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After Trump’s Black History Month Speech, Abolitionist Frederick Douglass Tweets From Beyond the Grave
Donald Trump’s presidency has gotten off to a rocky start and his latest critic isn’t going help things for the 45th President of the United States. This newest critic also, it should be noted, has been dead for 122 years.
On Wednesday, a mysterious Twitter account popped up trolling President Trump after he participated in a “listening session” at the White House with several African American leaders. Trump’s remarks spoke of the “unimaginable sacrifice, hard work, and faith in America” to “honor the tremendous history of African-Americans throughout our country.” Trump mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke of Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist and author who secretly taught himself to read and write while he was a slave.
“Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I noticed,” Trump said in his remarks.
The statement quickly drew criticism for Trump’s lack of acknowledging any specifics about Douglass’ life — including the profound impact he had on helping slaves gain their freedom and his activism in the women’s suffrage movement.
That criticism only culminated when a Twitter account going by @realFrederickDouglass popped up on the microblogging site within hours of Trump’s statement. The account has been removed, either by the person who started it or Twitter itself shut it down, but not before trolling the president in numerous Frederick Douglass tweets. Blog “One Hot Mess” captured the text of the Frederick Douglass tweets before they were deleted, writing:
“The iconic historical figure seems to use the President’s preferred medium and tone in an effort to troll him for his evident misapprehension that Mr. Douglass is currently doing ‘an amazing job’ at anything or getting ‘recognized more and more,’ since he died 122 years ago.”
Just some of the Frederick Douglass tweets included:
@realFrederickDouglass: My autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, is #1 best-seller on Amazon. 4x better sales than Art of the Deal! P.S. I am dead!
@realFrederickDouglass: Hope you like everything I did for women’s suffrage! Even the losers, haters, and flat-chested “fives.” Enjoy!
@realFrederickDouglass: @realDonaldTrump, your FAKE NATIONAL SECURITY immigrant BAN goes against everything I stood for (when I was alive 122 yrs ago). A horrible mess!
@realFrederickDouglass: My abolitionist paper, The North Star, has much better coverage of me than the failing New York Times has of @realDonaldTrump!
@realFrederickDouglass: I will be asking for an investigation into the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD that led to black ppl and women not voting for entire first half of U.S. history!
@realFrederickDouglass: My keynote speech at Emancipation Memorial was highest rated speech with biggest crowd ever! DISHONEST CNN chose not to cover it. TERRIBLE!
@realFrederickDouglass: Only thing I have in common with @realDonaldTrump is that we both had a bankruptcy and failed business! (Freedman’s Savings Bank and New Era newspaper). SAD!
@realFrederickDouglass: My name is in your mouth yet you got elected by KKK whose rise I actively fought in 1868. Excuse me while I roll over in my grave. DISASTER!
The removal of the account with the Frederick Douglass tweets drew outrage from many Twitter users.
Frederick Douglass already forced off Twitter by the man. #realfrederickdouglass #typical #notjustforhypopotuses
— WIN GALAXY S7 NOW!!! (@giveawayzutton) February 2, 2017
I’m really disappointed that my good friend @realfrederickdouglass twitter account closed. that’s the #liberalmedia #FrederickDouglas
— Don Drumph (@DonDrumph) February 2, 2017
There were even some helpful reminders for all the people suddenly tweeting about Frederick Douglass that they should spell his name correctly.
#Protip: It’s Frederick Douglass. With two s’s. #realfrederickdouglass
— Ashley Teatum (@tee_tuhm) February 2, 2017
One user did finally note that another new account, @realFredDoug, was active after the original account disappeared and was tweeting some of Douglass’ famous quotes to President Trump.
@realDonaldTrump “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” #BlackHistoryMonth
— FrederickDouglass (@realFredDoug) February 2, 2017
@realDonaldTrump “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without thunder and lightning.”
— FrederickDouglass (@realFredDoug) February 2, 2017
@realDonaldTrump “I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others.” #BlackHistoryMonth
— FrederickDouglass (@realFredDoug) February 2, 2017
@realDonaldTrump “I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes.”
— FrederickDouglass (@realFredDoug) February 2, 2017
You do you, Fred Doug, even from beyond the grave.