Trump praises criminal justice reform in speech at historically black college — live updates

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President Trump praised the contributions of African-Americans to the United States during an address at a criminal justice reform at the historically black Benedict College Friday, celebrating gains from the First Step Act.
The president’s decision to speak at the Second Step Presidential Justice Forum has raised some eyebrows. State-based outlets report that Democratic candidates felt “blindsided” by the decision, and only a handful of students were given tickets for the speech, a speech attended by administration officials and others supportive of the president’s agenda.

Mr. Trump took a moment to mention the late Elijah Cummings, whose funeral service in Baltimore Friday had speakers including former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton.

As the president took the stage, he was awarded the Bipartisan Justice Award by Matthew Charles, who was freed from prison early by the First Step Act the president pushed to pass.

“I would not be a free man today if Donald J. Trump had not supported and signed the First Step Act,” Charles told the crowd.

The weekend-long event — co-hosted by Benedict and the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center — focuses the next steps that should be taken to improve criminal justice reform after the passage of The First Step Act last year.

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