Trump’s crusade to garner the Black vote has noticeably increased over the last several weeks. Most recently, fake AI images of the former president with groups of Black people have been floating around the internet. They are disturbing for an array for reasons, with the most obvious being that visible Black support can only be conjured up through computer-generated deepfakes.
However, his desperate attempts to win over marginalized groups make sense since he already has rural white America in his back pocket. In a new book called “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy,” authors Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman present data that essentially validates stereotypes about Trump supporters.
Yes, they love God and guns, are more susceptible to believe ridiculous conspiracy theories and despise minorities. “Rural voters—especially the White rural voters on whom Donald Trump heaps praise and upon which he built his Make America Great Movement—pose a growing threat to the world’s oldest constitutional democracy,” the book states.
Sadly, these same rural voters are the same ones who do not reap the benefits of a Trump presidency and are “defined by declining wages, rising unemployment, persistent poverty, and increased government dependency.” In other words, they are so blinded by their racism that they support Trump even though it literally works to their detriment.
According to Pew Research Center data, Trump won 59% of the rural vote back in 2016. It increased in 2020 to and 65% in 2020. For white folks in rural areas, his support increased from 62% in 2016 to 71% in 2020. Black folks have historically voted Democrat and in palpable margins. We have seen right through his antics since he announced he would make his initial presidential run years ago.
Most Black voters—around 83%—expressed in a January USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll said that the legal actions against Trump were “appropriate.” Currently, he has about 12% of the Black vote and his appeals to court us are predictable as well as disgustingly racist and go beyond fake photos with Black people.
Trump has stated he’s connected to the Black community because of his indictments for a slew of alleged crimes and knows what it’s like to be discriminated against. His tacky ass sneakers—which were another repugnant effort to win over Black voters—not only reeked of racism but turned out to be unsuccessful.
Though popular rappers like Kanye West and Sexyy Red may have voiced support for Trump, most Black folks with half a brain know that his policies have harmed our communities more than they helped us. His crusade to turn skeptics into believers will continue, which means it’s going to be a long road until November.