I “Didn’t Expect” Trump Backlash To Be Harsh

After meeting with President-elect Donald Trump last week, Steve Harvey (expectedly) garnered tons of backlash. However, he admitted on his radio show earlier this week that he “didn’t expect” to be so hurt by the criticism surrounding his decision to meet with the controversial public figure.

READ: Steve Harvey And Donald Trump Host Meeting To Discuss Housing Development

“On a personal note, a lot of y’all hurt me,” he said. “You really did. I didn’t expect the backlash to be so fierce.”

Harvey met with Trump last Friday (Jan. 13) at the Trump Tower in NYC to discuss housing development. He was met with a strong wave of criticism by fans and celebrities as well, such as D.L. Hughley and T.I.. He said that even his wife Marjorie told him he was not allowed to go the Inauguration of Donald Trump. However, he still stands by his decision to meet with the “cordial” Trump in order to engage in conversation to facilitate change.

READ: Steve Harvey Won’t Be At Anybody’s Inauguration Because His Wife Said No

“I have an obligation to take a seat at the table when invited,” Harvey said. “Change can only happen if you sit at the table. If you’re not at the table you can’t even… suggest what we should be doing. Therefore, it was very important for me to take the meeting. The only way we can heal the divide in this country is through conversation…If I’m going to keep getting stabbed at, then at least while you’re stabbing me, you should understand my intent for taking the meeting in the first place.”

Listen to the full clip below.