Donald Trump Jr. recently defended his father from charges of racism in an interview with The Daily Caller, offering as evidence a past history of photographs taken of the elder Trump with African American celebrities: "It’s amazing—all the rappers, all his African American friends, from Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, have pictures with him.” Since the mid-20th century, U.S. presidents and those who dream of becoming president have all made a practice of being photographed with prominent African American performers and artists. Below, a sampling, from President Harry Truman meeting with Duke Ellington in 1950 to President-Elect Trump with Kanye West in 2016.