Trump suggests Black Lives Matter pressured pastors not to endorse him

Donald Trump is blaming Black Lives Matter for his canceled press conference with African-American pastors, alleging that the activists pressured religious leaders to withhold support from his presidential bid.

“Probably some of the Black Lives Matter folks called them up and said, ‘You shouldn’t be meeting with Trump because he believes that all lives matter,’” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

{mosads}“I believe black lives do matter, but I believe all lives matter very strongly,” Trump said.

“I do think that pressure was put on them when they heard there was a meeting by people that maybe disagree with certain things.” 

Trump’s campaign on Monday canceled a press conference with 100 spiritual leaders from the African-American community. His staff began touting the event last week, saying it would provide a slew of endorsements for Trump’s White House run.

But multiple pastors denied reports over the weekend that they planned on supporting Trump’s bid.

The businessman said Monday that he expected backing from some of the religious leaders, given their close ties to him.

“I have a great relationship with many of them,” he said of the unnamed pastors. “I have fantastic relationships with the people.”

“I don’t know if it’s an endorsement. I think probably it will be an endorsement by some,” Trump added of what he expected from the scrapped event.

He then mocked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for caving to pressure from Black Lives Matter activists earlier this year.

“He talks about like ‘all lives matter’ and then goes into a shell and he comes back, ‘oh, black lives matter,” Trump said of the 2016 Democratic White House hopeful. “He was a disgrace.”

Trump has implied a Black Lives Matter protester “should have been roughed up” at one of his rallies earlier this month.

“Maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing,” he said of Nov. 21 incident in Birmingham, Ala.