Donald Trump once called for his execution. Now Yusef Salaam will be on the New York City Council.

David Jackson, USA TODAY
Updated ·1 min read
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Donald Trump once called for his execution − now Yusef Salaam will be a member of the New York City Council.

Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five" who was exonerated for a 1989 attack on a jogger, won election Tuesday without opposition; he easily won a Democratic primary earlier this year.

"I am really the ambassador for everyone's pain," Salaam told the Associated Press in an interview. "In many ways, I went through that for our people so I can now lead them."

New York City Council candidate Yusef Salaam on May 24, 2023. Salaam was one of three candidates in a competitive June 27 Democratic primary.
New York City Council candidate Yusef Salaam on May 24, 2023. Salaam was one of three candidates in a competitive June 27 Democratic primary.

Salaam and four other Black and Latino men were imprisoned after being wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape and beating of a white jogger in Central Park.

The attack drew national attention, including that of Trump.

Then a New York-based real estate magnate, Trump took out a newspaper ad calling on New York state to re-institute the death penalty.

DNA evidence exonerated Salaam and the other co-defendants.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump once called for his execution. Now Yusef Salaam is a councilman.