President Donald Trump has invited key figures like rapper Kanye West and NFL star Colin Kaepernick to his upcoming race summit at the White House. Pastor Darrell Scott, one of the president's advisers, confirmed that Trump is looking forward to discussing issues on race with the stars.
Scott told reporters during the National Day of Prayer last Thursday that Trump is 100 percent on board the meetings as the summit's planning gets underway. Other personalities from multiple ethnic backgrounds getting an invite include boxer Mike Tyson and football legend Jim Brown, Huffington Post reported.
"[Trump] was very enthusiastic about it," the Cleveland-based pastor said. "It's not going to be a black-only event," he added and said people from the left will also be asked to participate. "It will be a melting pot," Scott said.
Kaepernick drew headlines for initiating a series of protests against injustices to African-Americans. The former San Francisco 49ers player started the trend of kneeling during the national anthem before the NFL games as a sign of protest. Trump suggested that his team should fire Kaepernick for disrespecting the American flag.
West, on the other hand, has had several Twitter exchanges with the President in recent weeks regarding race and other social issues. The rapper, however, drew flack after suggesting slavery had been a choice.
Scott revealed that the race summit has been in the works for quite sometime with Andrew Giuliani, a White House top aide and the son of one of Trump's lawyers, Rudy Giuliani. He expects that the discussion will be heated but respectful.
He expressed hopes for an open and meaningful discussion, saying, "I want them to see and know the Donald Trump I know and they will say, 'This guy isn't who I've been lead to believe he is."
