Noah Patel
Former US President Donald Trump has been accused of racism by contemporaries and critics before and during his presidential campaign. In 1973, the Justice Department filed a civil rights case against Fred Trump, Donald Trump, and their real estate company, alleging that the firm had committed systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in their many complexes. The Trumps were accused of refusing to rent apartments to Black tenants and using codes to indicate Black applicants. While Trump denied the allegations and settled the lawsuit without admitting guilt, he has faced ongoing accusations of racism throughout his public life.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of lawsuit | 1973 |
| Parties involved | Fred Trump, Donald Trump, Trump Management Inc. |
| Accusations | Refusing to rent to Black people, violating the Fair Housing Act of 1968 |
| Evidence | Testimonies from Black and white "testers", coded applications |
| Outcome | Settlement, Trumps acknowledged "failed and neglected" to comply with Fair Housing Act, no explicit admission of discrimination |
| Trump's response | Denial, countersuit for defamation, no admission of guilt |
| Later developments | Sued again in 1978 for violating 1975 settlement, continued refusal to rent to Black tenants |
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What You'll Learn
The US government sued Trump for racial discrimination in 1973
In 1973, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Donald Trump, his father Fred Trump, and their company Trump Management, Inc. for racial discrimination. The civil rights case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleged that the Trumps' real estate company had committed systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
The complaint included evidence from \"testers\" who sought to rent apartments. White testers were informed of vacancies, while Black testers were not, or were steered towards complexes with a higher proportion of racial minorities. The lawsuit also alleged that Trump employees placed codes, such as the letter "C" for "colored", next to Black applicants' names.
Trump denied the allegations and retained lawyer Roy Cohn, who had previously been an aide to Senator Joseph McCarthy. The Trumps counter-sued the government for $100 million in damages for defamation, with Cohn calling the DOJ attorney's investigation "Gestapo-like".
The case was eventually settled, with the Trumps acknowledging they had \"failed and neglected\" to comply with the Fair Housing Act. However, they were not required to admit that discrimination had occurred, and Donald Trump maintained that the government could not prove its case. Despite this, the lawsuit brought attention to racial discrimination in housing, and qualified Black and Puerto Rican individuals gained the opportunity to rent apartments owned by Trump Management.
The 1973 lawsuit was not the only time Trump and his company faced accusations of racism and discrimination. In 1978, they were sued again for violating the terms of the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants. In the 1980s, Black pastors accused Trump of stirring racial animus during the "Central Park Five" rape case. In the 1990s, Native American groups criticised him for making derogatory remarks about tribes seeking to build casinos. During Barack Obama's presidency, Trump promoted the "birther" conspiracy theory that Obama, the nation's first Black president, was not born in the U.S. Trump has also been accused of describing largely Black populated areas as "infested" and making racist comments about immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and African countries.
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Black testers were told no vacancies, white testers were offered apartments
In 1973, the Justice Department filed a civil rights case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against Fred Trump, Donald Trump, and their real estate company, Trump Management, Inc. The complaint alleged that the company had committed systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in their many complexes, which included 39 buildings and over 14,000 apartments.
The allegations were based on evidence from black and white "testers" who had posed as prospective renters. The white testers were informed of vacancies and offered apartments, while the black testers were told there were no vacancies or were steered towards apartment complexes with a higher proportion of racial minorities. Additionally, employees of the company placed codes, such as the letter "C" for "colored", next to the names of Black applicants on housing applications.
In response to the lawsuit, the Trumps denied the allegations and retained lawyer Roy Cohn to defend them. They counter-claimed against the government, seeking $100 million in damages for defamation. Despite Trump's assertions that he had not engaged in racial discrimination, he eventually settled the lawsuit, although he did not admit any guilt. This settlement was acknowledged by the Trumps as a failure to comply with the Fair Housing Act, but they were not required to explicitly acknowledge that discrimination had occurred.
The accusations of racial discrimination against Trump and his company were not isolated incidents. Black pastors accused Trump of stirring racial animus during the "Central Park Five" rape case in the 1980s, and Native American groups criticized him for making derogatory remarks about tribes seeking to build casinos in the 1990s. Additionally, Trump has been accused of describing largely black-populated areas as "infested" and promoting conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama's birthplace, demonstrating a pattern of racist rhetoric and actions.
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Trump Management used codes to indicate Black applicants
In the 1970s, the FBI investigated Trump Management Co., run by Donald Trump and his father Fred Trump, for alleged racial discrimination in their housing units. The investigation, which included interviews with the company's employees and tenants, revealed that Trump Management used codes to indicate Black applicants, such as "No. 9" or "C" for "Colored".
Several interviewees, both current and former employees, indicated that the company discriminated on the basis of race. One employee who worked for the company for two weeks stated that he fielded an inquiry from a Black applicant whom he judged to be an acceptable tenant. However, he was told by another individual that "they're blacks and that's that." This employee also indicated that he believed others in the rental office used codes on the top of rental applications to distinguish between Black and white applicants.
