During his campaign , former President Donald Trump has made several explicit comments aimed at black voters . Last week, he stated that having Black friends demonstrates he isn’t racist, as per NBC News .
These remarks coincide with his efforts to gain minority support as the likely Republican nominee. In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Trump for suggesting his appeal to Black voters is due to his criminal justice reform efforts, calling his approach “insulting” to Black Americans, as reported by HuffPost .
During an interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski that aired on Monday, Vice President Harris, the first Black woman to hold the position, was asked about Trump’s comments regarding his Black friends.
Harris said, “Well, on the first point, as connected to the second point, it’s insulting. It’s insulting for a number of reasons, including [that] he has reduced the whole population of people down to a sum total of what is, in his mind, who they are. And he’s wrong, and he’s wrong.” Trump claimed earlier this year that his legal troubles have garnered him support from Black voters.
At an event in February this year, Trump said, “I got indicted for nothing ― for something that is nothing. … I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time.” As reported by The Hill , he added, “And a lot of people said that 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. Possibly ― maybe there’s something there.” The Republican candidate reiterated this statement in an interview with Semafor, which was aired recently.
And, she’s right!
— Sunshine Addison (@AddisonSunshine) June 25, 2024
Trump said, “I think it’s through osmosis. They see what’s happening. And a lot of them feel that similar things have happened to them. I mean, they’ve expressed that to me very plainly and very clearly. They see what’s happened to them.”
In the same interview, he also added, “I have so many Black friends, that if I were a racist, they wouldn’t be friends; they would know better than anybody, and fast. They would not be with me for two minutes if they thought I was racist — and I’m not racist!” Trump and President Joe Biden are both seeking to gain more support from Black voters for the upcoming elections.
Black men were also considered as potential vice presidential picks for Trump. Meanwhile, in February, Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Biden, commented on Trump.
She said, “This might come as news to Trump, but pushing tired tropes, wannabe Jordans, and mugshot t-shirts isn’t going to win over Black voters who suffered through record-high unemployment and skyrocketing uninsured rates under his leadership.” She added, “Trump is showing Black voters exactly what he thinks of them ― and his ideas to win them over are as corny and racist as he is.”