John Legend is a Grammy award-winning artist and activist who became a focus of recent media coverage over his candid comments on the former President of the United States. In an interview with Jen Psaki on MSNBC, the artist’s opinions have been met with a significant amount of controversy.
Legend, who is recognized for his activism in criminal justice reform, did not mince phrases whilst he described Trump as a racist “inside the core of his being.” He similarly asserted that Trump holds the belief that “Black humans are inferior.” These sturdy statements mirror Legend’s notion of Trump’s attitudes and movements during his presidency.
.@JOHNLEGEND on Donald Trump: “Well, he is part of a two-tiered system of justice but not in the way he thinks he is. He is getting way more concessions than the average criminal defendant would get.”
Tune in at 12pm ET for the full interview on @MSNBC PIC.TWITTER.COM/N6XDXRZO3R
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) APRIL 21, 2024
Legend’s connection to the issue of criminal justice reform is deeply personal. He shared his experiences growing up in Springfield, Ohio. He was introduced to the justice system at an early age due to the incarceration of his mother and other family members. This personal connection, he explained, makes the issue of criminal justice reform genuine to him.
“I know what it feels like to have a family member in jail; I know what it feels like to wonder when they’re going to come home. I know what it feels like to feel that disruption and dislocation that happens to families and communities… it makes this issue very real to me,” Legend said.
Apart from that, Legend criticized Trump for being able not to get incarcerated before his trials due to his wealth and status, which, in his opinion, distinguished him from many ordinary criminal suspects. Thus, Legend used this example and the candidate’s rich biographical plot to focus on the broad issue of inequality.
“You watch the life and times of Donald Trump, every trial that he’s a part of, you notice he’s not spending time in jail before he goes to trial, he’s innocent until he’s proven guilty, and we all know that, but what happens with folks who can’t afford bail; they have to languish in jail before their case,”.
“All kinds of negative things happen because they don’t have maybe $500 to buy their freedom. That’s not keeping us safer; that’s saying, ‘we have a separate system for people who are poor versus people who have the means to pay this cash bail.’”
Legend’s commentary on Trump does not stop at how he believes Trump gets off the hook for his alleged racist background thanks to his apparent legal impunity. His comments about the former president being a “fraudster,” “liar,” and “litigator” for a long time paint an entire different picture of Trump than the image many of his ardent supporters espouse.
Nevertheless, it is crucial to realize that his statements were made within the confines of assessing criminal justice reforms, a topic that Legend has spoken about passionately. He has even seen family relatives go to jail, so “the United States believes has become the most incarcerated nation on Planet Earth,” and he wants “to effect real ontological correction.”
Legend’s activism is not limited to reforming criminal justice. He has also launched evidence-based advocacy campaigns that seek to change the narrative on criminal justice policies. The free America campaign, at the human level, focuses on promoting racial equity in several cities’ communities across America.
“He is getting way more confessions than the average criminal defendant would get, he’s getting delays, he’s got access to all kinds of lawyers that are filing this and filing that, delaying every trial. Most people don’t have access to that kind of lawyering,” Legend said in response.
“He’s gotten away with a lot for a long time, he’s been a fraudster for a long time, he’s been cheating people for a long time, he’s been lying for a long time, and he’s been litigating for a long time.
John Legend’s recent statements on Trump are fundamentally his perspective on racism, law privilege, and the necessity for criminal level practice improvement. That said, from the singer’s perspective, it is still worth discussing
