nothing should be read into it. His 60th birthday is on Tuesday, January 17. His wife, Marjorie, is taking him on a trip to celebrate that milestone.
