Jesse Jackson defended his formerly warm relationship with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Tuesday night at the Vice Presidential debate.

“He was there with President Clinton and a Clinton supporter at that time. This was before 9/11. This was before his rant on the birther — trying to take away the legitimacy of Barack Obama,” Jackson said.

In 1998 and 1999, Jackson welcomed Trump as an honored guest at the annual Wall Street Conference sponsored by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Jackson’s DC-based “multi-racial, multi-issue, progressive, international membership organization fighting for social change.” (RELATED: 1999: Jesse Jackson Praises Trump’s Commitment To Minorities, ‘Under-Served Communities’ [VIDEO])

“We need your building skills, your gusto. . . for the people on Wall Street to represent diversity,” Jackson, said at the event in 1999.

At the same before the same group, Jackson said, “I now want to bring forth a friend — well, he is deceptive in that his social style is of such, one can miss his seriousness and commitment to success, which is beyond argument,” he added, “When we opened this Wall Street project . . . He gave us space at 40 Wall Street, which was to make a statement about our having a presence there.”

“Beyond that, in terms of reaching out and being inclusive, he’s done that too,” Jackson said. “He has this sense of the curious and a will to make things better.”

Jackson explained Tuesday night these events were when Trump “went from being a progressive liberal in terms of image to a radical right winger. That’s what happened.” He added, “He seemed to be one kind of guy when he was trying to support President Clinton and another type of guy when he goes political.”

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