We still have a long way to go until the end of President Donald Trump’s second term in 2028. Still, Black leaders like civil rights icon Rev. Al Sharpton are focused on the future of America – especially as it pertains to Black folks.
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He’s already hitting the ground running, trying to mitigate any further damage to civil rights protections and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) by the Trump administration. And ahead of the November election, he laid out to us in an exclusive interview exactly what it will take for the country to recover from Trump.
“We need to take the majority of the House back where you have a checkmate on Trump, so he cannot institute further damage,” Sharpton began. We previously told you these midterm elections are shaping up to be one for the history books. Specifically, Democrats and Republicans are vying for control of both the Senate and House of Representatives. This battle has already led to unprecedented redistricting efforts in states like Virginia, Texas, and California.
Although Sharpton told us he hopes Democrats can take control of both sides of Congress, he continued that the House, under the leadership of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, is more important for Black Americans.
“If [Jeffries is] the Speaker [of the House], he chooses who’s the head of the Commerce Committee, the Judiciary Committee, all of the major committees,” the reverend said, explaining that it’s these committees that can ultimately hold Trump and his cabinet members accountable.
“They can subpoena you in front of Congress and say, ‘Bank of so and so, did you end DEI under the pressure of the Trump administration? You’re under oath,” Sharpton said. “If they answer yes or they plead the fifth–which then the answer is yes– then we can make the motion… that we freeze all your federal funds deposits contracts because you have admitted under oath that you took a situation not based on the merits but on a political trait.”
As we also reported Sharpton’s focus to restore DEI after the president banned all efforts at the federal level on his first day back in the White House. But while the civil rights leader told The Root Black Americans should be paying close attention to anti-DEI efforts, at the end of the day, Sharpton doesn’t care about the label “DEI.” The priority should be restoring protections for Black Americans– no matter what you call it.
“You need to continue to do things even if you don’t call the DEI,” he added. “The problem we have now is we have no leverage in the House or in the Senate or in the judicial branch with the Supreme Court.” Republicans have held a slim majority in Congress since 2024. The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Although Justices serve life terms, Sharpton said Black folks need to worry about the battles we can actually control… like the upcoming midterms.
For him, this fight is deeper than just red or blue. What’s at stake for Black Americans is the future of the Voting Rights Act, the 14th Amendment and our autonomy in America. “They will put those that will try to separate us that start out here like, ‘I don’t like Kamala [Harris]. I don’t want a woman.’ They did it with [Barack] Obama,” Sharpton said. “Notice that we only started hearing discord when we get close to elections.”
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