'Some people are truly ignorant': Newsmax host Greg Kelly faces backlash after comparing Donald Trump to Emmett Till

Greg Kelly made an ill-informed comment regarding the former president and the historic case of a Black man unjustly killed by White men
UPDATED JUN 20, 2024
Newsmax host Greg Kelly drew parallels between the jury that convicted Donald Trump in his hush money trial and the jury that acquitted the suspects in the murder of Emmett Till (Army Multimedia and Visual Information Directorate; Getty Image
Newsmax host Greg Kelly drew parallels between the jury that convicted Donald Trump in his hush money trial and the jury that acquitted the suspects in the murder of Emmett Till (Army Multimedia and Visual Information Directorate; Getty Image

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Newsmax host Greg Kelly made an incomprehensible comparison between the jury that found Donald Trump guilty in his hush-money trial and the jury that acquitted the suspects in Emmett Till's murder.

Emmett Till was a Black teenager who was kidnapped, beaten, and shot in 1955 by White men after allegedly flirting with a White store owner in Mississippi.

Greg Kelly unfathomably drew parallels between the jury that convicted Donald Trump and the jury that acquitted the suspects in the murder of Emmett Till (Newsmax)
Greg Kelly unfathomably drew parallels between the jury that convicted Donald Trump and the jury that acquitted the suspects in the murder of Emmett Till (Newsmax)

In a notorious miscarriage of justice, an all-White jury acquitted the perpetrators, who later admitted to the crime in a magazine interview.

Greg Kelly denounces jurors in Donald Trump hush money trial

On his show on June 17, Greg Kelly criticized jurors for remaining out of the spotlight after Trump's conviction for concealing payments to silence adult movie star Stormy Daniels with whom he allegedly had an affair. Kelly dismissed the idea that the former president had been judged by a “jury of his peers.”

“I’ve heard this excuse before,” Kelly said. “Emmett Till, young man, beaten to death all the way back in the 1950s. What did he do? He said hello to a White woman, something like that. And an all-White mob beat him to death and three people, I believe, were arrested. And the jury said, ‘We don’t see no problem here', and let him go, right? A jury of the accusers’ peers found nothing to see here. So the jury, I’m told, gets it wrong sometimes. Seems to be a lot of people who think that a lot of murderers were let free that day. All right, so we’ve seen this before.”

Emmett Till is shown lying on his bed. (Getty Images)
Emmett Till was kidnapped, beaten, and shot in 1955 by White men (Getty Images)

Greg Kelly often makes provocative statements as much as recently, the right-wing anchor compared the backlash to Trump's use of the term "human scum" for his perceived adversaries to reactions when Barack Obama used the N-word to discuss racism.

“What about when Obama said the N-word? ... For some people, that would be unforgivable, but Obama is just cool, right?” Kelly complained.

Obama had used the word in 2015 to underscore the persistent reality of racism, despite the general unacceptability of the slur.



 

As per CNN, in an interview for the podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron', Obama said, "Racism, we are not cured of it. And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say N-word in public."

“That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don’t, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.”

Netizens slam Greg Kelly for bizzare comparison

Greg Kelly's unfathomable parallels between the jury that convicted Donald Trump and the murder of Emmett Till drew backlash from viewers. 

One viewer shared, "What? Trump was beaten and killed by a bunch of racist Reich-wing magats? IF only..."

In a similar vein, another observer chimed in, "Stupid white guy sticks foot in mouth. Does he work for Fox?"

Moreover, a viewer highlighted, "Pure insanity! One can only hope trump is murdered the same way as Emmitt was. That's right I said it."

Adding to the conversation, a follower contributed, "[Greg Kelly uttered a breathtakingly stupid take] Must be a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. 🤡"

A comment emphasized, "Some people are truly ignorant."

Echoing this sentiment, another comment noted,"Wishful thinking?"

Expanding on the topic, an individual said, "Someone punch him.... I don't advocate for violence. But someone needs to punch him in the face...."

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.  

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