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Trump: Lack of black Oscar nominees ‘sad’

by Jesse Byrnes - 01/20/16 8:53 AM ET

"I think it's a tough situation." @realDonaldTrump on lack of diversity among Oscar nominations https://t.co/0BrT0aLSPU

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) January 20, 2016

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday said it is “sad” that no blacks were nominated for top awards at the Oscars.

“I think it’s a tough situation. I think it’s really sad,” the celebrity businessman and television personality said during an interview on “Fox and Friends.”

{mosads}”It would certainly be nice if everybody could be represented properly,” Trump continued. “And hopefully that’s the case, but perhaps it’s not the case. It’s a difficult situation.”

Two prominent African-Americans, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and filmmaker Spike Lee, announced earlier this week that they planned to boycott the Academy Awards over the lack of diversity.

The Rev. Al Sharpton has also called for a boycott of the Oscars, which saw the social media trend #OscarsSoWhite after no black actors were nominated in the four major categories for the second straight year.

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement Tuesday that she was “heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion,” calling for “big changes” in the makeup regarding members who vote for the Oscars.

“Every year there are 20 spots available for actors. And for the last two years, the score is keeping the sport 40-0,” Lee said Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” adding.

Trump, who is seeking to show Republicans that he can appeal to a broad cross-section of Americans, noted that black actors have previously been honored at the Oscars.

“I’ve watched over the years where African-Americans have, in fact, received Academy Awards and have been very well represented,” Trump said Wednesday on Fox.

“This is not one of those years, but over the years I’ve seen numerous black actors and African-American actors receive Academy Awards and I think that’s great,” he added.

Tags Academy Awards Donald Trump OscarsSoWhite Spike Lee