ow can Donald J. Trump electrify the campaign trail, turbocharge his re-election prospects, and nauseate the Democrat Left? Stage MAGA rallies in the hood.
Atop his usual Republican-leaning venues, the former president should hold his signature mass meetings in the black neighborhoods of such swing-state cites as Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Richmond. Trump should capitalize on one of Election 2024’s most intriguing trends: The 45th president’s rising popularity among black voters.
The Fulton County, Georgia, mug shot that made Leftists salivate backfired. The GOP base circled its wagons more tightly around Trump. Added advantage: This police-involved photo shoot gave Trump street cred as a victim of The Man. (RELATED: JOSH HAMMER: Hunter’s Gun Charge Is A Big Problem For The Biden Crime Family)
New York Post’s Jon Levine recently showcased pro-Trump rappers. Chief Keef told his 8.8 million Instagram followers, “He good in da hood.” Badman Kevo, who boasts two Trump tattoos, complained: “Biden…actually got me paying a lot of taxes.” Buffalo’s Benny the Butcher declared via X: “I’m votin Trump 2024.”
Black attitudes towards Trump are warming far beyond the recording studios. Edison Research’s exit polls gave Trump 8% of the black vote in 2016 and 12% in 2020, including 19% of black men. Reuters/Ipsos discovered in July that 18% of blacks favor Trump versus 46% for President Joe Biden. A late August Economist/YouGov study pegged Trump at 20% among black registered voters compared to 62% for Biden.
Fox News on Thursday spotted Trump at 21% and Biden at 69% — down from 87% at the last election, per Edison. These combined figures put Trump 9% ahead of and Biden 18% behind their final 2020 results.
Trump should ask in person for the votes of this increasingly receptive audience. He also should discuss his overall record and how it specifically helped black Americans. He should remind black voters about the broad economic boom that the Trump/GOP Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and deregulation unleashed, before COVID-19 wrecked everything.
- Real median income for blacks grew from $39,490 in 2016, under Obama-Biden, to $45,438 in 2019, during Trump-Pence — up 15%.
- Obama-Biden’s black unemployment tumbled from 8.0% in December 2016 to Trump-Pence’s 5.3% in August 2019.
- Blacks below the poverty line slid from 22% in 2016 under Obama-Biden to Trump-Pence’s 18.8% in 2019.
TCJA included Sen. Tim Scott’s Opportunity Zone initiative. The South Carolina Republican’s measure has lured at least $48 billion in private capital into 8,764 low-income Census tracts whose populations are 57% minority.
Trump arranged a steady stream of taxpayer support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He extended Pell Grants to summer school students. HBCU presidents begged Obama-Biden for this small reform and got nowhere. Trump delivered.
Deroy Murdock | Daily Caller News Service
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