Donald Trump Tells Black Conservatives His Criminal Charges Are the Reason 'Black People Like Me'

In a recent gathering of Black conservatives, former President Donald Trump made a striking assertion: he suggested that his numerous criminal charges had endeared him to Black Americans. Speaking at the Black Conservative Federation Honors Gala in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday night, Trump seemed to revel in the attention brought by his legal entanglements. "A lot of people," he declared to the crowd, "have said that the 91 criminal counts against me have made me more appealing to Black people."

Comparing his legal limbo to the long history of anti-Black prejudice in the U.S. judicial system, former President Trump asserted on February 23 that his four felony indictments had increased his support among Black Americans because they view him as a victim of discrimination. Despite the lack of evidence that President Joe Biden or White House officials had any hand in the filing of 91 felony charges against him, Trump maintains that he is the victim of political persecution. Earlier in the week, Trump made a comparison between himself and Alexei Navalny, the main domestic opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who passed away in a remote Arctic prison after being imprisoned by the leader of the Kremlin, “It is a form of Navalny,” he told Fox News on Tuesday. “It is a form of communism or fascism.”

Before Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina, Trump said at a black-tie affair for Black conservatives, "I got indicted for nothing, for something that is nothing. And a lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there’s something there." About the 2020 race, Trump used the mug shot that Georgia officials had taken of him following his indictment on state racketeering charges. "That mug shot is No. 1," he continued, "you know who embraced it more than anyone else? The Black population."

Trump is focusing his third White House campaign on criticizing Biden and accusing a "deep state" of targeting him. Despite facing charges related to his actions during the 2020 election, including keeping classified documents and arranging payments to a porn actress, he remains the leading Republican candidate. Many GOP voters support him, and he's expected to easily defeat former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state.

For scamming banks and insurance companies, Trump was smacked with a $354 million civil judgment last week, as per Mediaite. In addition, Trump—who is seeking reelection this year—was prohibited by Justice Arthur Engoron from holding an officer or director position in any New York corporation for three years. Alina Habba, Trump's attorney, vowed to appeal.