What’s behind the bizarre love affair some Black men and Latinos have for Donald Trump?
Race Relations
Last week, former N*ggas With Attitude rapper/actor Ice Cube (who wrote the song “Arrest The President”) announced via social media that he was working with the Trump administration on a ‘Platinum Plan’ contract with Black America. Soon thereafter, “Up In Da Club” rapper/entrepreneur 50 Cent announced that he was throwing 100% support to Donald Trump. Rapper Kanye West has also fully embraced ‘The Donald’ and even went so far as to run for president himself solely to siphon away Black votes from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. If that wasn’t enough, Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez announced last Tuesday that she too is endorsing Donald Trump for president.
What’s wrong with this picture? What could possibly be going through the minds of many Black men and Latino Americans to support an avowed racist?
Donald Trump has repeatedly and blatantly embraced white supremacist groups who have made no secret of planning for a race war to “cleanse” America of black and brown control so as to maintain White power. He led a birther movement to delegitimize America’s first Black president. He boldly denounced the theory that Black lives have value and matter, or to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in the US. When asked during last week’s debate if he understood why Black parents have to give their children “the talk” about how to handle encounters with the police, he refused to answer. He even went so far as to call Klansmen and other racists “good people” during their White separatist march on Charlottesville back in 2017.
So, why does Donald Trump hold such allure for some Black men — particularly when a September Gallup poll shows Trump’s job approval rating among Black Americans at around 11%?
Theodore Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice (where he studies the role of race in electoral politics) said he believes figures such as NFL great Herschel Walker and 50 Cent have a few characteristics in common.
“If you’re a Republican presidential candidate, you recognize that most Black people aren’t going to vote for you. But the most likely segment of Black people to vote for you is Black men, and a particular sort of Black man,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t surprising that after Trump became the President-elect, a parade of Black men — celebrities and athletes including Steve Harvey, Ray Lewis and Kanye West — went into Trump Tower. If you’re a Black man and a celebrity or an athlete, that usually means that the money you have is new and that you grew up either poor or working class.”
Johnson added that Trump’s talk of economic security, his overt hypermasculinity, and bootstrap self-determination has resonated with some Black men. As Walker says in a radio spot currently airing on Black radio stations across the country, “He has accomplished so much almost all by himself.” At least to some Black men, that perception is irresistible.
In 2017 following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, a series of tweets from Donald Trump proved that he had no idea Puerto Rico is part of the United States. He barked that their corrupt politicians “only take from USA.” He even had to be forced by his advisers to travel to the Caribbean island after the deadly hurricane for a photo op (to at least create the pretense that he cared). Even then, he only stayed for a few hours and was captured on camera tossing rolls of paper towels at the American citizens who no longer had homes, food, and had lost virtually everything.
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Puerto Rico got 91 Billion Dollars for the hurricane, more money than has ever been gotten for a hurricane before, & all their local politicians do is complain & ask for more money. The pols are grossly incompetent, spend the money foolishly or corruptly, & only take from USA….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2019
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After treating them like 3rd class citizens, why do Latinos still support Donald Trump?
Historically, many Latinos have fought tooth and nail to distance themselves from being tied to any ethnic or perceived connection to Blacks. In fact, they’ve regularly gone out of their way to assimilate toward White culture.
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“I ask all the Puerto Ricans who are listening to me to go vote… and evaluate who has represented themselves as someone who thinks about Puerto Ricans and their needs in the most difficult moment: It’s Donald Trump.” – Gov. Wanda Vazquez, Puerto Rico
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By adopting Donald Trump as their electoral savior deserving of 4 more years as president, some Latinos have fooled themselves into believing their political choice makes them more “white” — or at least more accepted by Whites.
However, the sad truth for both Black men and Latinos is much more succinct. Both groups have somehow decided that despite Trump’s clear as day denouncement of black and brown people, racism is not a deal-breaker in electing the next President of the United States.
And that, folks, is the most pathetic truth of all.
[However, the sad truth for both Black men and Latinos is much more succinct. Both groups have somehow decided that despite Trump’s clear as day denouncement of black and brown people, racism is not a deal-breaker in electing the next President of the United States.
