Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson died earlier today at the age of 84. He'd been hospitalized last fall with complications related to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a degenerative neurological condition that Jackson was diagnosed with a decade ago.
President Trump has now issued a statement on Jackson's passing.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 17, 2026
"The Reverend Jesse Jackson is Dead at 84," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and 'street smarts.'"
"He was very generous — Someone who truly loved people! Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way," the post continued. "I provided office space for him and his Rainbow Coalition, for years, in the Trump building at 40 Wall Street; Responded to his request for help in getting CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM passed and signed when no other President would even try; Single handedly pushed and passed long term funding for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), which Jesse loved, but also which other Presidents would not do; Responded to Jesse's support for Opportunity Zones, the single most successful economic development package yet approved for Black businessmen/women, and much more."
"Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him," President Trump wrote. "He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man Jesse could not stand. He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!"
