President-elect Donald Trump met with the “Family Feud” host at Trump Tower on Friday to have a discussion about inner-city housing problems, according to MSNBC and other media outlets. Harvey told reporters after the meeting that he was invited by both the Obama and Trump transition teams and was introduced to Trump’s pick for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson.
“[Trump] definitely seemed sincere about it,” he said, MSNBC reported. “We’re going to do something with all of the major inner cities to bring about some change and help some of these young people out.”
When asked if the talks were part of a plan to become more politically involved, Harvey said he came to New York because he was “following orders from my friend, President Obama,” referencing the outgoing president’s farewell address plea to Americans to remain involved in politics as motivation for meeting with Trump.
Harvey also tweeted about the meeting.
My meeting with @realDonaldTrump … pic.twitter.com/Tz2O2W3a5n
— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) January 13, 2017
In a Daily Beast interview last February, Harvey said he liked Trump personally and said he was “exciting for politics,” but did not endorse him.
“If Donald Trump becomes president, then I’m running,” Harvey said. “Because then obviously background checks have gone out the window. How do you let a dude who was on the cover of Playboy magazine and has been married 18 times be your president? Now come on. Hell, then I qualify.”
The visit comes just a few days after Harvey courted controversy for making racially-charged jokes about Asian men on his talk show, such as mocking dating guides by providing the hypothetical title: “How to Date a White Woman: A Practical Guide for Asian Men.” Harvey made a reference to the recent backlash, saying that people were “beating me up on the internet for no reason.”