Trump's Political Strategy: Lessons from a 1970s Discrimination Case
- The U.S. Department of Justice sued Donald Trump and his company in the early 1970s for alleged racial discrimination in housing.
- Roy Cohn advised Trump to deny guilt and aggressively counterattack, leading to a failed countersuit against the federal government.
- The case resulted in a consent decree in 1975, requiring the Trump organization to improve accessibility for minorities, influencing Trump's future political strategies.
In the early 1970s, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump, his father, and their real estate company, alleging racial discrimination in housing practices. The lawsuit claimed that the company marked rental applications from people of color with a 'C' and actively discouraged Black applicants from renting apartments. Despite evidence against them, Trump sought the counsel of Roy Cohn, a controversial lawyer known for his aggressive tactics. Cohn advised Trump to deny any wrongdoing and to counterattack, leading Trump to countersue the federal government for $100 million, claiming he had never discriminated. Ultimately, the countersuit failed, and in 1975, the Trumps signed a consent decree requiring them to make their properties more accessible to minorities. This legal battle taught Trump a crucial lesson about public perception, emphasizing that the court of public opinion can be more significant than legal outcomes. The strategies he learned from Cohn, including denial and aggressive counterattacks, became foundational to Trump's approach in future controversies, shaping his political strategy for years to come.