Martin Luther King Jr. niece pushes back on John Lewis criticism of Trump

Dr. Alveda King, niece of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., called President Trump a “compassionate” leader on anti-abortion issues in a “Fox and Friends” interview Sunday.

She was responding to recent comments from Rep. John Lewis (R-Ga.), who called Trump “uncaring” about the civil rights movement.

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King said “the president is certainly fighting for civil rights today” by “leading the charge for civil rights today for the little unborn persons in the womb who have a right to live.” 

King is the director of the anti-abortion group Civil Rights for the Unborn.

She added that she holds Lewis, who marched with her uncle Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, in “great esteem.” Lewis has been an outspoken critic of Trump. 

“He’s one of the greatest defenders of non-violent conflict resolution, extending that olive branch,” King said of Lewis. “So everybody in America needs to do some homework and stop playing the race card.”

Trump has “surrounded himself with African American leaders,” King said.

She said the president is “knowledgeable of much of the history of African Americans.”