Perspective | Donald Trump deigns to see Black voters now – The Washington Post
Trump deals with the Black population when they fit comfortably into his narrative, not when they challenge it
Presidential candidate Donald Trump has been touting his newfound appeal to Black voters who wanted little to do with him in previous election cycles. It would be an exaggeration to call the uptick in support for Trump a reflection of enthusiasm for him or even affection. Mostly it’s a matter of disaffection with President Biden.
Not satisfied with his modest gains, which are in the single digits, Trump has been extolling his popularity among Black voters with a particular kind of fervency that positions him as the high lord raining manna upon the starving. Trump’s tone isn’t that of a pandering politician seeking common ground. He’s not detailing what he’s willing to do to win a Black person’s vote, rather, he’s announcing what he will deign to do.
During Trump’s recent appearance at a church in Detroit, he leaned into one of his favorite tropes, which is that predominantly Black neighborhoods, cities and countries are hellscapes of homicidal thugs, violent gangs and terrible schools. The visit called to mind Trump’s appearance at the Black Conservative Federation gala in South Carolina during the Republican primary, where he engaged with the assembled Black folks, who were wearing tuxedos and formal dresses, in the context of urban blight and criminality — rather than tax cuts, entrepreneurship, health care or family traditions.
In Trump’s telling, things have only gotten worse. Black Americans can’t even cross the street to buy a loaf of bread without fear of being murdered or mugged. While there are communities where residents indeed feel under siege, crime is not the defining characteristic of Black life. But Trump is unconvinced. He recounted the pleas he hears from Black voters: “Sir, we want protection. We want the police to protect us.”
Sir. Sir? Sir.
It’s a simple term of respect and surely there are plenty of adults who might use it as a matter of etiquette or upbringing. But in Trump’s recounting of these interactions, he places the word before a cry for help and then attributes that supplication to a group of people that he’s shown little inclination to respect as unique individuals, patriots or right-minded protesters. His words and actions treat disagreeable Black people like an ungrateful mob that must be contained, controlled and corralled.
He describes his beneficence, the First Step Act, Opportunity Zones, in grandiose terms, declaring that he’s done more for the “Black population than any president since Abraham Lincoln,” which is really to say that Lincoln may very well be the last president whose policies affecting systemic racism and discrimination in this country have yet to come under assault or scrutiny by Trump and his hard-right supporters. They’re rewriting the known history. They’re upending voting rights, affirmative action, diversity and inclusivity programs.
Trump only deigns to deal with the Black population when they fit comfortably into his narrative, but not when they challenge it. He wants their vote but when he doesn’t get it, he claims that their votes shouldn’t count because they must be fraudulent even when they’re not. He likes Black folks such as his former HUD secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who say nice things about him.
Trump chooses Black folks who may speak from their own experiences or who may speak from the heart, but are not necessarily speaking in good faith or with great clarity. He champions Black Trump supporters, regardless of their flaws or their failings, but not Blackness as a cultural identity, historical tradition or point of pride and dignity.
At the Detroit church, Trump performed onstage surrounded by Black faces — as many White ones looked on from the audience — in what was billed as a roundtable conversation. One woman nervously spoke of running a small neighborhood corner store and wanting to give back to her community. She did not ask the former president a question. A formerly incarcerated man noted that he’d been sentenced under the 1994 crime bill that Biden supported as a senator but found relief under the First Step Act. He was thankful.
A restaurateur touted the economic policies of the Trump administration when “money flowed” even though reports in the local papers documented his white linen tablecloth establishment as having opened and then closed during the pandemic when Trump was in the White House, and finally reopening in a new, larger location in 2023, during the Biden administration.
A man who identified himself as a veteran urged Trump not to “allow our soldiers to walk around wearing red high heel shoes.” In response, Trump promised that the military would remain high heel-free on his watch. And a woman who said she worked with young people, lamented that she’d been forced to be a Democrat and take Section 8 public housing and then some unknown force “had me pop out all those babies to get some checks. Didn’t tell me I was stuck with those kids for 18 years.” She liked Trump very much.
That was the representative group of Black folks onstage with Trump. In a predominantly Black city, one known as the motor city, there were no autoworkers onstage. There were no teachers. No ambitious recent graduate struggling to repay a student loan. No one involved in health care or technology or law enforcement. No one who simply identified themselves as a member of the hosting church.
The only person introduced as from 180 Church was the pastor himself, Lorenzo Sewell. He thanked Trump for coming but he also had a question about the challenges of being a Black entrepreneur and keeping one’s revenue circulating throughout predominantly Black neighborhoods. How would Trump’s policies support such businesses?
The candidate didn’t address the challenges of obtaining small business loans. He didn’t go into the policy weeds on supply chain issues, tax burdens, regulatory red tape or the changing nature of technology. “I think one of the biggest problems I see is the crime,” Trump said. “You have to stop the crime.”
Sir, really?