News of April 19, 2016
1992 MTV Clip: Tupac on Donald Trump
On the day of the 2016 New York primary, MTV aired a 1992 interview: Tupac on Donald Trump as a symbol of greed and the divide between rich and poor.
On April 19, 2016, New York State voted in the primaries. On that exact day, MTV published an interview clip with Tupac from August 1992: in it, he cites Donald Trump as an example of greed. Vibe, The Source, and AllHipHop picked up the find.
If You Want Success, You Want to Be Like Trump
In it, Tupac says in essence: whoever wants to be successful wants to be like Trump. Then it is only “gimmie gimmie gimmie, push, push, push.” That is how everything goes.
He tied his criticism of inequality to this: nobody should win 36 million in the lottery while people are starving in the streets. It was not about idealism, but about reality. It could not be that some owned airplanes while others had no house.
Early Criticism, No Endorsement
Vibe framed the clip as evidence that Tupac called out grievances early on, and as commentary on the ongoing election. The report relays a statement Tupac made in 1992; it is not an endorsement. More on his positions: Tupac and politics.