An Ohio county chair for the Trump campaign resigned following an interview published Thursday, in which she suggested there was “no racism” until President Barack Obama was elected, and called the Black Lives Matter movement “a stupid waste of time.”
Kathy Miller — who is white — resigned from her position, which the Trump campaign said was a volunteer job, and apologized for the “inappropriate remarks,” according to a statement from the Trump campaign.
“My personal comments were inappropriate, and I apologize,” Miller stated. “I am not a spokesperson for the campaign and was not speaking on its behalf. I have resigned as the volunteer campaign chair in Mahoning County and as an elector to the Electoral College to avoid any unnecessary distractions.”
Miller told The Guardian in an interview that she blamed Obama for exacerbating racial tension.
“If you’re black and you haven’t been successful in the last 50 years, it’s your own fault. You’ve had every opportunity,” Miller told the publication. “I don’t think there was any racism until Obama got elected. We never had any problems like this,” Miller said. “Now, with the people with guns and shooting up neighborhoods and not being responsible citizens, that’s a big change, and I think that’s the philosophy Obama has perpetuated on America.”
Miller also wholly rejected the premise of systemic racism.
“You’ve had the same schools everybody else went to. You had benefits to go to college that white kids didn’t have. You had all the advantages and didn’t take advantage of it. It’s not our fault, certainly,” she said.
The Trump campaign announced that Tracey Winbush, an African-American radio host, will take over Miller’s duties.
According to a 2013 census report, black voters voted at the highest rate of any race in the 2012 presidential election.