The chairperson of Donald Trump's campaign in a prominent Ohio county who said there was "no racism" until Barack Obama was elected and blamed black people for their own failures over the last 50 years has resigned.
Kathy Miller, who had led Trump's campaign in Mahoning County, also called the Black Lives Matter movement "a stupid waste of time."
Bob Paduchik, Trump's campaign director for Ohio, called Miller's comments "inappropriate" in an emailed statement.
In an interview with The Guardian, Miller's comments about blacks and the president spread like wildfire.
"If you're black and you haven't been successful in the last 50 years, it's your own fault. You've had every opportunity, it was given to you," Miller said.
"You've had the same schools everybody else went to. You had benefits to go to college that white kids didn't have. You had all the advantages and didn't take advantage of it. It's not our fault, certainly."
When asked if Trump's campaign has brought about a racist undertone in American society, Miller said, "I don't think there was any racism until Obama got elected. We never had problems like this."
Now, with the people with the guns, shooting up neighborhoods, not being responsible citizens, that's a big change, and I think that's the philosophy that Obama has perpetrated on America. I think that's all his responsibility," she added.
The campaign chair also pointed out she "never experienced" racism or segregation while growing up in the 1960s. "I never saw that as anything," she said.
Miller's comments come with a risk of alienating black voters from Trump in the crucial swing state. African Americans comprise 16 percent of Mahoning County's population, which is larger than the state and national average.
In the past two presidential elections, voter turnout in Ohio was higher among black people than whites, the report stated.
Miller blamed the media when it was pointed that Trump was exploiting racist or prejudiced views among some voters.
"The media is making stuff up," she said adding, "He's very willing to talk about issues that have never been discussed publicly."
On the possibility of people finding her remarks offensive, Miller replied: "I don't care, it's the truth."
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