Democratic Ohio state Rep. Bernadine Kennedy Kent endorsed President Donald Trump on Tuesday for president and then greeted him aboard Air Force One before the first presidential debate.
Kennedy Kent praised Trump for low black unemployment rates and for his support of historically black colleges, in a statement earlier in the day. Then Kennedy Kent and her husband went on Air Force One to meet Trump in Cleveland before the debate against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
“We all recognize that gainful employment and economic development is the best deterrent against violence and social unrest, so I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to ensuring the success of the Black community in every way,” Kennedy Kent said in a press release.
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Kennedy Kent has served as a Democratic lawmaker for two terms, however, she was kicked out of the House Democratic caucus in 2018 for reportedly sending a letter using the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus letterhead without any permission. (RELATED: Kentucky Democratic Rep. Reportedly Arrested In Louisville Riots)
Kennedy Kent has been working from home since 2018, not appearing in the Statehouse since May of 2019, the Columbus Dispatch reported. (RELATED: ‘She Can’t Pull This Off’ — A Number Of Democratic Senators Slam Feinstein Ahead Of Supreme Court Nomination Hearings)
House Democrats and Kennedy Kent have not been close for years and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper told the outlet: “This is the first I’ve heard of her in a while. Obviously, she checked out of her public position a long time ago.”