African-American singled out by Trump says no offense

Jenny Espino, Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight8:28 p.m. EDT June 3, 2016


(Photo: Jenny Espino, Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight)


REDDING, Calif. — A man at a Donald Trump rally here Friday says he took no offense when the candidate singled him out and said, "Look at my African-American over here.”

"That was me, seriously. I got two autographs out of that," said Gregory Cheadle, a Republican from Happy Valley who is running for the 1st Congressional District.

Cheadle said African-Americans have historically been dismissed by politicians, which is why they were so quick to support President Obama, the country's first black president.

So it was gratifying to him and he was proud that Trump would acknowledge him in an audience that was predominantly white, he said.

"To give the black folk the time of the day, I was happy," Cheadle said.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, spoke to more than 4,000 people who turned out for the event. Cheadle was close to the front rows when Trump pointed toward him.

Trump told his supporters that an African-American supporter who attended one of his rallies in Arizona had punched a protester who was wearing a traditional Ku Klux Klanhood.

He said he had the support of African-Americans because he would bring back jobs.



Presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, points to Gregory Cheadle after his speech Friday
in Redding, Calif. Trump called out Cheadle as "my African-American over here" during his
speech. (Photo: Andreas Fuhrmann, Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight)


After the rally ended, Trump went to greet supporters.

"I was at the point he was about to leave and I called out, 'Uncle Donald, Uncle Donald,'" Cheadle said. "He recognized me as the guy he had called out."

The two men exchanged a few words and Trump explained himself.

"You know what I was talking about? Jobs, jobs, jobs," Cheadle said Trump told him. "I said, 'Yeah, jobs.' It's all a fog. I'm glad I'm not on the witness stand. But it means a lot to me when a person of his stature can come to Redding."

Cheadle was holding two Trump placards, one belonging to him and the other to a young woman who had been standing next to him. Tump signed both, Cheadle said.

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