Another interviewee, a Black prospective tenant, shared that a leasing manager showed her several available apartments but later called to say that she could not rent in that complex as they "discriminated against blacks." Testimonies from Black and white "testers" seeking to rent apartments revealed that the white testers were informed of vacancies, while the Black testers were not or were steered towards complexes with a higher proportion of racial minorities.
The Justice Department sued Donald Trump, his father, and Trump Management in 1973 for racial discrimination, alleging systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. While the Trumps denied any wrongdoing, they eventually settled the lawsuit, acknowledging that they had "failed and neglected" to comply with the Fair Housing Act. As part of the consent decree, they were prohibited from discriminating against any person in the rental of their properties and were required to advertise equal housing opportunities and provide weekly vacancy lists to the New York Urban League.
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Trump settled the lawsuit without admitting guilt
In 1973, the Justice Department filed a civil rights case against Fred Trump, Donald Trump, and their real estate company, Trump Management, Inc. The lawsuit alleged that the Trumps had committed systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 by refusing to rent apartments to Black tenants in their many complexes, which included 39 buildings and over 14,000 apartments.
Evidence presented in the case included testimony from "black and white testers" who had sought to rent apartments. The white testers were informed of vacancies, while the black testers were not or were steered towards apartment complexes with a higher proportion of racial minorities. Additionally, employees of the company placed codes, such as the letter "C" for "colored," next to the names of Black housing applicants.
Despite these allegations, Trump denied any wrongdoing and counter-sued the government for $100 million in damages for defamation. He retained attorney Roy Cohn, who aggressively defended the Trumps and attacked the DOJ attorney on the case.
Ultimately, the Trumps settled the lawsuit, but they did so without admitting any guilt. In his autobiography, Donald Trump characterized the settlement as minor and claimed that the government could not prove its case. The settlement included an acknowledgment from the Trumps that they had failed and neglected" to comply with the Fair Housing Act, but they were never explicitly required to admit to discrimination.
The settlement brought an end to the legal battle, but it did not erase the serious accusations of racism and housing discrimination that had been levelled against the Trumps and their company. The case highlighted a pattern of discriminatory practices within the Trump Organization, which was sued again in 1978 for continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants, violating the terms of the 1975 settlement.
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Trump has a history of racist language and actions
Donald Trump has been accused of racism and using racist language on multiple occasions throughout his decades in the public eye, including before, during, and after his presidency.
In 1973, the Justice Department filed a civil rights case against Fred Trump, Donald Trump, and their real estate company, alleging that the firm had committed systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The complaint included evidence from black and white "testers" who had sought to rent apartments; white testers were informed of vacancies, while black testers were not, or were steered towards complexes with a higher proportion of racial minorities. Applications filed by Black apartment seekers were marked with a "C" for "coloured". The Trumps settled the lawsuit, acknowledging they had ""failed and neglected" to comply with the Fair Housing Act, but they never admitted guilt.
Trump has also been accused of making racist comments about Native Americans, African Americans, and people of colour. During a 1993 Congressional hearing on Native American casino operators, Trump said of the Mashantucket Pequots, who operate Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut: "They don't look like Indians to me". Native American groups criticized him for making these remarks, and a Federal Communications Commission complaint was filed after Trump made similar comments on Don Imus' talk radio show.
In 2018, during an Oval Office meeting about immigration reform, Trump reportedly referred to El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and African countries as "shitholes" that "send us the people that they don't want", suggesting that the US should instead increase immigration from "places like Norway". Trump denied making these comments, but news anchors such as Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon called him a racist.
Trump has also been accused of using racist language to describe largely Black-populated areas, referring to them as "infested". In addition, he has promoted conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's birthplace, claiming that the first Black president of the United States was not qualified to hold office because he was born in Kenya and was therefore not a US citizen.
Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism, but there is significant evidence to suggest that he has a history of making racist comments and taking racist actions.
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Frequently asked questions
In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father Fred, for racial discrimination in renting practices. Testers from the New York City Human Rights Division found that prospective Black renters were told no apartments were available, while prospective White renters were offered apartments in the same buildings. Trump settled the lawsuit without admitting guilt.
During the investigation, four of Trump's agents admitted to using a "'C' (for 'coloured') or "9" code to label Black applicants. Three doormen testified that they were told to discourage prospective Black renters by lying about rental prices or claiming no vacancies were available.
Trump settled the lawsuit, agreeing to familiarise himself with the Fair Housing Act, take out ads stating that Black renters were welcome, give a list of vacancies to the Urban League weekly, and allow the Urban League to present qualified candidates for 20% of vacancies in properties that were less than 10% non-White.
No, Trump settled the lawsuit without admitting guilt. During the debate in which the lawsuit was discussed, Trump stressed the "no admission of guilt" point twice.
