Elijah Grant
In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Donald Trump, his father Fred, and their company Trump Management for housing discrimination against African-American renters. 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. Four of Trump's agents admitted to using a 'C' (for 'colored') or 9 code to label Black applicants and stated that they were told their company 'discouraged rental to blacks'. Trump settled the suit, agreeing to familiarize himself with the Fair Housing Act, take out ads stating that Black renters were welcome, and allow the Urban League to present qualified candidates for 20% of vacancies in properties that were less than 10% non-White. However, Trump did not explicitly admit any wrongdoing, and he was sued again in 1978 for violating the terms of the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1973 |
| People involved | Donald Trump, Fred Trump |
| Accusations | Racial discrimination against African Americans in renting practices |
| Evidence | Testers found that prospective black renters were told there were no apartments available while white renters were offered apartments |
| Response from Trump | Denied accusations of racism, settled the suit without admitting wrongdoing |
| Settlement terms | Trump agreed to familiarize himself with the Fair Housing Act, take out ads welcoming black renters, provide a list of vacancies to the Urban League, and allow the Urban League to present qualified candidates for 20% of vacancies in properties that were predominantly white |
| Subsequent events | Trump Organization was sued again in 1978 for violating terms of the 1975 settlement |
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What You'll Learn
- In 1973, the US Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, for discriminating against African Americans
- Testers found that prospective Black renters were told no apartments were available, while White renters were offered apartments
- Trump agents admitted to using a C or 9 code to label Black applicants and were told to discourage Black renters
- In 1975, a settlement was reached requiring Trump to familiarise himself with the Fair Housing Act and take out ads welcoming Black renters
- Trump and his lawyer denied charges in 1978 when sued for violating the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants
In 1973, the US Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, for discriminating against African Americans
During the investigation, four of Trump's agents admitted to using a "C" (for "coloured") or "9" code to label Black applicants. They also stated that they were told their company "discouraged rental to Blacks" or that they were \"not allowed to rent to Black tenants." Three doormen testified that they were instructed to discourage prospective Black renters by lying about rental prices or claiming no vacancies.
The Trumps fought the case for two years before settling in 1975. As part of the settlement, Trump agreed to familiarise himself with the Fair Housing Act, place ads in newspapers welcoming Black renters, provide 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.
Despite the settlement, Trump did not explicitly acknowledge any wrongdoing, and in 1978, the Trump Organization was sued again for violating the terms of the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants. Trump and his lawyer, Roy Cohn, denied the charges.
The racial views of Donald Trump have been widely discussed, and he has been accused by scholars, journalists, and the public of making statements and taking actions that fuel racism and sympathise with white supremacy. Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism.
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Testers found that prospective Black renters were told no apartments were available, while White renters were offered apartments
In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, for discrimination against African Americans in their renting practices. Testers from the New York City Human Rights Division found that prospective Black renters were told that no apartments were available, while White renters were offered apartments in the same buildings.
One such instance was recounted by Sheila Morse, a tester for the New York City Human Rights Division. A Black man looking for an apartment in Brooklyn in 1972 saw a "for rent" sign on a building. When he met with the superintendent, he was told that the apartment had already been rented out. When the man pointed out that there was still a "for rent" sign up, the superintendent claimed that he had forgotten to take it down. Morse, who is white, was dispatched to see if she would be treated differently. The superintendent told her that he was "not allowed to rent to Black tenants."
During the investigation, four of Trump's agents admitted to using a "C" (for "coloured") or "9" code to label Black applicants. These agents stated that they were told their company "discouraged rental to Blacks" or that they were “not allowed to rent to Black tenants." Three doormen testified that they were instructed to discourage prospective Black renters by lying about rental prices or claiming no vacancies.
As a result of the lawsuit, Trump was required to familiarise himself with the Fair Housing Act, place ads in newspapers welcoming Black applicants, provide 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. Trump did not have to admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
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Trump agents admitted to using a C or 9 code to label Black applicants and were told to discourage Black renters
In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, for discrimination against African Americans in their renting practices. The lawsuit was based on evidence gathered by "testers" for the New York City Human Rights Division, which revealed that prospective Black renters at Trump buildings were informed that there were no apartments available, while prospective White renters were offered apartments in the same buildings.
