--- 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: 2026-04-13T07:54:38.447Z 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: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. 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 speaks at the funeral for Aretha Franklin at the Greater Grace Temple on August 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at the funeral for Aretha Franklin at the Greater Grace Temple on August 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Scott Olson—Getty Images 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) ```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":"2026-04-13T07:54:38.447Z","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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