Martin Luther King III Says Trump Needs To ‘Be In Dialogue With Everybody’

Martin Luther King III, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., admitted that his father would be “disappointed” but not “surprised” by the current state of the world.

While appearing on Sunday’s episode of “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker asked King what he thinks his father would say about our “divided” and “fractured” nation in 2025.

Noting that he can “only speculate” about what his late father’s thoughts would be, King told Welker, “In the last 10 years, we’ve seen a lot of chaos. Some of it constructive, some of it destructive.”

“I think dad would always err on the side of ‘how do we create constructive engagement’ and ‘how do we build the beloved community?’” he continued. “He would be quite disappointed, quite frankly. Probably wouldn’t be surprised, but he certainly would be disappointed.”

“Because he always infused energy that was positive, bringing out the best of who we as Americans are. Unfortunately, in great tragedy we see the best of who Americans are,” King added before referencing the tragic ongoing wildfires that have devastated the Greater Los Angeles area.

Elsewhere in the interview, King shared his thoughts on what he’s expecting from President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration speech ahead of tomorrow’s ceremony, which falls on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. day.

“[Trump] has said that he wants to create some semblance of unity. Now what that means is, you gotta be in dialogue with everybody. You can’t just say, ‘Well this is what some want me to do so I’m gonna do it.’ Doesn’t mean that you will do it, but you at least have to be in dialogue. And you need to set that tone.”

“If you said you wanted to be a uniter, then those who didn’t support you — you need to reach out to them or allow them to reach out to you. Don’t keep the door closed and say, ‘No, we’re not ever going to do that.’ Because that’s only going to be counterproductive.”

King went on to say the United States is not “reflective” of what its name represents amid the current political climate.

“If you really want to bring the nation together so that it is the manifestation of what we call ourselves — the United States of America — we’re not reflective of the United States of America right this moment, in my judgment.”

Watch Martin Luther King III’s “Meet the Press” interview below.