A video of a founding member of the Black Panther Party who seems to be supporting Donald Trump is circulating online.
Now, the grandson of the man is saying that his grandfather, David Hilliard was exploited. According to Phil Lewis’ What I’m Reading, the viral clip shows a woman named Carol D. Mitchell speaking with Hilliard about Trump. Hilliard explained that he and Trump knew each other in the 1960s when the ex-president was a college student.
"Trump is a person who's a decent man, and he supported the Black Panther Party," Hilliard said in the video. "He was someone who gave us money."
“Trump’s a friend of African Americans, and I knew Trump from the 1960s in New York, where he comes from and he’s a friend to African Americans. He’s a decent man,” the 82-year-old added. “I mean he’s not a racist. He’s not a racist, fascist, white man. He supported Black people.”
Hilliard’s grandson, Eric Jones alleged that his grandfather wasn’t aware of what he was being asked during his conversation with Mitchell due to health issues.
“I’m working to get this taken down,” Jones tweeted on Tuesday. “My Grandpa, David Hilliard does not even know Trump is a politician. He has been dealing with cognitive issues since 2014. He can only recall the past.”
Jones doubled down in a follow-up tweet, calling the situation “senior abuse” and saying Mitchell is “awful” for her actions.
Jones also spoke with What I’m Reading.
“He would absolutely not be aligned with any of Trump's politics," he said. “People should understand that he is not a supporter of, or affiliated with anything that Trump has done in this modern era.”
Jones told the outlet that his father lives in a senior community in Oakland, California and the woman is a new resident whose X account appears to endorse Trump. He also shared that Hilliard has dementia and PTSD from his time in the Black Panther Party.
In addition to being a founding member of the BPP, Hilliard was also the party’s chief of staff. He was childhood friends with leader Huey Newton and became involved after Malcolm X’s assassination and the Watts rebellion, both in 1965.
