Al Sharpton Criticizes Trump For Inviting Daniel Penny To Army-Navy Game

On Monday, MSNBC host Al Sharpton condemned President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance for inviting Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran who placed Jordan Neely in a chokehold on a New York City subway, to sit in their box at the Army-Navy football game. Sharpton, known for his history of race-baiting, called the invitation “insulting” and accused the incoming administration of sending a message that he believes devalues black lives.

Sharpton criticized the invitation, accusing Trump and Vance of glorifying vigilante justice, saying, “It is amazing to me that you would have someone that choked to death an unarmed man who had mental problems and act as though he’s some kind of hero. The clear message is that you are now giving legitimacy to vigilanteism, and it could make others feel that they can take the law into their own hand.”

He continued, “The jury spoke, you have to accept the verdict of the jury but to make a folk hero or a political star out of someone that killed an unarmed man, who didn’t physically assault anybody, who didn’t threaten anybody, he was acting unruly. He might have been something that made people uncomfortable but to kill him and then to honor this person that did this choke hold, that caused the death and bring him to the President-elect’s box at the Army-Navy game, a president that was president when George Floyd happened, Breonna Taylor happened, Ahmaud Arbery, happened he never said a word of comfort to the families of the victims there. But he’ll make this guy, whose only claim to fame is that he choked to death an unarmed man with mental issues. It ought to be insult to all Americans beyond race. If the race was the other way around, would the reaction be the same? I think Donald Trump is clearly sending a racial signal here. I think a lot of those that have fell in line are comfortable with that. That’s frightening.”

While Sharpton described Jordan Neely as an “unarmed man with mental problems,” it’s an inaccurate characterization of what transpired. While it is true that Neely had a history of mental health issues and was homeless, the claim that he was “unarmed” is misleading, and makes the false implication that a person can’t be dangerous without a weapon. In the moments leading up to the altercation, Neely made violent threats, including saying that he would kill people and that he was not afraid of going to prison. His behavior was alarming enough that other passengers on the subway feared for their safety.

Penny’s intervention, while tragic in its outcome, was in response to Neely’s increasingly erratic and threatening behavior. According to witnesses, Neely focused his attention on a mother and child in the subway car, prompting Penny to step in and try to restrain him. Penny, a former Marine, placed Neely in a chokehold in an attempt to subdue him. Given the context of Neely’s threats and the fear he instilled in passengers, the portrayal of Neely as merely a “victim with mental problems” ignores critical aspects of the incident that led to Penny’s actions.

Penny’s intervention was a response to what he perceived as an immediate threat to public safety, and calling it an example of vigilantism may be a stretch, especially considering what led up to Neely’s death.

The focus on race in Sharpton’s commentary also fails to acknowledge that Penny, as a former Marine, likely saw the situation through the lens of training designed to de-escalate dangerous confrontations, not necessarily as an act of racial animus. By forcing the incident into a narrative of racial conflict, Sharpton ignores what actually took place and oversimplifies the situation.

Al Sharpton has long been a polarizing figure in American politics, particularly when it comes to issues of race. He is also accused of inflaming racial tensions and using publicized incidents — often involving black death — to further his political agenda. Examples include his involvement in the Tawana Brawley case and his comments surrounding the shooting of Trayvon Martin. His tendency to amplify racial divisions, sometimes without regard for the full facts, has earned him a reputation for race-baiting.

Sharpton also pointed to JD Vance’s past remarks, accusing the politician of dehumanizing black people, referencing his controversial comments about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, accusing them of eating pets. Sharpton argued, “He sees us as animals and he sees us as less than human.”

Trump’s decision to invite Penny could also be interpreted as a political move designed to appeal to his base. For many conservative voters, the narrative around Neely’s death is not one of racial injustice, but of a tragic, but necessary, intervention. The invitation to Penny may resonate with those who view the incident as an act of self-defense, not as a racially motivated assault.