Due to the often political and cultural contours of blackness in the United States, the notion of blackness can also be extended to non-black people. Toni Morrison once described Bill Clinton as the first black President of the United States, because, as she put it, he displayed "almost every trope of blackness". Clinton welcomed the label. Scholar Martin Halpern writes that African American leaders "pleased with Clinton's regular appearances in African American settings and frequent socializing with black friends, his travel to Africa, his decision to defend affirmative action, and his 1997 Initiative on Race designed to promote racial understanding," and also defended Clinton during his impeachment. Halpern wrote that although some black leaders, especially on the left, "were critical of Clinton's deal with Republicans on welfare reform, aspects of his anticrime legislation, and the neglect of the poor in the booming economy, his sensitivity in other respects to black concerns kept civil rights leaders from any serious break" with Clinton, who enjoyed very high approval ratings among African Americans.