“Sylvester Stallone called me with the story of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. His trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial. Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!”

Donald Trump Tweet April 21, 2018

Jack Johnson was an African American world heavyweight boxing champion from 1908 to 1915. In the Jim Crow era he was Muhammad Ali on steroids, he married white women, and had numerous white girlfriends. Johnson flaunted the societal conventions of his day, and white boxers were terrified of meeting him in the ring. He was a racist`s worst nightmare and an affront to the Southern way of life.

America longed for a Great White Hope to take the tile away from the uppity nigger, but no such champion emerged.

The only way to stop Johnson was to arrest him on charges of violating the Mann Act – forbidding one to transport a woman across state lines for “immoral purposes.” Never mind that the woman Johnson transported over state lines was his girlfriend. Johnson was arrested twice, and served time in prison for violating the Mann Act.

Is Donald Trump serious about granting a full pardon to this African American icon? Trump values celebrity above everything else, and if Stallone recommends pardon for Johnson, he may very well follow through.

But if he does pardon Johnson, it won`t be because he wants to right a wrong that was done to a black historical figure. Trump may want to send a message to Michael Cohen and anybody else who might be considering flipping: If I pardon a nigger I never even heard of before Stallone told me about him, don`t you think I will pardon you? Don`t flip, I have your back!

Trump is a blatant racist, and if he pardons Johnson he won`t fool anyone. Let`s hope that the Great White Hope, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, will strip the presidency from him, so to speak.

Follow Robert Paul Reyes on Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertpaulreyes