“To be able to be here at the Oval office in Washington, DC, and to experience the ultimate pardon of Jack Johnson is amazing,” Wilder said. “Johnson was the first African American heavyweight world champion, so this was definitely a magical moment to remember and one that I never will forget. … Even though it’s almost 100 years too late, finally, justice has been served.
“A wrong was corrected for something that should never have happened, and of all of the presidents, Donald Trump was the one to do it.”
Wilder went from attacking the president — based on the “fake news” presentation of Trump’s position as being about racism rather than patriotism — to admiring him for correcting a historical injustice.
It was Trump’s words that had angered him, but it was Trump’s actions that finally won Wilder’s support.
