Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon, has passed away at 84. Tributes are now pouring in, and one of them is from President Donald Trump. But while he praised Jackson, he also made a rather controversial claim.
Longtime civil rights activist, two‑time presidential candidate, and Baptist minister Rev. Jesse Jackson died Tuesday at age 84, his family confirmed.
In a statement, the Jackson family said he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. A cause of death was not immediately announced.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the family said. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
Jackson was hospitalized in November and had lived for more than ten years with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a serious brain disease, according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dead at 84
The illness makes it difficult to walk and swallow and can lead to dangerous health complications.
In 2017, he revealed he had Parkinson’s. Before going public, he had received treatment at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago for about two years.
The family said public memorial events will be held in Chicago, with more details to come from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, on October 8, 1941, Jackson became widely known during the civil rights movement. He marched and protested alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and spent his life fighting for equality. Over the years, he also ran twice for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988.
Tributes to the civil rights icon are now pouring in. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump praised Jesse Jackson, saying he knew him “well” and that he was a “good man.”
“The Reverend Jesse Jackson is Dead at 84. I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’ He was very gregarious — someone who truly loved people!” Trump wrote.
Donald Trump claims Jesse Jackson “could not stand” Barack Obama
“Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way,” Trump continued.
“I provided office space for him and his Rainbow Coalition for years in the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street; responded to his request for help in getting CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM passed and signed, when no other President would even try; single‑handedly pushed and passed long‑term funding for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), which Jesse loved, but which other Presidents would not do; responded to Jesse’s support for Opportunity Zones, the single most successful economic development package yet approved for Black business men/women, and much more,” he added.
Trump concluded the post by claiming that Jackson was, at the very least, not a fan of Barack Obama.
“Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him. He had much to do with the election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand. He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!”
Neither Barack Obama nor Jesse Jackson’s family has responded to Trump’s claim.
Rest in peace, Jesse Jackson.
