Sorry, Donald Trump; you can’t appear at the upcoming telethon to benefit Hurricane Harvey victims, unless you make nice with the guy whose job you took. Oh, and some other former presidents too.
Houston rapper Bun B, who’s organizing the telethon, told TMZ that having the current POTUS appear on his own at the telethon without former presidents, particularly Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, would send the wrong message.
“Putting Trump on by himself would send the wrong message and people wouldn’t buy the sincerity of it,” Bun B told the website. “After what he did in Charlottesville, he’s not a symbol of unity and it would rub people the wrong way.”
For those who weren’t paying attention earlier this month, Trump came under considerable heat for not singling out neo-Nazis for criticism, after white nationalists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The ensuing melee led to the death Heather Heyer.
“We don’t need a teleprompter President,” the rapper added of the prospect of Trump delivering a message on his own.
As TMZ previously reported, Bun B and Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun are planning the telethon for Sept. 12, to take place in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville.
Rapper Bun B told the outlet that Reese Witherspoon and Blake Shelton will handle hosting duties for the Nashville portion, while Jamie Foxx may possibly be joined by Hilary Duff to host the Los Angeles leg.
Michael Strahan, a Houston native, will reportedly host in New York.