During the investigation, four of Trump's agents admitted to using a "C" (for "colored") or "9" code to label Black applicants. These agents stated that they were told by their company to "'discourage rental to Blacks' or that they were 'not allowed to rent to Black tenants.'" Black applicants were to be sent to the central office, while White renters could have their applications accepted on-site. Three doormen testified that they were instructed to discourage prospective Black renters by lying about rental prices or falsely claiming no vacancies.
The Washington Post reported that Trump employees secretly marked the applications of minorities with codes such as "'No. 9' and 'C' for 'colored'." These employees allegedly directed Blacks and Puerto Ricans away from buildings with mostly White tenants and steered them toward properties with a high minority population. According to two former Trump employees, the company primarily wanted to rent to "Jews and executives."
As a result of the 1973 lawsuit, a settlement was reached in 1975. Trump agreed to familiarize himself with the Fair Housing Act, place ads in newspapers stating that Black renters were welcome, and provide a list of vacancies to the Urban League weekly. However, Trump did not have to explicitly acknowledge any discrimination in the settlement. In 1978, the Trump Organization was sued again for violating the terms of the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants.
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In 1975, a settlement was reached requiring Trump to familiarise himself with the Fair Housing Act and take out ads welcoming Black renters
In 1973, the US Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, for discriminating against African Americans in their renting practices. The lawsuit was based on evidence gathered by testers from the New York City Human Rights Division, which revealed that prospective Black renters were subject to discriminatory treatment compared to White renters.
The investigation uncovered that Trump's agents used a "C" (for "coloured") or "9" code to label Black applicants and were instructed to discourage rental applications from Black individuals. Testimonies from doormen further corroborated these discriminatory practices, as they admitted to lying about rental prices or claiming no vacancies when approached by prospective Black renters.
After a two-year legal battle, a settlement was reached in 1975. The terms of the settlement required Trump and his company to familiarise themselves with the Fair Housing Act and take specific actions to promote equal housing opportunities. They were mandated to place advertisements in newspapers welcoming Black renters and stating that they had equal housing opportunities. Additionally, they were required to provide a weekly list of vacancies to the Urban League and allow the organisation to present qualified candidates for 20% of vacancies in properties that were predominantly White.
Despite the settlement, Trump denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the Justice Department lawsuit was one of many similar cases against landlords. However, Michael Kranish, a Washington Post reporter, refuted this claim, emphasising that the case specifically charged the Trumps and their company of race bias in housing rentals.
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Trump and his lawyer denied charges in 1978 when sued for violating the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants
In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, for discriminating against African Americans in their renting practices. Testers from the New York City Human Rights Division found that prospective Black renters were told there were no apartments available, while prospective White renters were offered apartments in the same buildings.
A settlement was reached in 1975, requiring the Trumps to familiarize themselves with the Fair Housing Act, place ads in newspapers welcoming Black applicants, provide 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.
However, in 1978, the Trump Organization was sued again for violating the terms of the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to Black tenants. Trump and his lawyer, Roy Cohn, denied these charges. During the investigation, four of Trump's agents admitted to using codes to label Black applicants and stated that they were told their company "discouraged rental to Blacks."
Despite the denial of charges by Trump and his lawyer in 1978, the Metropolitan Action Institute noted in 1983 that two Trump Village properties were still over 95% White, indicating a continued lack of rental opportunities for Black individuals.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management, Donald Trump, and his father Fred for discriminating against African Americans in their renting practices.
The lawsuit alleged that prospective black renters at Trump buildings were told that there were no apartments available, while prospective white renters were offered apartments in the same buildings.
A settlement was reached in 1975, requiring Trump to familiarize 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 did not explicitly admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. However, the government's description of the settlement stated that Trump and his father had "failed and neglected" to comply with the Fair Housing Act.
Yes, the Trump Organization was sued again in 1978 for violating the terms of the 1975 settlement by continuing to refuse to rent to black tenants. Trump and his lawyer, Roy Cohn, denied the charges.
