Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

It seemed almost inevitable that Donald Trump's presidential campaign would involve some sort of shocking public utterance of the word nigger. Wednesday morning it happened when Trump supporter (and convicted murderer) Don King was introducing Trump at an event at a church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio:

Here's video of Don King accidentally dropping the N-word while introducing Donald Trump at a Cleveland church pic.twitter.com/HK4FWpVEC0 — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 21, 2016

The transcript:

Full bit of Don King dropping the N word here in Cleveland introducing Trump while Trump sat behind him (h/t @seangallitz) pic.twitter.com/sGmTrbBidL — Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) September 21, 2016




To be honest, I can't make heads or tails of what King is trying to say there, other than it's a point about how black people will always be viewed as black first and foremost no matter what else they do? In any case, a very awkward moment, to which Trump supporter/ex-military wingnut Michael Flynn reacted particularly ... awkwardly:

Compare the reactions of Gen. Flynn and the woman he’s sitting next to when Don King uses the n-word. pic.twitter.com/IKZ7edDU0S — Philip Bump (@pbump) September 21, 2016

Here's Trump's reaction:

Incidentally, another (black) pastor had made a Jim Crow reference a few minutes earlier:

Pastor Darrell Scott, asking to move clergy members at Trump event into first rows: "I don’t want to put ’em in the Jim Crow section." — Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) September 21, 2016

And for what it's worth, here's Trump (in 2013) retweeting a Twitter user complaining that a (presumably) black person was using "the 'N' word" even though Paula Deen was criticized for doing so (!):

"@EDM___HEAD: @realDonaldTrump @EdandBev lyin ass nigga" Why does Paula D get destroyed and you can use the "N" word so freely, asshole? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2013

On Wednesday night, Fox News is airing a Trump town hall event for black voters that is being held at the Cleveland Heights church. It's a strange election.