Conservative radio host, and California’s leading gubernatorial recall candidate, Larry Elder is arguing in favor of reparations for slavers who had their ‘legal property’ taken away following the Civil War.
Elder, 69, appeared on The Candace Owens Show, alongside the show’s namesake host, in July to offer his insight on race relations in America.
The topic of reparations was discussed after Owens brought up the abolition of the slave trade, opening dialogue about the logic behind supporting the compensation of former slave owners.
‘When people talk about reparations, do they really want to have that conversation? Like it or not, slavery was legal,’ Elder said.
‘Their legal property was taken away from them after the Civil War, so you could make an argument that the people that are owed reparations are not only just Black people but also the people whose ‘property’ was taken away after the end of the Civil War.’
Reparations are often discussed through the lens of providing funds and other resources to black communities – not slave owners – and have been supported by several lawmakers and advocacy groups.
During the interview, Elder argued that slave owners lost a significant amount of money and resources after the Civil War and the passage of the 13th amendment in 1865 – which partially abolished slavery.
‘You look at the amount of money adjusted for today’s dollars, it’s a great deal of money,’ he said.
He noted that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, ‘compensated slave owners’ with ‘substantial amounts of money’ after they lost their ‘legal property’.
The radio host is known for repeatedly denouncing the existence of systemic racism.
Meanwhile, Elder faces voter scrutiny as accusations of verbal and emotional abuse were made public by his ex-fiancée Alexandra Datig, 51, of Los Angeles.
In August, Datig told Politico that Elder threatened her with a .45 pistol during an argument in 2015.
Datig said she worked on Elder’s show and they lived together during their 18-month romantic relationship from 2013 to 2015.
A letter and other records provided by Datig to The Associated Press – including an April 6, 2015, email in which she wrote about the collapse of their engagement – allegedly sketch a portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship in which Elder routinely was using medicinal marijuana to excess.
Elder has denied the claims, referring to them as ‘salacious allegations’.
‘I have never brandished a gun at anyone,’ he wrote in a statement released on Twitter.
‘I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It’s not me, and everyone who knows me knows it’s not me. These are salacious allegations.’
Datig said she waited until recently to come forward because she initially didn’t think he would be competitive.
‘I didn’t take it seriously but when Larry started to trend and become the frontrunner, I became extremely concerned,’ she said.
During his campaign, Elder has received repeated criticism for his decades of comments undermining racism and sexism in America, saying African-Americans and women ‘complain too much.’
The black conservative was also criticized for his comments against African Americans in his books and radio talk show, which began in the early 1990s and brushed aside conversations of police brutality during the Rodney King riots, NBC reported.
According to a FiveThirtyEight poll released last week, Elder continues to lead among the gubernatorial hopefuls, with about 22.6 per cent of voters choosing him to replace Newsom.
Newsom faces a close battle as 51.1 percent of voters think he should stay as governor, with 45.3 percent wanting to recall him.
If Newsom is recalled on Sept. 14, the rival candidate with the most votes would become the new governor.