And that, folks, is the most pathetic truth of all. ] – DJ
Yes. Yes it is.
Politico:
Over the years, the Democratic Party has not always prioritized Latino men, which has left some disillusioned about politics altogether, Democrats said. Some Hispanic men with roots in Latin American countries that have a long history of strongmen leaders are drawn to Donald Trump’s braggadocio, particularly in Florida, Democrats told POLITICO. And some young Black or Latino men could protest by voting third party —or simply sit out the election. A few holdouts among that population in battleground states like Arizona and Michigan could determine the election.
“That’s not to say they’re breaking for Donald Trump,” said veteran pollster Cornell Belcher, who worked on Barack Obama’s campaigns and is African American.
But, Belcher said, “they don’t see a great deal of difference between Democrats and Republicans.”
Black women and Latinas are two of Biden’s most reliable constituencies, and he’s expected to still win big majorities of both Black and Latino men, too. But as Biden aims to replicate Obama-era levels of support among voters of color, POLITICO interviews with more than 20 Democratic strategists, lawmakers, pollsters and activists reveal ambivalence on the part of Black and Latino men. And President Donald Trump’s campaign is working to exploit that ambivalence.
50 Cent says ‘Fu*k Donald Trump’ in apparent retraction of endorsement
On Sunday, the rapper, born Curtis Jackson, posted a video of an interview between “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon and comedian Chelsea Handler, who used to date Jackson.
Fallon and Handler discussed the rapper’s endorsement of Trump as Fallon noted that Handler has often called Jackson her “favorite ex-boyfriend.”
“He doesn’t want to pay 62 percent of taxes because he doesn’t want to go from 50 Cent to 20 Cent,” said Handler. “I had to remind him that he was a Black person, so he can’t vote for Donald Trump, and that he shouldn’t be influencing an entire swath of people who may listen to him because he’s worried about his own personal pocketbook.”
The rapper tweeted with the video, “Fu*k Donald Trump, I never liked him. for all….” – The Hill,
H/T: TheGrio
Wait a minute. It took Chelsa Handler for him to realize how much influence he has and not to do it for his own pocket book? He is more ignorant than I thought then.
Yep.
Setting aside, today’s Black version of The 3 Stooges – The 3 Coons (Cube, “Yeezy” and “Fitty”) just want Trump’s tax cut.
There is indeed an argument to made that neither political has ever actually shown any positive attention to the real life struggles and barriers faced every day, in America, by Black men and Latino men…especially poor and working class men.
In fact, both parties have used those two groups of males to score political points in the most opportunistic, cynically craven and (wait for it)…Racist ways.
After We get rid of Trump We must began to work on getting rid of the rest of those “good OLD boyz” in both parties.
It is sad a lot of black and latin people are not informed too well. I was talking to a family member last night and she surprised me by saying she was not going to vote. When I asked her why she said she did not like either one of them and nothing ever changes. I had to go into a long discussion about history and our family members that died for us to vote before she sort of got it. I thought my own family knew better but there is a lot if ignorance everywhere.
“I thought my own family knew better but there is a lot if ignorance everywhere.” – BD
Say again: “..there is a LOT of ignorance everywhere.”
BD, I’m all in your “AMEN!” corner today my friend.
Hey Truth I know you understand.
Please forgive me DJ – just have to share this racist madness with you……
Jared Kushner said Black people have to ‘want to be successful’ and criticized ‘virtue signaling’ after George Floyd’s death
Jared Kushner on Monday told “Fox & Friends” that Black Americans have to “want to be successful” to benefit from his father-in-law’s policies.
“He can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful,” Kushner said.
Kushner also suggested that racial divisions in the US are a result of people “virtue signaling” after George Floyd’s death. […] – Business Insider, 10-26-20
Re: Jared Kushner
That hermaphrodite looking, grifting-azz, SHE-male has the nerve to spew that racist tripe!?!
Man I cannot tell you how Hard I’ve had to pray the past 4 years to NOT hate the Trump/Kushner family. And I’ll keep right on praying. But it gets harder by the day.
I’m not one to rush my life but I really want Nov. 3rd to hurry up and come on!
Ooops! It was going to post twice.