Trump's admiration for 'slaveowner' Jackson halted Tubman $20 bill, CNN host suggests

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CNN anchor Don Lemon heavily implied Friday night that President Trump halted plans for placing abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill by expressing admiration for "slaveowner" President Andrew Jackson, the current face on the currency.

On his "CNN Tonight" telecast, Lemon played a video clip of then-candidate Trump saying that he'd "love" to leave Jackson on the $20 bill and suggesting that Tubman could instead go on the $2 bill, calling the Obama-era Tubman plan "pure political correctness."

"Pure political correctness."

— Candidate Donald Trump's description of Obama-era plan for Tubman $20 bill.

"So Harriet Tubman, the American hero who risked her life to free slaves, should get the $2 bill that hasn't been printed in years, and Andrew Jackson, the owner of slaves who is known for the policies that lead to the deaths of countless of Native Americans, should stay on the 20?" Lemon reacted.

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A U.S. $20 bill, featuring a likeness of Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States. (U.S. Treasury via Associated Press)

"I guess that's not surprising considering Trump is known to be a fan of Jackson. He praises him in interviews and on Twitter. He even added a portrait of Andrew Jackson to the Oval Office when he became president."

"I guess that's not surprising considering Trump is known to be a fan of Jackson. He praises him in interviews and on Twitter. He even added a portrait of Andrew Jackson to the Oval Office when he became president."

— CNN's Don Lemon

The Obama administration announced in 2016 that it wanted to remove Jackson from the $20 bill and replace him with Tubman, the historic American icon who helped free slaves through the Underground Railroad and that the new bills would be unveiled in 2020.

An artist's rendition of how an image of Harriet Tubman, the Civil War-era abolitionist, might look on a $20 bill. (Fox News)

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But Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Congress last month that the Tubman bill is being delayed until at least 2026 due to security concerns.

Lemon on Friday accused Mnuchin of giving a "misleading excuse" to Congress after a New York Times report revealed that a Tubman bill was well underway and that security features were likely already addressed.

"What does it say about this administration that it went through all of this to avoid giving an African-American hero, a symbol of the fight against slavery, even a token acknowledgment?" Lemon concluded.