In remarks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Tuesday, President Trump said:
It’s a privilege to be here today. This museum is a beautiful tribute to so many American heroes — heroes like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks, the Greensboro students, and the African American Medal of Honor recipients, among so many other really incredible heroes.
It’s amazing to see. I went to — we did a pretty comprehensive tour, but not comprehensive enough. So, [museum director Lonnie Bunch], I’ll be back. I told you that. Because I could stay here for a lot longer, believe me. It’s really incredible.
One wonders what Trump actually learned there. The list of African American heroes is the sort of superficial boilerplate you’d expect from a White House unfamiliar with the museum and the rich, complicated and fascinating history it illustrates. Seriously, an enterprising reporter should ask him what he saw that he did not know previously or that helped him to understand better the lives of African Americans and the country as a whole.