--- title: Al Sharpton Takes on Trump at Aretha Franklin Funeral description: Rev. Al Sharpton took on President Trump's response to the passing of Aretha Franklin at the soul legend's funeral in Detroit on Friday. Following Franklin's... canonical: https://time.com/5384350/aretha-franklin-al-sharpton-trump/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-31T17:25:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T07:52:49.480Z og:title: Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: 'No, She Used to Perform for You' og:description: "She used to perform for you. She worked for us." og:url: https://time.com/5384350/aretha-franklin-al-sharpton-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt145bbceef51887c3/6989393bfb4eac307c897894/al-sharpton-aretha-funeral.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Soul Music Icon Aretha Franklin Honored During Her Funeral By Musicians And Dignitaries og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: 'No, She Used to Perform for You' twitter:description: "She used to perform for you. She worked for us." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt145bbceef51887c3/6989393bfb4eac307c897894/al-sharpton-aretha-funeral.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: 'No, She Used to Perform for You' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e3a2d072-3813-4ce3-a5f9-b6c7b2336645&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: 'No, She Used to Perform for You' [Watch (HLS stream): Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: 'No, She Used to Perform for You'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/39cNWqck.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2018-08-31. Rev. Al Sharpton took on President Trump’s response to the passing of Aretha Franklin at the soul legend’s funeral in Detroit on Friday._ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Aug 31, 2018 5:25 PM UTC Rev. Al Sharpton took on President Trump’s response to the passing of Aretha Franklin at the soul legend’s funeral in Detroit on Friday. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Aug 31, 2018 5:25 PM UTC Rev. Al Sharpton took on [President Trump’s response to the passing of Aretha Franklin](http://time.com/5365810/aretha-franklin-death-reactions/) at the soul legend’s funeral in Detroit on Friday. Following Franklin’s death on Aug. 16 at the age of 76, Trump paid tribute by saying, “She worked for me on numerous occasions.” While it was unclear what exactly he meant by saying Franklin worked for him, Trump could have been referring to performances by Franklin at Trump’s casinos in the 1980s and 1990s. The comment by Trump earned several rebukes on [Twitter from critics](https://people.com/music/donald-trump-aretha-franklin-worked-for-me-obamas-clintons/). Sharpton, one of several high-profile speakers at [Franklin’s funeral](http://time.com/5384067/aretha-pink-cadillacs/), said he wanted to “correct President Trump” to teach him what the word “respect” means, referring to the Queen of Soul’s best known song. “When word went out that Ms. Franklin passed, Trump said, ‘She used to work for me,'” Sharpton said. “No, she used to perform for you. She worked for us.” The crowd at Franklin’s funeral cheered, with some people standing up. One person could be heard yelling, “Yes, yes, yes” in response. “Aretha never took orders from nobody but God,” Sharpton said. > [](https://twitter.com/KendraJames%5F/status/1035567599315124224) > [](https://twitter.com/OxtailGravy/status/1035568327668588545) ## Transcript We thank her for what she did with Dr. King. We thank her for what she'd done for Reverend Jackson. We thank her for what she's done with all of us. And that is why, you know the other Sunday on my show, I misspelled respect. And a lot of you all corrected me. [ LAUGH ] Now I want you all to help me correct President Trump to teach him what it means. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] And I say that because when word had went out, that Ms. Franklin passed. Trump said she used to work for me, no, she used to perform for me, she worked for us. [ APPLAUSE ] Aretha never took orders from nobody but God. [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5384350/aretha-franklin-al-sharpton-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5384350/aretha-franklin-al-sharpton-trump/"},"headline":"Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: 'No, She Used to Perform for You'","datePublished":"2018-08-31T17:25:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T07:52:49.480Z","description":"Rev. Al Sharpton took on President Trump's response to the passing of Aretha Franklin at the soul legend's funeral in Detroit on Friday. 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