Al Sharpton Slams Trump’s Claim That Aretha Franklin Worked for Him: ‘No, She Used to Perform for You’

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 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.

Sharpton, one of several high-profile speakers at Franklin’s funeral, 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.