‘We Are Not as Divided as Our Politics Suggest,’ Former Democrat Says at RNC

Former NFL athlete praises Trump administration for helping black Americans

Former NFL athlete Jack Brewer addresses the virtual RNC on Aug. 26, 2020. Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images

Former Democrat and former NFL player Jack Brewer told Americans on the third night of the Republican National Convention that “we are not as divided as our politics suggest” and that at some point, “policies must take priority over the personalities,” while praising the Trump administration for having helped black Americans.

“Before I left to come to deliver this message, my energetic 8-year-old son Jackson stopped me and said, ‘Dad can you please just tell everyone that all lives need to matter and that God loves everyone?’” he said on Aug. 26. “In that moment, I realized my 8-year-old had figured out what so many adults seem to forget: We are not as divided as our politics suggest.”

Brewer is a former three-time NFL team captain who played for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Arizona Cardinals. He’s a member of Black Voices for Trump.

“My fellow Americans, our families need each other. We need black fathers in the homes with their wives and children. The future of our community depends on it,” Brewer said.

“I am blessed to be able to run inner-city youth programs and to also teach in prisons across America. The inmates in my federal prison program literally received days off their sentence just for attending my class,” he said, adding that it was “thanks to” Trump’s landmark criminal justice reform bill, dubbed the First Step Act—a bipartisan push for prison reform that aims to reduce the sentences of low-level offenders and bolster programs to help reduce the likelihood of a convicted criminal to re-offend.

The bill was signed into law in December 2018.

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• Trump Signs Criminal Justice Reform Bill Into Law

“Our president has made incredible strides to end mass incarceration and give unprecedented opportunities for blacks in America to rise,” he said, calling on fellow black Americans to aim toward goodness.

“President Trump cared about these Americans and their families even when so many others had left them behind and had written them off. I’m forever grateful for President Trump for that.”

Brewer criticized media outlets for their portrayal of the president, saying: “I am fed up with the way he is portrayed in the media, who refuse to acknowledge what he has done for the black community. It is confusing the minds of our innocent children.”

Brewer told Americans in his speech that Trump “endures relentless attacks, and so do many of us like myself who support him.”

He said that “at some point, for the sake of our children, the policies must take priority over the personalities.” He gave an example: “So, because you have an issue with President Trump’s tone, you’re going to allow Biden and Harris to deny our underserved black and brown children school choice?

“Are we so offended by the president’s campaign slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ that we’re going to ignore that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have collectively been responsible for locking up countless black men for nonviolent crimes?”

In a recent news analysis, The Epoch Times noted that the Democratic National Convention last week “devoted a sliver of time to specific policy proposals while focusing heavily on appeals to progressive ideology and emotion,” and lacked policy specifics.

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• Democratic Convention: Light on Policy, Heavy on Ideology

Prior to the RNC convention program on Aug. 26, the Trump campaign announced in a release, “While Democrats attack our country and sow division, President Trump is implementing an agenda that puts the American people first.”

The Biden campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Brewer’s attendance as a speaker at the RNC was in doubt leading up to the night. The Trump campaign didn’t feature his name among scheduled convention speakers sent to media outlets on Aug. 26.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil insider trading charges against Brewer on Aug. 6, alleging that he sold 100,000 shares in a penny stock after receiving confidential information.

The SEC and Brewer didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.