In a specific discussion on Thursday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined by former Vanderbilt and Princeton professor Dr. Carol Swain to talk about her experience at last Friday’s Black Voices for Trump event in Atlanta.
During the show, Swain informed Leahy that President Trump and Vice President Trump were in attendance at the Atlanta event and how great she felt to be recognized by the President. Swain reflected:
I was so moved. I have to confess to all those people out there listening. Up until last Friday I’ve always seen myself as the person with the nose pressed against the glass, always looking in and never in the inside. And I would say that a lot of my experiences in Nashville and Tennessee has been one of rejection.
Leahy: Joining us this morning as we are every Thursday morning by our all-star panelist Carol Swain. Good morning, Carol!
Swain: Good morning.
Leahy: So we talked in the earlier segment about your meeting with Mayor John Cooper and that went very well. So you’ve been very busy on another front. Last week you went down to Atlanta and you’re part of the leadership team of Black Voices for Trump. Tell us about that meeting where President Trump featured prominently.
Swain: Well, we had our kick-off last Friday at the Georgia World Center.
Leahy: Yeah, the big dome. Is that the big dome down there in Atlanta?
Swain: It was in a room that held about 400 people which meant that there were a lot of people that didn’t get in.
Leahy: But you got in?
Swain: I got in and I was able to invite some of my Tennessee friends and they got in. There are a number of coalitions. There are Women for Trump. Veterans for Trump. I don’t know there may be others. I don’t know all the coalitions. Latinos for Trump. And so Black Voices for Trump was the only coalition where President Trump spoke along with the Vice President.
Leahy: They were both there?
Swain: They were both there.
Leahy: Really?
Swain: Ben Carson. Herman Cain.
Leahy: I saw a picture of you with Herman Cain.
Swain: Just a lot of dignitaries. And Herman Cain is one of the co-chairs of Black Voices for Trump. And the highlight for me was meeting the President and getting my picture taken with him.
Leahy: So describe for the audience, had you met the President before?
Swain: I met candidate Trump in Nashville. But no, I had not met the President before.
Leahy: So set the scene.
Swain: But I’d been at the White House at an event where he did not mingle with the crowd. So this is the first time that I actually shook the hand of President Trump.
Leahy: Describe the whole process. Describe the room. Describe how you were set up and what you said to the President.
Swain: Before the President actually spoke with the 35 members of Black Voices for Trump.
Leahy: Which you are one of the 35.
Swain: We were lined up in alphabetical order. And so the President was seated in a particular area and we went in one by one to shake his hand and to take a photo with him. And so, Swain you know comes kind of late in the alphabet. (Laughs) And I would say that I was very excited. And so I sort of beamed into the room.
Leahy: There’s Carol.
Swain: Smiling from ear to ear, I introduced myself to the President as Carol Swain former professor at Vanderbilt and Princeton. And he said, “I’ve seen you before. You do a great job.”
Leahy: Well, he’s right.
Swain: And then I floated out of the room. And I’ve been on cloud nine ever since.
Leahy: Do you have a copy of that picture?
Swain: I don’t have the picture yet.
Leahy: We will get it.
Swain: It’s a signed picture of me and the President.
Leahy: Send it to us and we’ll do a story on it at The Tennessee Star.
Swain: And I wore my Republican red. (Leahy laughs) And most of the other people were dressed in black and white for Black Voices for Trump. But it was a good move to wear my Republican red so I really stood out in all the photographs. In fact, if you look close enough, you can find me in the New York Times photograph.
Leahy: There you go.
Swain: Look for the red spot. (Leahy laughs) Then you can hone in and you can see me.
Leahy: So President shook your hand and said, “I’ve seen you before you do a great job.”
Swain: Yes. He said, “You do a great job.” (Laughs)
Leahy: Of course, he did. Why would he not say that? Now I will say this again. I’ve mentioned this before, that you are sort of a fashion icon. I don’t want to put any pressure on you. But your story here about meeting the President and your choice of the Republican red as opposed to black and white. Again, it is more evidence that you have a great understanding of fashion. And I think the President actually appreciates fashion.
Swain: And also the fact that I knew I would be doing interviews and it would be in a media event and I happen to think I look best in warrior blue and red and those colors.
Leahy: Yes. I think when it comes to fashion matters I entirely defer to Carol Swain’s judgment. Because obviously you’ve proven to be an excellent choice of fashion on your part throughout your career really. So after you floated out of the room when the president said,” ‘I’ve seen you. I know who you are, you do a great job.” What were the exact words again?
Swain: He said, “I’ve seen you before. You do a great job.”
Leahy: Yeah. There you go. That’s President Trump.
Swain: I was so moved. I have to confess to all those people out there listening. Up until last Friday I’ve always seen myself as the person with the nose pressed against the glass, always looking in and never in the inside. And I would say that a lot of my experiences in Nashville and Tennessee has been one of rejection.
And I don’t mean to dismiss all the support and love I get from people out there. I have a lot of support. But for the most part, I’m always on the outside looking in. So it was significant for me to be there. It was significant for me to be in the room. And I met Lara Trump and she said to me, “Oh, I know you.”
We’ve done such and such. I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything with Lara Trump but she recognized me too probably from the media So you know again, I’m very quietly doing my podcast. Doing my interviews. You know, trying to have an impact on the world and on America.
And so people are paying attention even though I don’t think I’ve rewarded for my efforts the way other people are. Nor am I always treated with the respect that my friends think I deserve.
Leahy: So Lara Trump is Eric’s wife? She’s been very prominently involved in all this. So after you have this wonderful meeting, by the way, the President, what strikes me about the President is, he gets like four hours of sleep a night. What strikes me about President Trump when I met him and interviewed him is the pure energy of the guy. Did you get that sense as well?
Swain: I mean, Trump is Trump. It’s just so exciting to be at one of his rallies. He keeps everyone in stitches…
Leahy: (Chuckles) He does.
Swain: With his jokes. But I kind of identify with him in the fact that the man has been so persecuted. I believe he loves America. I believe that he’s put our nation needs right now.
But this constant persecution that’s something that I identify with. And after having met the President I remember more often to pray for the President. To pray for our nation. So I left Atlanta changed in that sense. More focused on what’s at stake in 2020.
Leahy: A very good point. And I think the idea of praying for the President while he’s being persecuted unfairly in this ‘shampeachment’ Stalinist show trial is a very good idea.
Swain: I’ve prayed for him for a while. It just sort of went to a new level.
Listen to the full second hour here:
– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 am to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
